They ran, again and again. They suffered the heat like they never did before but they kept running. Until dusk came and they saw the border on the horizon. It was not so far anymore and they would reach it by an early night.
Sadly, Zaelia had to admit that the man who shouted in the morning about the weaklings to slow down the group was right. Without the eight they were moving much faster and calmer. It hurt her to accept it, she should not have integrated them into the group in the first place. Without them, they managed to catch up late and almost arrive at their destination in much less time than originally planned.
The wind started to blow but they were not scared anymore, they knew the sand waves were too rare at the border and the chances to have one where they were were extremely low but she was still worried about the capabilities of the enemy. They were in an unknown land now.
The night felt and they didn't need a long time before entering the land at the border. At first, they didn't feel the difference, the border was delimited by a kind of stone path but it seemed to be placed in the middle of nowhere.
Zaelia understood quickly why the border was made this way. Not far from there was a river, the sand was completely different there, it was more like little stones polished by the stream than the dry sand they always knew. The air was much fresher and wet. They were much more in the East than they planned, they should have arrived in the South East at half a day of walking from the town but the place they were was at least a quarter of a day more than she wanted.
No matter where they were, at the moment, they were happy to be there. They walked deeper into the new land and their eyes were seeing so many things that they never saw before. This was a brand new world in front of them. Everything was majestic, from the stream of the little river, the color of the water by night reflecting the moon, and the few trees in the prairie with dancing shadows on what was grass under their feet. The feeling while walking was incredible, they always knew only sand. The fact that they could walk on this hard floor for the first time gave them incredible joy. Zaelia was losing balance, her steps were too strong and she needed some time to adapt.
She felt like a child, they all felt like children. They were laughing and enjoying themselves.
There were even flowers.
These new feelings and scents were incredible and Zaelia was smiling. Just for this experience, this journey was worthwhile. They made the camp for the rest of the night. They heard all these new sounds, the singing of birds in the trees, the noise of the water next to them. She was stargazing, Xzander came to join her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You did it."
She took his hand in hers and smiled. She would have loved to do better, she had a lot of regrets about the eight lost companions. Her head was resting on the grass. He lay down next to her, enjoying the smell of the fresh flowers in the night. That was an incredible feeling, she felt like a different person. Everything was so soft and calm. She couldn't close her eyes, she was admiring the stars. The sky was looking so different there and the wind was moving the branches of the tree next to them. The sensations around her were so soft that without realizing it she was closer to Xzander. He chuckled and mocked her a bit.
"Are you becoming a softie now?"
She slapped him on the chest, amused, as she did it he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto him. He wrapped his arms around her and they stayed in this position watching this new world around them. Enjoying every sound, everything.
"It's maybe our last night on earth."
She spoke in a distant voice, she had no fear about it anymore. She felt relaxed, her head on his chest and watching this wonderful view. He was amused and happy.
"It's a good last night."
He placed his arms under his head to make himself comfortable. It was a simple moment, a simple and good moment. She didn't have such feelings for ages. Always thinking and raging about the evolution of the tribe. Always searching to have the last word. That night, she was simply lying watching the stars and the effect of the gentle wind in the trees. She heard Xzander's deep voice echoing in the calm of the night, it was the voice of a dreamer.
"Do you think Archanium watches us?"
She truly laughed at him.
"If he watches, then it is very boring to be a god. Can you imagine? Having so much nothing to do that you have time to watch a bunch of guys running."
They laughed together.
As the morning light rose, the forty-two were ready to leave. Today was the big day, the day they were preparing for so long. The day they would attack the town. If they were runners, running on this floor was quite complicated for them and they were moving much more slowly than usual. Moving was still a bit complicated, she understood quickly that it would be probably hard to run away with the taken resources right after the assault. She was not so scared about taking the town, she knew her men were good, but she was more scared about the fact that they would have to reach the oasis before the night after a full day of running and a full night of pillaging. She tried to find a better plan all week but there were no other ways. The safest way was to arrive in the South East at half a day of running from the town, leaving the camp in the middle of the afternoon, reaching the town by night after this long rest, and then escaping in the early morning after taking what they needed. After a day of running, they would reach the oasis.
Since they had a problem in the desert and they were behind schedule for half a day, it was now impossible to take this long rest before the fights. The tiredness of her Men was a real issue.