The sun beat down on me, burning, hateful. Never before had it been such an enemy. My throat was parched, my skin burnt and rasped to rawness by the sand as I pulled myself forward, slowly, inch by inch, across the vast, scorching Skarch Desert. An oasis would have been too good. Instead I was treated to hot sand, prickling cactuses, rough scrubs, and vultures circling above in the broken sky, leering down at me and waiting for me to die.
Dying was the one thing I couldn't do. As I crawled painfully across the desert floor, too weak to even fly, I knew only one thing. If I died here, it was all over. The fate of Hallifax was in my hands, and I couldn't even see. But I wouldn't let that stop me. I didn't have the presence of mind to know my name, but I knew I could not fail.

****

My name is Saleo Shevat. I'm an Airman in Hallifax's Aeromantic Force Command, and it's my job to keep the city safe from invaders who threaten to disrupt and defile the harmonious lifestyle of those who live within the boundaries of our great Collective. It's a job I take very seriously, even though I'm not very serious in my demeanour. But I learned long ago I can act goofy and still be serious when it comes down to it. It's all fun and games until someone puts out an eye, they say, and I'm here to keep everyone's eyes safe.
Except this day. It was Vestian 22nd, in the 314th year since the coming of Estaara. My birthday, and that of my love, Nynia. We'd been together since we'd come out of the Portal of Fate, and there was every indication that we'd gone in together as well. Our bond was great, and on this celebratory day, I was out for a soar across the Basin of Life, looking for a special place to take her for a romantic dinner.
I swooped down through a mountain pass not too far beyond the source of the Gloriana river, folding my wings in and careening past the kestrels over the Grey Moors. With a a sharp twist, I corkscrewed down, finally alighting on the heath covered ground, and settling down to rest for a bit. I flopped down on my back and stared up at the green tinged sky above, languidly pulling an azure feathered wing forward, and absently preening it.
I had nearly dozed off in the pleasant smelling heather, letting the warm sun soothe my tired wings, when I became aware of a presence standing over me, chuckling softly to itself. I tensed my body, preparing to avoid a strike, and when none came, I quickly twisted around and scrambled to my feet, cursing that I wasn't an acrobat and it took me so long to get up. My observer, however, simply watched me as I stood to face him.
I found myself looking dead in the eyes of a fierce dracnari. Brilliant red scales were swirled with orange, giving him a fiery glow under the noonday sun. His body was lithe and toned, not like the burly dracnari who had attacked Nynia and myself only a year or so prior. A ring of burnt red spines circled the top his head like a crown, descending in the back down his long neck to his shoulders. His fanged maw was split into a toothy grin, giving me an eerie feeling that raised the feathers on my head in alarm. I could tell from the basalt staff that he leaned on that this dracnari was not going to be my friend.
I had no sooner gotten to my feet than he made a quick hook with his finger and pulled. I knew the move, and sure enough, my feet were swept out from underneath me, sending me sprawling right back down where I was. He leaned over me, then made a pinching motion, and I felt my throat close off just as I started to ask him what he wanted.
“Tsk, tsk, friend, let me speak first. You should never speak unless spoken to, you know?” His voice was soft and sibilant, reminiscent of a hissing snake, and I was sure beyond any doubt that he was up to no good. I knew he had the upper hand, but I also knew he was going to be talking, so I focused my mind on releasing the lock he had placed on my throat as he continued. “I've been watching you for a while, Saleo, and I've decided I like you. So I want to find out what's most important to you in this life. I'm sure you've heard of the Hero's Dilemma. Well, it's time for you to play the part of the hero.”
His eyes glittered darkly as I stood again. The hero's dilemma. The hero is offered a choice of what to save, between two things precious to him, and he can only save one. Almost always, one of the choices was his beloved. Which would mean...
“Where is she?” I gasped, still recovering from the throat lock. “Where is Nynia?”
His grin broadened, and he barked out a deep laugh, a dry, raspy, crackling sound like leaves tearing. “You catch on quickly, friendo. Let me explain, then. Right now, Gaudiguch is preparing to initiate Project Paradox against Hallifax, destroying the shields and bringing it crashing to the ground. In the mean time, your girl is in the Skarch desert, forcefully dehydrated. I go whichever way you don't, either to kill the girl, or to destroy your home. You can, of course, lose both if you aren't quick. Have fun with that, bluebird.” He yanked his finger again, sending me sprawling, then he grabbed onto an aether strand, and began to fade from sight. By the time I stood up, he was nothing more than sparkling motes fading in the wind.
I fell to my knees and slammed my fist into the mossy ground, letting my anger roil out of me like a twisting, black miasma that rose up into the skies, forming itself into dark storm clouds crackling with lightning and booming with thunder to match my mood. But I knew such a display was useless, especially with my Nynia trapped in the desert. The Hero's Dilemma. Well, I've read stories before, and I know the way it goes. The true hero can save them both, and that's just what I was going to do. Quickly dispersing my storm clouds, I took to the skies, sending out an empathetic call to Kilat, my thunderbird, through the bond we shared.
She caught up to me mid-flight, and I vaulted through the air to land on her back, spurring her higher into the sky. She beat her leathery wings, ruffling the tawny amber feathers coating her body and sending small bolts of yellow lightning flashing around the both of us. With grim determination we took to the mountain passes again, sweeping through the air with super sonic speed, racing along the trail to the old Imperial Road. We landed at the path that led into the desert and took off into the sandy dunes, shouting for Nynia to respond.
It was after nearly an hour of searching that I finally collapsed, near exhausted. I couldn't find her, and the desert was fast sapping what little strength I had left. I closed my eyes, and breathed in the scorched air, then let the breath out trying to force some condensation into the area. Nothing came except a tickling sensation at the base of my head. My eyes flew open and I jumped to my feet as a realized that I was standing in the midst of an enemy mage's demesne. I grabbed my protection scroll and quickly read it, just in time to prevent being incinerated by a storm of fiery rain and falling ash.
The falling cinders blew away, and the choking heat faded back a bit as the same red and orange dracnari walked out from amidst the dunes. I wasted no time, watching as he opened his mouth to speak and then hitting him with the same tactic he used on me back in the Grey Moors. A quick fingered hook swept his legs out from underneath him, followed by a vicious poke to burst his blood vessels, and then a pinching of my thumb and forefinger to lock his throat. His sly smile faded into a look of shock as my telekinesis ripped through him and brought him crashing to the ground.
An angry red glint overtook his eyes as he struggled to stand again, and that flare of light ripped through my protection, quickly dissolving the barrier I had set up. As he sipped from a pyramidal vial to clear his burst vessels, I grabbed strands of aether and wove them together, forming a set of phantom claws that I sent after him to shred his scales. Blood poured down from his arm as I wove another phantom, this one to plague his mind and keep him off balance. He gave a guttural cry and raised his hand, trying not to flinch as illusionary claws raked across his chest, focusing heat on his hand and conjuring a ball of flame in front of his palm. As swiftly as I could, I drew a pentagram in front of me, and not a moment too soon. The fireball smashed into my shield, exploding into a thousand sparks as my shield threatened to rupture and fall apart.
From behind the protection of my aegis, I wove a reflection of myself, then turned and ran. The dracnari spluttered angrily, wincing as the claws raked him again, then stood and gave chase. We ran, one after the other, through the parched sands and sage brush, my strength flagging from the heat and his holding strong. I knew I needed a way to deal with him once and for all, and as I entered the dunes, I realized I had a way.
I put forth an extra burst of effort, using all of my tricks for speed, conjuring a hot wind to blow from behind me as a flapped my wings for extra thrust. My goal in sight, I lifted off the ground and dove through the air, arcing around a dune and plunking into the sand on the far side. I focused on controlling my breathing, trying to keep it level as I restored my energy and did my best to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as the sand dune rumbled ominously beneath me. The red and orange dracnari fell for my trap, scampering up to the top of the dune and staring down at me balefully as he raised a bleeding arm to summon a scourging wave of fire to incinerate me. I waited until the last possible moment, diving away from his blast of flame and scrambling across the sand, and not a moment too soon.
The dune itself erupted into a shower of sand as a gibbering mass of hate burst up from the ground, screeching malevolently and snapping at the air as my foe tried to escape the beast hideously fanged maw. I ran as far and as fast as I could, not stopping to look back to see if the dracnari was doing the same, counting on the sand worm's triumphant, blood curdling shrieks to tell me that the dracnari was at least occupied with a more pertinent threat.
It had become clear to me that the dracnari was tricking me, and that Nynia was not in the desert at all. I needed to get to Hallifax, to warn them of the upcoming assault, and I was fast running out of time. With not even enough strength left to fly, I stumbled through the waves of heat and blasting sand, trying desperately to reach the safety of the road near Dairuchi. Finally, I could stand no more, and I collapsed into the sand.
The sun beat down on me, burning, hateful. Never before had it been such an enemy. My throat was parched, my skin burnt and rasped to rawness by the sand as I pulled myself forward, slowly, inch by inch, across the vast, scorching Skarch Desert. An oasis would have been too good. Instead I was treated to hot sand, prickling cactuses, rough scrubs, and vultures circling above in the broken sky, leering down at me and waiting for me to die.
Dying was the one thing I couldn't do. As I crawled painfully across the desert floor, too weak to even fly, I knew only one thing. If I died here, it was all over. The fate of Hallifax was in my hands, and I couldn't even see. But I wouldn't let that stop me. I didn't have the presence of mind to know my name, but I knew I could not fail.

***

I awoke to a faint haze of water being misted over me from some unknown source. I was confused, disoriented, and badly sunburnt. The last matter was easy enough to resolve, and as I rubbed soothing liniment over the worst spots, things came flooding back to me. The choice, the desert, the dracnari, the sand worm. More water splashed on me, and a quiet “kweh?” finally drew my attention to my saviour, Kilat. I looked at her and smiled, and she gave one last flick of her leathery wings to mist me with water she had picked up from somewhere nearby. She launched into the air and flew off, and my bond with her told me she was going to search for more water. I looked around and realized I had passed out close to Dairuchi, and with some of my strength restored, I knew I could make it home.
I got up and staggered after Kilat, finally finding her in a small pool of water near some palm trees and cactus weed. She chirped cheerfully at me, then rose up from the oasis and flew swiftly at me, fluttering her wings to dash water against me. I laughed hoarsely and stroked her tawny amber feathers, thankful that my bonded thunderbird had not abandoned me in my flight. Quickly I stripped off my robes and dove into the water, thankful for the refreshment and the brief respite.
A soft scraping of the sand told me I was not alone, and I looked up to confirm my suspicions. Standing at the water's edge was a lean red dracnari with orange swirled scales. I sighed at my compromised position, but he simply raised a clawed hand to signal a stop to any agression.
“What do you want,” I asked him.
“Saleo, I must say I was not disappointed by you. You were quite the adversary, and I enjoyed my little game, even with the nasty surprise that you left me. You can rest assured that no harm has come to your darling. She never was involved, nor was there any plot on Hallifax. I just wanted to see what you would do, and you did well. So let this not be the last time we meet, and to ensure a place in your heart and mind, I'll give you my name. I am called Inasu.” With a flourish of his arm, Inasu bowed deeply, the turned and limped away. Kilat gave and angry squawk, but I calmed her. I was going to empower the shield generators of Hallifax just in case, but I believed my trial was over, and it was time to head home.