Journey through the desert

At least half the village had gathered—everyone who could afford to be there. Only the elderly too frail for the journey, the sick, young children, and a few caretakers remained behind. The rest of the village had arrived at the entrance, fully loaded with their belongings.

The variety of luggage spoke volumes about the villagers. Some, excited for the festival, brought their finest clothes and rarest fabrics—for many it was the first opportunity to wear them. Those whose profession involved selling goods brought along their merchandise. Kael noticed a line of heavily laden camels carrying bags filled with pots, fabrics, spices, tools, and other salable items.

Every villager, including Kael and his family, carried water jugs tied to their backs. They weren't very large, as there was an oasis and checkpoints along the way, but the limited water was essential.

The villagers would have to cross the desert to reach the capital city. The journey would take a little more than a day, and they would spend the night outdoors in large tents carried by the strongest among them. Ammar himself carried two of these tents.

Besides a water jug, Kael carried two other items—a bag with clothes and another with food and gifts for his and several other families, meant as offerings to Atherion. There was also the glass with the Ashes inside his bag, but he only took it with him because he didn't feel like leaving it behind.

Ammar and a few others moved through the crowd, checking the presence, health, and luggage of the travelers. Kael stood at the forefront of the caravan with his sister and mother, both wearing their black Al'Shalin Sundara. Kael wasn't sure if these were the best attire for the journey, but they would never enter the capital without them. Being recognized as Al'Shalin came with certain advantages.

As Kael watched his father make final preparations, he readied himself as well. Suddenly, he felt an unusual weight on his back. Turning around, he found Shukran standing behind him, noticing an extra water jug had been added to his load.

"Old man! What are you doing here?" Kael asked, surprised yet pleased.

Shukran grinned, then turned briefly to Lyla and Safiya, who looked on with confusion for different reasons.

"Hello there!" he said.

"Hadhir! You're coming after all!" Lyla exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Safiya asked.

Shukran just shrugged at Lyla's remark and then burst out laughing at Safiya's question, causing some nearby villagers to turn their heads.

"You're too loud, old man!" Kael hissed, though he didn't really mind. He was glad that Shukran had unexpectedly shown up. Nobody had anticipated his presence.

"I'm your grandfather, little Safiya," Shukran said with a laugh.

Safiya's eyes widened, but before she could open her mouth, Lyla placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't listen to this fool. He's an old friend of ours," she told her daughter, shaking her head slightly. "Why did you decide to come all of a sudden?"

Confused, Safiya blinked and clearly wanted to ask more questions. She looked helplessly at Kael, who could only shrug in response. He hardly knew how to explain it himself.

He certainly couldn't say, "Oh, him? Yeah, that's a Ramalkin who just happens to live on the edge of our village and beats me up every evening."

The culprit in question gave Safiya an amused glance and then addressed the question. Just then, Ammar joined his family.

Shukran nodded briefly at him and turned back to Lyla. "Well, my dear, it's not every day such a grand festival occurs! Even an old man like me can get excited."

Kael looked skeptically at Shukran. He had barely mentioned the festival when they talked, showing little interest in it. Lyla and Ammar also seemed to doubt his sincerity.

"What?" Shukran asked, raising his hands innocently. "Don't look at me like that. Not you too, Safiya."

"Again, who are you exactly?"

"Your grandfather."

Safiya blinked and Kael saw his sister's eyelids twitch. Shukran seemed to have a natural talent for provoking every Adar he met, probably fully aware of what he was doing.

He also knew when to stop, as Lyla was still raising her eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Alright, alright. The truth is this..." Suddenly, Shukran pointed at Kael, grinning widely.

"Your son convinced me. He's obsessed with me, came to my doorstep every day and threw himself on his knees in the sand! Then he begged, 'Oh please come with us, please, please!'" Shukran mimicked the gesture Kael supposedly made.

Both Kael and Lyla, as well as Ammar and Safiya, were at a loss for words as they watched the old man perform a highly unflattering parody of Kael.

When he was done, Ammar turned to his son. "Did you really do that?"

"You believe him?!" Kael exclaimed in dismay. He hadn't done anything remotely like that! All he had ever done with the old man was challenge him!

Ammar blinked in confusion and finally sighed. "Well, he clearly doesn't want to tell us. Let's leave him be."

Lyla sighed resignedly and then picked up her luggage. The caravan was already starting to move. She smiled briefly at Shukran and said a few words.

"It's nice that you're coming along. We're always glad to have you."

Shukran nodded appreciatively. Then, Ammar went first, followed by Lyla, and after some confused glancing around, Safiya started moving as well. Kael stood still for a moment, watching his family for a few seconds before turning to the smiling old man.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

Shukran raised his eyebrows. "Oh? You're not trying to hit me for that?"

Kael frowned. "I'm not that hot-headed."

"That you are," Shukran teased. "I believe all you enjoy is starting fights."

"That's..." Kael started to object but couldn't find a reason why he shouldn't. He simply shrugged, perhaps Shukran was right; he was somewhat prone to confrontation, especially since meeting Shukran, who had quite the knack for provoking him.

Seeing Kael's lack of comeback, Shukran flashed a triumphant smile, then extended a bag filled with clothes and food towards Kael. "Help an old man carry his stuff, will you?"

"You're a Ra-" Kael started.

"Ahem!" Shukran interrupted, gesturing conspicuously at the people around them.

Kael lowered his voice. "What's the point?" he asked.

Shukran tossed the bag to Kael, who caught it, now burdened with far too much, but Shukran started walking off. Annoyed, Kael followed.

"I need to keep up appearances, kid. I'm just an old man from the edge of the village. See over there? People are also carrying things for the elderly."

"But nobody's even looking at you! You don't know anyone here," Kael protested, knowing he would end up carrying the luggage anyway.

Shukran shook his head. "Yes, but enough people know you. And I'm certainly not going to walk this march alone."

"Why don't we just walk with my parents, then?"

Shukran sighed. "Because they're unfortunately even more noticeable. Your father is carrying his spear, showing it to everybody like he's still a Sandspear. And your mother and sister are both in their Al'Shalin robes. They're the light for the moths. You on the other hand... you…"

Kael grimaced. "I'm normal? Boring? Uninteresting?"

"Exactly!" Shukran laughed and clapped Kael on the shoulder so hard he almost toppled under the weight he was carrying.

"But," Shukran added quietly, before Kael's mood could sink again into self-pity, "you've fought more with a Ramalkin than many warriors. And you're not afraid of it. You can be proud of that. You showed no fear."

Kael looked up at the sky.

"No fear, huh?"

Had he not had it? Just a week ago, he had been afraid of nearly everything—his lifestyle, his self-confidence, trying anything new. Now, he was sparring daily with a Ramalkin and actually enjoying it. Was this what he needed?

Unfortunately, it wasn't a path he could see himself pursuing into the future. He still had the problem of not excelling at anything or even knowing what he wanted to be. But at least he had dared to try. Over and over. He smiled weakly.

Maybe something could still come of him, he thought.

Shukran noticed Kael's smile and smiled contentedly in response. Then his smile faded, and he turned to Kael with a serious tone.

"I haven't told your parents because you haven't either, but the reason I'm coming along is simple," Shukran said.

Kael felt a shadow pass over him. It was rare for Shukran to be so serious.

"Why?" he asked.

"It's highly unlikely—almost certainly impossible," Shukran began, "but just to be absolutely sure, I'm coming with you. It's about that voice you heard."

Kael's eyes widened. Shukran indeed knew something he hadn't shared.

"If my suspicion is correct, which it won't be, you might need my help. I won't tell you what could happen. That would only make it worse."

Kael frowned. This was about his safety; how could the old man just keep silent? Was he worried Kael would become frightened?

"Just tell me, old man," he said firmly.

But Shukran remained unmoved.

"Patience. Nothing can happen to you while I'm here, so try to enjoy the festival."

Kael tried several more times, but Shukran kept giving the same dismissive answer, which Kael found anything but satisfying. Yet, he sensed that Shukran wasn't doing this because he took Kael lightly—he simply didn't want to make false claims.

Eventually, Kael gave up. The feeling of unease remained, but at least he had been assured that if something did happen, Shukran would be there to help. That would have to be enough for now.

The caravan moved through the hot desert at a slow but steady pace, occasionally stopping to eat or to shake the sand out of their clothes.

As night fell, tents were set up as planned. For some time now, the fire of the Sun Palace could be seen in the distance, signaling that they would reach the capital the next day. That evening, however, Kael spent some time with other children from the village who had come along, including Bennu and Crossview.

But he wasn't in the mood to play, so after a short while, he left. The words of the old man haunted him, and after lying in his sleeping bag for a long time, exhaustion from the long journey took over, and he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was still dark. Needing to relieve himself, he sneaked out of the tent. The night air was cool, and a gentle breeze stirred the sand across the desert.

Kael walked a few steps away from the tent. After finishing his business and about to turn back, he caught something in the corner of his eye.

Turning around, just a few steps away from him, he saw a lone, small figure draped in a black cloak. A few strands of blue hair peeked out from under the hood.

Kael immediately recognized the figure. It was one of the five he had seen that night, just before the encounter with the voice. His entire body tensed up in alertness.

A playful, feminine voice came from the dark opening of the hood.

"Oh," said the figure, "you weren't supposed to see me."