Sand stretched before us as far as the eye could see, broken up only by the rare grouping of unfamiliar trees. The sky, now a brilliant orange, rose to the left, casting shadows from sanddunes so large, they could practically be mountains in their own right. The sand wasn’t flat like I’d expected, and seemed to have a texture like ripples in water. Warm wind rustled my hair and clothes, like a soft caress against my skin, beckoning us further into the vast landscape. A soft shimmer off the sand made the whole thing feel magical, and a swell of excitement filled my chest.
“Is that…”
“Al Nuzem,” Tyos agreed without waiting for me to finish the sentence. “Many sands until clan, but safe. Just hot.”
The way he wrinkled his nose made me chuckle. “You don’t like the hot?”
Tipping his head side to side, he shrugged. “Clothes not meant for hot. Too thick.”
He plucked at his tunic to make his point. I nodded. That made sense. The town I’d lived in wasn’t so far north that it got much snow, but it was still bitterly cold in the winter, and we dressed appropriately for the weather. Even now, in the spring, the nights were chilly and could sometimes dip low enough for there to be frost in the morning. The desert would be vastly different even from the most southern towns in the kingdom. Not that I’d been to all of them, but the mountains we’d passed through were enough to separate the two climates by a great deal.
“Will we be stopping in a town or city?” I asked curiously. “Perhaps if I get the right material, I can make you something better to wear.”
The bright beaming smile he gave me made my heart skip and my cheeks warm. “I like that. I want Arlen clothes. We stop Al Nuzem capital. Many shops. We find what needed.”
Was it wrong to cling to that ‘we’ and hope he meant to keep me even after the journey was done?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TYOS
I eventually encouraged Arlen back into the wagon to escape the sun’s rays. With his pale skin, it was better for him to remain out of direct sunlight until he became more used to it. This was told to us before we left, to prepare us for our return. Townsfolk should be covered until they can acclimate to the heat, and we should not travel during the height of the sun. We were given a map with marked locations where towns could be found, or spots of water if necessary. We aimed for one, reaching it before the sun had risen too high and the heat would become unbearable.
There were a few tents near the water, housing a few Al Nuzem soldiers who greeted us with friendly waves and chin lifts. One came to speak with Dras, who had been in front when we arrived and was best at the Al Nuzem tongue compared to the rest of us. They spoke in low tones, the soldier's smile warm as he gestured to the water with a nod.
Jumping from Ghaevek’s back, I led him to where the soldier’s horses were drinking from the water, letting him havehis fill and patting his neck. He’d had little sleep and had worked hard to get us this far. He deserved the rest he would get here.
“Brother,” Dras called, waving me over. He tipped his head to his companion, who clasped my arm in a warrior’s greeting while Dras introduced us. “This is Rayaan, head soldier for this outpost. He welcomes us and is happy to share food and drink while we rest.”
My grasp of the Al Nuzem language was worse than even my common tongue, but I did my best to thank him for his hospitality, my words unbalanced and likely unclear based on the amusement on his face. When he spoke again, he used the common tongue, his words much more fluid than mine.
“Nice to meet you. Our king alerted all outposts of your travel. We will assist in whatever way we can. Is anyone injured? We have a healer and one of the soldiers was raised by a horse breeder, so can help with your mounts if needed.”
Thankfully, Dras answered instead of forcing me to use the limited skills I had to answer him. “None injured. We were lucky to escape unseen. A few were sick on the journey because of the pace we traveled, but we moved them to horseback to ease the strain, and they seem to be doing well.” He gestured to the wagon, where the townsfolk were slowly spilling out. “There are ten from the towns, five of my fellow clan brothers. Six horses.”
The soldier nodded, waving over more soldiers to assist the townsfolk and check on those who had been ill during the journey. A muscle ticked in my jaw when one took Arlen’s hand to help him down, but he didn’t linger, moving to the next person without giving him much thought. I relaxed when Arlen immediately turned to look for me, giving me a shy smile when he saw me watching him already.
“You are going to claim him, aren’t you?” Dras asked.
The question surprised me, I had thought my brother was still talking to the solider, but when I turned, the man hadmoved on to calling orders to his men and setting up a shaded area under some trees for our company to rest. Dras watched me with curiosity, smirking when Arlen headed in my direction instead of following the others to the shade. I switched to our mother tongue to not be overheard, scrubbing the back of my neck awkwardly.
“Should he wish it, I would be happy to do so. But he has been through much since we rescued him from his town. I do not wish to rush him.”
Dras nodded solemnly. “This is a good plan. Show him Al Nuzem, get to know each other more. He will travel with us to the settlement location. You have time.”
The reminder made me release a long breath. Now that we were in Al Nuzem and Arlen was safe from those who would cause him harm, I had more time to spend with him without him being at risk. After we arrived at the clan, we wouldn’t have to sneak trysts either. I should use it to my advantage and woo him properly. If he chose me in the end, I would only be happy to accept. He was a sweet man, and I loved the feel of him in my arms as we slept.
Slender fingers touched my arm, and when I smiled down at Arlen, he shyly took my hand, giving me a soft smile. “You’ve been up a while. Do you want to rest in the shade? I’m sure we’re safe enough here for some decent rest.”
I hummed, putting my arm around his shoulders without releasing his hand. It pulled him close to my side and made his cheeks turn a pretty pink color as he ducked his head to hide his smile. I didn’t draw attention to it, instead leading him over to the shade, where the soldiers were setting up a canopy of sorts to create a bigger space to rest. Faldar and Rukon were already laying out rolls so they could get some rest. They would get the first sleep, since they had to ride hard to meet us and hadn’t hadmuch of a break before we were on the move again. After they woke, I would take my turn.
That was too complicated to explain with my limited grasp of the common tongue, so instead I told Arlen, “I wish washing first. It has been many days.”
He groaned, making my head snap to him hearing such a sultry sound from his lips. “Goddess, I’d love a bath. After riding for days, my muscles are sore.”
Shaking my head, I accepted a pot from one of the soldiers after requesting one, filling it and leading Arlen to a shaded area farther from where the others rested. “No bath water. Keep water clean, bath separate.”
“Oh…” He looked back at the small lake of water, nowhere near large enough to bathe in when it was also used for drinking and not flowing like the river next to our camp from before. He looked a little disappointed, but nodded in understanding. “I get that. I wouldn’t want to drink water that someone else bathed in.”