Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
But despite the coolness of the water, the air is desert dry and the temperature is climbing with each second. I’m wearing a long gauzy skirt that I know the seamstress created to be an undergarment for me, but it’s not see-through and anything else would be too hot. On top I just have my support garment and one of Andor’s white shirts that I knotted at the waist. All the men are dressed in white or tan tunics and loose pants, a few with linen scarves around their necks, ready to be wrapped around their heads.
“Do you have any salve?” I ask Andor as Feet starts to row us to shore and we wave our goodbyes to Toombs on the ship. “The sun is only going to get brighter from here on in.”
He nods and takes it out of his pack, wiping the black substance around his eyes before passing it to me. I do the same and then give it to Kirney and Feet. They hesitate at first but I let them know that it not only protects against the volcanic air found in the Midlands but also cuts the glare from the sun in the Banished Land. We have to cross an expansive desert called the Burning Sands once we leave the coast, with near-white sand dunes that will blind us otherwise.
By the time we reach the shore it’s like we’ve passed through a wall of shimmering heat, and Feet is sweating from the exertion, though it doesn’t take long to evaporate from his skin. I’m used to it to some degree, but it’s cooler where I grew up in Lerick and there’s a reason why the Freelanders moved into the Dark City.
We get out onto the sand, hauling the boat up onto the shore, and Lemi immediately starts shifting from spot to spot, disappearing and reappearing just a foot or two farther away.
“What’s he doing?” Andor asks, his gaze bouncing along with Lemi’s movements.
“It’s hot on his paws,” I tell him. “He shifts continuously so that they don’t have time to burn. Even with his thick skin he won’t be able to stand for more than thirty seconds before the sand does damage. We wouldn’t last five. Hopefully the bottoms of your boots won’t melt off.”
The men exchange a worried look.
“Best to copy Lemi and just keep moving,” I tell them, leading the way through the sand. I glance over my shoulder at the ship, anchored in the glistening harbor, then survey the land around us. The borderland canyons are far off to the north, camouflaged by the shimmering heat, and to the south of us there’s nothing but the coast and sloping sands. In front of us the dunes rise, and I know from experience they will seem endless until we finally see the volcano that presides over the underground city.
“So far so good,” I say, looking back at Andor. “I’m sure Lemi will be the first to let us know if there are any hostiles.”
“So who usually are the hostiles in these parts? Did you deal with them when you had to take your boat to the Midlands?”
I shake my head. “Not really. There’s a small harbor of sorts to the north of here that the Freelanders use to go fishing. We bypassed it for a good reason—any outsider ship will most likely be attacked and raided. That’s where I usually hire a boat to the Midlands, but the Black Guard rarely patrols the area and I doubt they’d be this far south in the middle of the Burning Sands. I doubt we’ll come across anyone.”
I look over my shoulder at Kirney and Feet. “Sorry, you might be making this horrible journey for nothing.”
“Eh, it’s good to get off the ship,” Feet says, trying to sound nonchalant even though he’s red-faced and panting already. Kirney seems to be handling the heat better, and of course Andor is barely breaking a sweat. I know that all the crew have taken suen at some point, but I’m pretty sure Feet’s powers aren’t helping him at the moment.
“How long is the walk to the city?” Andor asks.
“The dunes will take us a few hours,” I tell him. “Perhaps on the way out of the city we can borrow some free-roaming camels to make the trek back easier.”
He looks intrigued. “I’ve never ridden a camel before,” he says.
“Don’t get too excited,” I warn him. “They either move too slow or too fast. Oh, and they spit.”
“Nothing venomous, I hope,” Kirney says.
“No, but it’s gross,” I say, making face. “Though not as gross as the slug webs.”
Andor’s eyes widen. “The what?”
I just smile. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
No point in letting them know before we get to the city itself. They’ll have enough to worry about on the journey there.