"Prince Fabio and Princess Florentia have arrived! Marik Valerius, General of Vales' Elite Army must come to greet the crown!" A royal announcer called over a set of trumpets. His screeching woke us all from our slumber instead of the loud instruments.
My men and I pulled our cheeks off the dusty ground, wiping trails of saliva off our cheeks. The dreaded pair have come to claim the city from the ones who took it. Groaning with my brothers, I jump to my feet. I hollered back at the annoying announcer. "I am coming! You are going to make Krasea's walls crumble!"
"Marik, should I go pop off their big heads?" Dade smiled sweetly after offering to use his dark powers on the pesky entourage. Knowing his style, he can and will mask it as an ambush from another kingdom. "Can I Marik?"
"No, you stay here with the others. Only I, the general, has to go." I see Dade and other boys pout, but I ignored them as I leave our camping tent. Almost immediately, I spot the two royals perched atop strong horses.
Prince Fabio was wearing an armoured outfit finished with a white cape billowing in the wind. Was there a faint red stain on his chest?
"Welcome to Krasea, capital of Cithen! Please, feel free to explore the city and the palace." I pointed at the white palace sitting atop a tall hill, glistening under the sunlight. I have not stepped foot inside the fortress, but I knew it was farther than it looks. "Kraseans are quite hostile, be careful with them."
"Why would we need to be kind to them?" Princess Florentia had her nose turned upwards again. Does the bottom of her nose ever run parallel with the ground instead of the trees? "You are too soft for Vales' Elite Army."
I grit my teeth, allowing the daughter of my master to speak rubbish. She who never talked to her people would know about the people she's claiming as her subjects? Then, there is her putrid brother to her left.
He who never fought in wars dared to come here wearing his father's old armour! The royal cape for special occasions had also been stained for satisfying his alcoholic needs? I wanted nothing more than to spit in their faces. As I am a brutish warrior, I should.
To think Emperor Utar birthed these useless offspring was mind-boggling. He and the Empress are intelligent and righteous enough. Where did they find the prince and princess?
"Where are the three hundred Kraseans? Bring them out and be on your way!" The prince attempted to use his father's powerful tone, but his voice broke just as he finished his orders. He cleared his throat, turning red like the stain on his cloak. "Go! We will settle in fine without touring the ugly city."
"He must be blinded by the sun," Sebastian muttered beneath his breath as he came to stand beside me. My beautiful deputy did not appreciate the prince's depreciation of the white city.
My boys walked alongside a large procession of Kraseans, helping them attach their horses to wagons and bags. I watch the prince lick his lips with his toad-like tongue. Horses were whipped by their masters and they start to stomp around, agitated by stinging lashes. I glared at Princess Florentia who looked at Krasea's women as if they were as disfigured as her.
Sebastian pulled me away from the royals and we found our majestic dragons waiting for us to mount them. Like kings, we flew right onto their backs and sat proudly on our legendary mounts. My friend's dragon is a fire-breather. She is a slender one donning a cloak of fiery scales and protruding from her head was a single gold horn.
I have helped my friend decorate his dragon with gold accessories and red ribbons when she was old enough to fly with extra bulk. She looks regal and elegant flying high in the sky even without the jewelry. Whenever Sebastian is riding her, she seems to glow brighter than when she comes to pick him up. "Look how her horn is glowing so brightly! She must have missed you."
"Of course, I am a great master! And my Pyro is a good girl." My fiery-haired friend leaned forward to stroke her red scales affectionately, and he even pressed his cheeks to her neck. Their love story brought a smile to my face. "What have you been doing for the past month? Were you a good girl with grandma?"
I chuckle to myself as I adjust my armour, seated on top of my own dragon. My precious boy looks more like a snake than a dragon, but a snake with oversized bat wings. I named him Sangrine because it was the only word he would react to. His feet dripped with blood and I assumed he drank his fill yesterday.
Sangrine started from a small egg barely any larger than the pad of my thumbs. I was originally a dragon rider, and so was Sebastian. We received our eggs years ago and he still teases me about having the smaller egg. Sangrine grew to be big, but not nearly as huge as Pyro. Like their owners, the two dragons tease each other almost daily.
"Marik, are you ready to go? The Kraseans are complaining about being woken yet we are not leaving yet!" Dade steered his midnight steed over to us. He is a Diabolic Elf and like his people, he rides a dark unicorn. If my memory serves me well, the stallion was named Nocturne.
Dark unicorns are- in my and Sebastian's opinion -more beautiful than their common white cousins. With their dappled coat that looks like the night sky full of stars, their violet eyes, silver horn and their flowing dark blue mane and tail. Nocturne was the first dark unicorn to join our army. He is popular among the soldiers.
Then, there is Dade, the owner of the beautiful yet deadly horse. A reflection of each other. Dade is beautiful for someone with extremely sharp features. His piercing black eyes rimmed with black ink. His long, dark hair contrasts with his deathly pale skin. He always complains about his opponents thinking he is weak. They assume he focuses on his face rather than his sword skills.
This is why Dade joined the Opal rank. Soldiers under this rank are the most beautiful men and women in our army. Each rank wears indication stones to tell others which rank they are under and many soldiers wear multiple stones. Opals are beautiful and enchanting, just like the warriors in the rank named after the stone.
Indication stones are often embedded in jewelry. Paion wears a jadeite necklace to indicate he is a Healer. Sebastian wears silver rings holding opals and moonstones to indicate he is a Bewitcher and Lighter.
Dade wears a necklace from which he hung an opal bead, a small piece of obsidian, a roughly cut black diamond and an onyx stone. He is a member of many ranks and I will slowly explain each rank and their indication stones.
"Yes, I am ready. You can gather your friends to lead from the front on the ground. I will be flying right above you and Sebastian will be following the tail. Does that sound good?" I tap Sangrine's bloodred wing and as expected, he started running.
Meanwhile, Pyro had turned around and she was also kicking her legs. At about the same time, the dragons were airborne. This process only took seconds and I could feel blood rush to my head. Sebastian and I flew away from each other to our posts on opposite ends.
I struggle to keep my mouth closed as Sangrine shot upwards, towards the bright sky. I turned my head although I was afraid of snapping my neck. Down below, Kraseans rode away from their homes with smiles on their faces.
Behind the migrating crowd, a dazzling city bid her citizens farewell with blinking stones. I can still see the royals as they plant Vales' flag into the city walls, claiming the last piece of Cithen as theirs. The whole situation was bittersweet, but life must go on for me, my brothers, and the Kraseans.
I turn back to avoid staring any longer at the defeated kingdom. If I looked longer, I will begin to feel guilty. Although Cithen's defeat was inevitable, I played a major role. I hope Cithen will quickly recover from our invasion.
Ahead of me is an empty desert. Sangrine peacefully sailed along at a height of about three palm trees placed one on top of the other. Below us, people innocently talked comfortably with their captors. They shared stories of their lives, their achievements and their dreams.
"Be careful with your eyes!" I shouted loudly, smiling when Sebastian held up a thumb. Although he was far away my voice carried to him. So, I continue my speech. "We are entering a desert. Cover your faces with secure cloth masks to keep sand out of your mouths! Turn to the side to avoid instantly getting sand in your eyes."
Sangrine beat his powerful wings once to rise higher, hoping to let me have a better view of the horizon. So far, I do not see any dangerous movements from the Earth. If sand swirls form in the distance, we will have to stop our travels until the natural phenomena pass.
"Thank you Sangrine." I stroked my companion's hard scales, laughing as he wriggled like a snake for a moment. Only with me does he act like a baby dragon.
After progressing through the vast body of sand for hours, I looked back. Krasea is now a speck of white dust in the ocean of orange sands. Soon, we will not be seeing anything but sand wherever we turn.
Presently, the sun beat down on us as if she was furious with our business. The heat was so much that off in the distance, I can see ripples in the air like watery portals.
"It is hot," Dade shouted up at me. He put a pale hand to his eyes, blocking the sun as he looked up. Although elves are more tolerant of heat, his black hair stuck to the sides of his face. "Where should we rest? Our water supply is also depleting rapidly!"
"There was an oasis we passed on our way to Krasea. Are we close to it?" Paion yelled after pulling the protective cloth off his mouth. The healer pointed northeast. "The area is somewhere around there. Can you see anything?"
The Kraseans walking near the front stared up and down to follow our conversation. Their sun-darkened faces had turned from cheerful to tired. I understood them, having to trudge through the scorching desert to reach their land.
I looked in the direction Paion suggested, but I cannot see green spots. Stretching far and wide was golden sand.
The Kraseans groaned and attempted to cool themselves by fanning their faces. I glance back to see Sebastian was also sprawled across Pyro and he was using a gold fan.
"It is awfully hot today! We should have departed during the night when this desert is less angry." Sebastian folded his fan and stuck it back into a bag hanging from his dragon. I suppose the fan did not help him. "The air is too hot. Our noses will run dry if we continue during the day."
"Healer, I know where the oasis you spoke of is." An elderly Krasean whose hands were covered in ash spoke softly to Paion. She wore white clothing like the rest of her people. "We call it Mira. Mira often moves across the desert, it disappears and reappears elsewhere. Perhaps when you were coming, Mira was really where you pointed."
Dade shrieked below and I wondered what could possibly frighten the diabolic elf sitting on the deadliest horse. He pointed at a shrub that had suddenly pushed through the sands to face the crowd like a guard. "What is that?"
"A bush. In a moment, we will see Mira." The old Krasean clapped her hands together and prayed.
As she said, more green tops shot up from the sands to become cypress trees and bushes. Right in front of my eyes, a great oasis was appearing. Lowly but surely, the paradise of desert travellers stopped growing. A loud boom from underground signified the oasis had finished appearing.
Under me, a collective gasp rose from the people. They started to thank their gods for the pool of crystal water, the lush bushes bearing shiny fruit and the shade provided by the trees.
Above me, I see and hear hundreds of birds flapping their wings and I followed the colourful cloud with my eyes. From the sky, they descended into the trees, chirping happily. They were singing their praises too.
I see small ants rush to find the shadows and water, shouting happily as they frolic around in the oasis. I smile, preparing to have Sangrine land on white sands. The clear line made by the paradise's pale sand and the desert's golden sand looked stunning.
Sangrine drifts under two large trees to land right beside a pool of gleaming water. I leapt off my mount and shouted for everyone to refill their water bags. "We need to reach Vales by nighttime tomorrow. Drink water, eat your food and rest for a bit. When I say we will go, do not complain!"
"Yes, General Marik!" Kraseans shouted before my own men could heed my words. Families gathered together under their own tree, often moving to mingle with others. They were foolish for speaking to my men, but the soldiers feigned kindness and forced smiles were clearly plastered to their war-hardened faces.
"You have to admit it this time, Marik! Isn't this place beautiful?" Sebastian crept up behind me, poking my sides with both his hands. He knew I would not budge like others, but I could hear him giggle.
"Yes, but why did Mira appear so suddenly in front of us of all places in the vast desert?" I could not put my finger on the cause of this phenomenon, but someone caught my eye. Sebastian asked me once again if I thought this oasis was beautiful and I quickly nodded. I narrowed my eyes.
There, right on the line separating the oasis and the desert stood a young man who looked reluctant to enter paradise. He stared up at the palm trees with hooded eyes and I could see the sorrow radiating from his body. His hands clutched his long tunic, his golden hair glowed as sunlight played on his curls.
I could see that he did not carry a bag except for the sack that was hanging across his chest. It must be cow or camel skin that served as a canteen for water.
The young man finally moved his hands, releasing his white clothes to pull a white shawl over his radiant head. His skin was already tanned and I assumed that he is a Krasean, but his sunny hair was different from the normal Krasean's chestnut or cocoa coloured hair.
Kraseans had grey or bluish eyes and yet, his eyes were golden. Like the sun, they seemed to cast a glow on his tan face but it might have been my tired mind tricking me. Whatever I saw, he looked like he could be an angel from the sky. His shawl billowed behind him like wings.
I continued to stare at him, finding a familiar object was in his hands. The scarf he wore as a veil matched the piece of cloth Sebastian received as a gift. However, the man's shawl was pure white and its gold tassels were not hanging by a thread. It looked old, but I can see he treated the cloth as a treasure.
Sebastian whistled behind me and popped his face before mine. His wide grin created a feeling in my gut that I did not like. I knew he would not let go of catching me staring and so, his teasing came. "Oh, do you like that Krasean? He was the last one in line and throughout the whole trip, he had his hands pressed together."
"Was he praying?" I asked although I was not curious. Sebastian caught me and I knew I should have clamped my mouth shut.
"I don't know," my friend shrugged as he nudged my arm with his sharp elbow. He smirked and moved to stand beside me. He was also looking at the man and he noticed the same things I have. "He does not carry any possessions and I can see the camel skin bag is empty. Why is he refusing to refill his water? Why is he alone? He is different from the Kraseans."
"He is odd," Augustus comes to stand between us. He ignored Sebastian's small pout after pushing him aside. Our top healer nodded over at the golden-haired man to bring our attention back to him. Now, three pairs of eyes were fixated on him. "He looks quite beautiful. The Kraseans are naturally beautiful people."
"Like me, I will agree with you." Sebastian cracked a grin and as fast as lightning, he shoved Augustus away. For a moment, they glared at each other. "Go stand on the other side, I am his right hand!"
"I need to watch an elderly Krasean who had difficulty breathing during the walk. Before I go, I must say that the man over there is a great catch. Whoever becomes his master will be very happy to have such a healthy and beautiful specimen." Augustus pat Sebastian and I on our shoulders, biting his cheeks as he leaves us.
Sebastian nodded in agreement and scurried away from my right hand to find shade among the Kraseans. "You should find a cool spot too!"
I could not hear my friend's final nags as I continue to study the lone Krasean who now stared up at the sky. I cannot look up because the sun's rays already dried my eyes although I have not looked at it directly. How can that crazy man focus on the bright sun for so long?
I see his tanned hands reach up to the sky and as I watched, I found the lonely man and his gestures were intriguing. Although his hands danced, he made sure to keep his shawl on his head at all times. Somehow, his snaking arms did not need to be adjusted to keep the cloth pressed to his chest or head.
I see his hands move around each other and I wondered whether he was dancing or utterly bored. When one is all alone in an unfamiliar place, I think anyone would play with their arms and fingers. Despite these logical explanations, I started to think he looked priestly. Especially with the cleaner twin of my friend's shawl.
His clothing glowed in the light, making him looked ethereal. I could not pry my eyes off his tan skin, golden hair and lean figure. I wondered who this man was and I wished I could approach him, however, he looked comfortable all by himself. I should not bother him for my curiosity.
His head swivelled to the side and his eyes flashed, filling with embarrassment and anger. His hands quickly returned to grip his clothes tightly. He had seen me watch him and my heart sank to see great fear contort his beautiful face. As he ran off, clouds of sand were kicked upwards by his sandaled feet. I could see he never crossed onto the white sands. He was carefully running along the border.
He was separating himself from me and the people behind me. I cannot understand where he was going but my mind followed him. If he escapes, he is going to be safe from the world of slavery. I should be chasing him, yet my mind told me to let him flee.
With his face and physique, wealthy men and women would want him to serve them. I knew brothel owners would buy young boys and men to attract people to their business. Not everyone likes young women in their beds. If the golden man is captured by one of them, nothing will save his sanity and body.
I think I have met the god of sun.