The messenger

Kael had been on high alert for days. Whenever it got dark or the wind suddenly picked up, the hairs on his skin would stand on end and his gaze would dart around quickly. But since that night a week ago, the voice had not reappeared - this calmed him somewhat, though he couldn't completely shake off his nervousness.

"Hey, it's your turn!"

Kael shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. He had no reason to worry at the moment. It was broad daylight and he was in the middle of the village, albeit in the shade, shielded from the heat of the eternal flame.

Kael glanced briefly at the boy who had called his name and then refocused on the game at his feet.

"Oh right," he said, picking up the two dice.

He shook the wooden dice in his hand and let them fall into the sand. They didn't roll but instead stuck in the sand. One die showed a four, while the other could be interpreted as either a two or a six, depending on which angle one viewed it from. That was the problem with playing in soft sand; the dice didn't always land flat.

Naturally, this was also used to one's advantage. Kael glanced at the game board drawn in the sand, and at where his game piece was, which was really just a pebble.

"It's a two," he declared. That would move his game piece directly onto a dune square.

"No way! That's clearly a six!" retorted another boy, dressed like Kael in a red Ra'ed. He seemed a bit older than Kael, and thus taller, although nearly everyone was taller than Kael. The boy had crooked, asymmetrical eyes, which is why everyone simply called him Crossview.

Kael gave Crossview an irritated look. "It's definitely a two. You're just seeing it distorted," Kael taunted the other boy intentionally.

Crossview flushed a bit and spat out as he spoke again: "Just because you're closer to the ground doesn't mean you see it any better than I do, you dwarf!"

Kael looked even more annoyed than before. Why was Crossview so obsessed with this silly game? None of the other boys here were so eager to win.

Atherion's Ascend was just a simple dice game where a board consisting of connected squares would be drawn in the sand. Then, the players would take turns rolling the dice. The game pieces represented the primary divine beast of Zephyria, Sirocco, Atherion's will on earth. Landing on a dune field allowed a player to advance 5 squares. Landing on a storm field meant moving back 5 squares.

There was also a Qanat field. Landing there was like falling into the complex water channels, and the player had to roll higher than a 3 within 3 turns to get out.

Whoever reached the eternal flame, the last square, first would win and receive Atherion's blessing for the rest of the day. The game was invented by the children in the village, so of course, all of this was just make-believe. That was all there was to it. And no child was as fixated on this superstitious prize as Crossview.

"Why do you even care? You're leading anyway. I couldn't catch up if I tried." Kael, however, refused to back down.

The two boys locked eyes, surrounded by other children whose expressions ranged from amusement and annoyance to boredom.

"I think it's a two," one boy chimed in.

"No, it's definitely a six," countered another.

The children couldn't agree and started arguing. For most, except Crossview, it hardly mattered whether Kael had rolled a two or a six. Most were just enjoying riling each other up. A few even hoped it might escalate into a scuffle.

Finally, Kael sighed deeply but conceded as Crossview and a few others persisted with their annoying insistence, and Kael didn't really care after all. He was just outside with the other village boys since his family was occupied. His mother and Safiya were at the temple, and his father was meeting with a merchant, a meeting Kael hadn't been allowed to attend.

"Fine, make it six," he declared, rolling his eyes visibly for everyone to see, "that makes ten spaces. One, two, three... oh."

Kael's game piece landed in the Qanats. It was just like any other space but marked by a line in the sand cutting across from corner to corner. Kael placed his piece there and looked questioningly at Crossview and the others.

"Satisfied?" he asked with evident irritation.

Crossview gave a slight smile and nodded, causing Kael to roll his eyes again, but he let it go. If Crossview needed Atherion's blessing that badly, then he could have it. Kael doubted it would help the boy manage to look a girl in the eyes without squinting.

Kael leaned back against the house wall providing shade for the gathering when he heard a rustle in the sand and looked to his side. It was a girl with dark brown hair and a light tan. The girl had a slightly too large nose for her petite face, but Keal thought it still made her quite pretty. She had sat down next to him, while wearing a yellow Sundara that really shouldn't be in the sand.

Of course, Kael knew the girl. Bennu often joined the boys when they hung out outside. She tended to stay back when they played on the dunes, but she was seldom seen with the other girls when the boys were out here in the village.

So, Kael paid her no more attention than he would any other boy who was always outside. But she seemed to have other plans.

"I also thought you rolled a two," Bennu said in her petite and somewhat shy voice.

Kael just nodded. Then he glanced sideways - when his eyes met Bennu's, she quickly looked away. Kael frowned. If she didn't want to look at him, why did she even try to make conversation?

"Why didn't you say anything then?" he asked.

Bennu fiddled with her hair and hesitated before answering.

"I don't know."

Kael frowned again but then chose to ignore the girl's strange behavior. Suddenly, another boy noticed Bennu and exclaimed, "Hey look! Bennu's showing up again. What a coincidence, huh, guys?"

He and the other boys laughed knowingly, but Kael didn't quite understand.

"What are you talking about? She's always here," he said.

Crossview chuckled a bit and then looked at Bennu.

"She's always here when you are, dwarf. That's why you think she's always around." Crossview and the others laughed again, and when Kael gave Bennu a questioning look, he noticed her cheeks were slightly red.

He sighed, did not argue back, and did not try to defend Bennu. He had nothing against her but didn't particularly like her either. She was too shy, making it hard for him to really talk to her. It made him uncomfortable.

She looked at him expectantly for a moment, but when she realized, he wasn't going to say anything, she turned away, pouting. Kael remained impassive. It was his turn again. His game piece was still in the Qanat, and now he had to solve this problem first.

He rolled the dice. A one and a three.

"Pff, no luck," commented the boy next to Kael, "Pass the dice!"

Kael tossed the dice at the boy's nose, causing him to yelp briefly, looking more offended than hurt. Kael just shrugged.

"Why do you do that?" suddenly asked Bennu, her face returning to its normal color.

Kael paused to think. "Do what?" he finally asked, though he knew what she meant.

"You always seem to be looking for a fight."

"Maybe because I know I'd always win that fight," Kael countered.

"Then you're a moron."

Now she had insulted Kael, and he looked at her a bit angrily. She seemed to smirk briefly.

"Now we're even," she said, but Kael again didn't understand what she meant.

The dice came back to Kael. Still no luck, this time a two and a three.

And even the third time, his pebble remained stuck in the metaphorical Qanat. Kael grimaced as he passed the dice again. His game piece had to go back to the starting square.

Then Crossview chimed in: "Three failures! Now you've got Talak's Curse on you for the rest of the day!"

"That's made up," Kael replied bluntly, leaning back into the shade.

"No, it's not!" protested Crossview.

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Sure, and what exactly is Talak's Curse?"

Crossview rubbed his nose, seemingly trying to come up with some foolish invention. Fortunately, Kael didn't have to listen to the boy's nonsense, because just then, the boys and Bennu heard the neighing of a horse.

They turned towards the sound, and at that moment, a horse ridden by a man clothed in turquoise and black garments sped past them.

Kael's eyes and those of every other child widened. Those were the colors of the Queen!

Everyone sprang to their feet and followed the mysterious rider. Other villagers joined in as the rider passed by the houses.

Kael raced ahead of the other boys, even overtaking some adults along the way. They all ran towards the main square, where the rider was now waiting.

Soon, even with the eternal flame heating up the desert, half the village had gathered in the main square, forming a circle around the rider and his horse. The horse was as black as night with a white patch on its left hind leg. The rider himself was a tall man with a majestic, well-groomed beard. His long hair was tied back, and Kael noticed that his eyebrows seemed unusually straight.

Despite this, there was an aura of awe and respect around the rider, perhaps due to his imposing stature, but more so because he wore the colors of Queen Soraya, the Radiant.

The rider looked around, observing the villagers. Unlike him, they were mostly craftsmen and traders, dressed accordingly. He stood out starkly from the crowd.

Then he raised his hand, and suddenly, the square fell silent.

He waited a few moments, ensuring he had everyone's attention. Then he turned to his horse and retrieved something from the saddlebag. It was a large piece of rolled-up parchment, comically large. The man unfurled it.

But no one laughed, and Kael realized who this man was. He was a messenger from the queen herself.

"Beloved citizens of Zephyria," the messenger began slowly. His voice was a bit too high for him, but its volume ensured everyone could hear him.

"My name is Baako Orahid, envoy of the Sun Queen Soraya, Rasha'alor, she who walks with light. I bring a message that is being proclaimed at every corner of Zephyria."

Baako Orahid paused for a moment. Kael listened intently to his next words.

"A great blessing awaits Zephyria. Rasha'alor has received a vision from Atherion, the eternal flame. In two weeks from now, on the day after the full moon, every able man and woman is to make their way to the capital."

He looked up from the parchment.

"There will be a great festival."