Sadeh staggered in defiance of the wailing gale even as the sand slashed red streaks across her deep brown limbs. Through the billowing orange haze that engulfed the world, she could tease out with shielded eyes the silhouette of a rocky outcrop up ahead. In its side yawned a darker shadow, the mouth of a cave. If there was any place in this forsaken desert she could find shelter from the storm, it would be in there.
She did not know whether to thank the gods for such a small blessing. Had they been looking out for her and her army, they would not have let those goatskin-caped Temehu raiders lure them into an ambush and crush them. As far as Sadeh knew, she was one of only two survivors of the Khumetian force sent to punish those marauders. The other was her dear Eumenes, and she could hear him collapse into the sandy ground behind her, overwhelmed by his exhaustion and the wind.
Sadeh turned to trudge back, still fighting against the storm, and hauled up the man’s bulky body with her arms. Eumenes was not a Khumetian or even a native of the larger continent, but rather a Sherdenu whose light olive complexion and wavy brown hair betrayed his origin from across the northern sea. His armor of thick banded leather and the horned bronze helmet on his head added to the big burly man’s weight. Despite the strength she spent dragging him through the sand-choked wind, Sadeh could never give up on him. Brave and strong Eumenes was all she had left between here and their garrison’s fort to the east.
After what seemed like a lengthy passage of time, they reached the cave at last. Sadeh laid Eumenes on the floor and leaned against the rocky wall with heavy panting, taking a swig from her waterskin to wash her parched throat. She ran her fingers through the braids of her black hair to get the grains of sand out.
Continue reading “The Ancient Abomination”