"Can you see any wet spots?"
"No."
There was no blood on the sand indeed. We both had taken a deep look into the distance, but nothing. Whatever trail had existed had been erased thanks to the desert's wind.
"Since they were injured we can only assume they needed first aid."
"Water, bandaging, a place to rest..."
Karelos looked north. "They're dead in the sand somewhere or they headed north, the Kortarian border is a couple kilometers away, there should be a town there, right where the grasslands meet sand."
We left the capital, the walls shrank behind us gradually.
The sand between us changed into soil with increasingly larger patches of it, along with sparse grass that thickened with every step we took.
"What if the person we're looking for isn't here? Perhaps they ran east?"
"Had they ran east... Well they'd be dead by now and this would all be worthless." Karelos laughed at his crude, yet realistic commentary.
"And if they went west, perhaps they'd be able to reach the coast before bleeding out."
"Well, a corpse in saltwater is much better than one buried in sand, so assuming those scenarios I'd much rather they ran west than east."
"Poor person, they were probably really scared after the whole massacre..."
"Or perhaps, they were the culprit."
I gave Karelos a weak smack at the back of his head. "Don't be so negative."
"I'm being realistic!"
...
I kept walking. He rejoined me after a moment.
The path north ran along the edge of where the tree line began to thicken, a small not-so-dense forest came into view.
Boots on compressed earth was a pleasant sound to hear after walking on sand for about an hour.
"So, what's the plan if we do find whoever bled that trail?"
"Well, we can just ask them questions about what happened, since they'd be a direct witness of the events. Then we take them to Kortaria for further interrogation-"
"And what if they were the perpetrator."
"We'll find out somehow."
"Yeah, you're just gonna find out if someone murdered a hundred and fifty people and come out unscathed."
"Why are you being so negative?"
"Because I'm scared."
We stood in place for a moment, looking at each other, the tall trees looming over us, not even the squirrels or birds moved in that moment.
"What if the person we find is actually dangerous, what then? I'm not gonna sit around and see you become one of their victims. But I also don't want to die."
I didn't say anything for a long moment. "I want to help out the people of Geortaria. Even if it means risking my well-being."
"But, why are you so eager to help them out?"
"I need to keep good trade relations. The armor you're wearing was crafted from Geortarian steel, your sword too. My charm, my ring, our cooking equipment, its Geortarian copper. I've been managing our deals for years. I'm not gonna let my effort go to waste for a spontaneous terrorist attack."
~ ~ ~
A softness in the air came, the feeling of water moving slowly over itself, the dense canopy overhead breaking open, it changed the light.
I stopped walking. It was a small pond, roughly oval, its widest point no more than 30 meters. The water was astonishing, extraordinarily clear, almost reflective with a blueish tint to it.
My legs found their way to the bank and made me sit down, I hadn't noticed how much my calves burned until I sat down.
The atmosphere felt different here, cooler than the path, the air was almost purifying my nostrils with every breath I took.
"We can take a break, we've been walking for a long while." Karelos said as he examined the distance. "Do you want to have a quick snack?"
"Did you remember to bring our lunches?"
Karelos stood still for a moment before letting out a groan of disappointment. "I forgot them!"
I laughed at him. He tends to be quite forgetful about such small details, I thought.
"But its okay! I'll go pick some berries."
"What do you know about foraging?"
"A lot, mind you, I've read 5 books in my lifetime and two of those were about foraging."
"Right, they're part of the knight training course."
"I'll be back in a minute, don't go anywhere."
"I'm not a child, you know?"
He turned back before disappearing into the forest.
The rings on the water's surface moved outward slowly from their invisible center, reaching the bank before dissolving. A dragonfly appeared over the center of the pond, hovering with absolute stillness.
For about five minutes, I only stared at the pond without anything in mind, just appreciating how beautiful nature could be, an amazing break from that endless desert...
And those corpses below the rubble...
I heard the soft compression of grass, it felt far too close. I turned my head slowly towards whatever was looming.
A deer, its coloring the standard warm brown of the forest deer I'd grown up seeing at a distance. What kind of deer doesn't run away from people? This is odd, I thought.
It was oddly close to me, had it lost its sense of self-preservation? I stayed very still, and it didn't leave. But then I noticed the light.
The light wasn't bright, but it was coming from the deer itself. A faint green luminescence emanating from its coat.
I looked around the pond, Karelos was still nowhere in sight.
"You look really tired."
The voice was a woman's. I looked around trying to find anyone in the vicinity, but nothing. That voice, it just came from the deer.
I said nothing.
There was nothing to say to that. My mind made several attempts at a response before abandoning each one.
"There is a catastrophe coming. For all the people of Bambularia.
"You are being chosen. I, the goddess Kunzai extend my blessing to you. The domain of the elements are for you to receive."
"I-I must be going crazy. I probably just inhaled something from the ruins, there must've been something in the air, can ash produce these effects?-"
"You're not hallucinating."
"I threw up in the afternoon, my blood sugar must be through the floor, I haven't enough all day, I've been awake since before down. My mind must be..."
"Xena of Kortaria. You are not going mad. You are being found."
"But- But I'm only twenty-one, and I'm not some sort of fantasy story protagonist. I'm a princess of a fishing kingdom. I manage trade agreements and general diplomacy. I could never-"
"This is your duty."
"I'm not the kind of person who receives blessing from goddesses. That doesn't happen to me. Magic isn't even something I grew up with."
I stood up by instinct.
"I need Karelos. I need to get my brother and I need to sit down somewhere and drink water and-"
Before I noticed I was submerged in water.
It shouldn't have been deep this close to the bank. But my feet found nothing below, and the surface was already further above than made sense.
I tried to move my arms. The cold had settled into me, but it was almost comfortable. My limbs responded progressively slower.
The light above was very beautiful from down here. Green-gold, shifting through the water. I could faintly see the surface, a cloud and the dark canopy...
I thought about Karelos, somewhere in the trees beyond the bank, finding berries for us, although that's probably gonna change.
Hah, enjoy the extra berries, Karelos.
My eyes felt very heavy.
I felt my breath go and the cold settling into warmth, my vision followed.
Total darkness.