Claimed by the Desert *edited and revised

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It took nearly two hours to reach the area where Vera had been found. She frowned and squinted at the sand, looking for any clue of what could have possibly happened to the baby.

"At least theres no blood, thank goodness," she whispered under her breath.

"You said he was wrapped in your travelling jacket, right?" The baby's mother, Anne, turned to her and asked.

Vera nodded. "Yes, I was trying to keep him from being sunburned."

Anne paced around the area, wringing her hands and looking under any rock or bush. She was young, close to Vera's age, and was new to motherhood. Though it obviously wasn't, Anne felt it was her fault her son was gone. Everyone had tried to comfort her, but every few minutes she would break down in fresh tears.

"We'll find him, Anne," Vera's father reassured. He had only grudgingly tagged along, but had been helpful so far. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she forced a smile in return.

"Who or what could have taken him out here?" Anne's husband, Eric, asked, placing a hand above his eyes and looking east. "Theres nothing around for miles and miles."

"A lynx, possibly, or perhaps a fox?"

Vera turned in the opposite direction and peered into the distance. "Maybe we should split up and cover more ground?"

Anne and Eric nodded, but Vera noticed her father's dark eyes glaring in her direction at the suggestion.

Undetered, she added, "Eric you go back the way we came, Anne you go north, Papa you go west, and I'll go south. We meet back here in an hour."

Despite his obvious reluctance, her father did not argue. He merely checked her water canteen and pushed her hat further down on her head. "One hour," he ordered her. "No more. If you don't see anything, you come back anyway."

Vera nodded and set off, determined to find the baby and make things right. In truth, while Anne felt guilty for losing her baby in the shipwreck, Vera felt she was more guilty. If she had only been holding him, instead of laying him in the sand next to her, animals might not have been brave enough to take him.

After walking for half an hour, Vera had seen nothing. No clues of any kind or disturbances in the sand. She sighed, rubbing her stinging, teary eyes. She had to turn around...she had promised her father. Maybe the others had found the baby?

Without warning, a sharp, wailing cry echoed in the distance. The baby! But where was it coming from?

In the distance, a small copse of palm trees surrounded a ring of stones. It looked like a place to her where animals might have dens. She raced toward it, only to stop short when the baby's cries ceased.

As if by magic, the cries suddenly seemed to echo from the opposite direction. Vera turned and looked around in confusion. There was nothing but sand in that direction for miles. It had to just be a trick, some sort of echo bouncing off the rocks.

Instead of wandering in circles, she kept heading in the direction of the trees, thinking she could at least rule out that area first. As she got closer the baby's cries stopped again and an oppressive silence reigned over the area.

A suffocating heat enveloped her and the wind stilled. Nothing moved. All she could hear was her own labored breath. All she could feel was the sweat on her skin.

Her vision narrowed on her destination and with a single-minded determination Vera wasn't aware she possessed, she pressed on despite her discomfort and confusion.

The baby was here, she was certain of it. A feeling, deep in her gut, led her on toward a specific rock. It leaned over the others, creating a small cave area. Three trees surrounded it, creating more shade than anywhere else she had seen in the desert so far.
But the closer she got, the more oppressive the heat became and Vera found herself dizzy and unsteady on her feet.

Stumbling onward still, Vera caught sight of the sleeve of her jacket and sighed in relief.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" A disembodied voice mused.

Vera whipped around, but saw no one.

"My mind's just playing tricks," she muttered under her breath. "I've gotten too hot out here."

Vera nearly wept in relief when she saw the baby sleeping in the shade. She knelt and scooped him up and examined him, making sure he wasn't hurt. Whatever animal had taken him had left him unharmed, though his little face was a bit sunburned.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Vera cooed to him. "Let's get you back to your mother."

The baby cried then, as if realizing he had been away from her too long. Vera rocked him, but suddenly felt dizzy again.

Her canteen was empty and the heat was worse than she had ever experienced.

"Don't worry, baby," she said, forcing herself to stand. "I promise I'll get you home."

Her vision went black and nausea overwhelmed her, forcing her to kneel again. A face flashed in front of her eyes, almost as if she were dreaming it, but she was wide awake. Vera recognized it, but had no idea why she was seeing it again.

The same face had appeared in the water the night of the shipwreck. Why did she keep seeing it?

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. She didn't have time to focus on that now. She had to return the baby to his mother. And she refused to be seen as weak and vulnerable a second time on this trip.

"I can do this," she forced through gritted teeth. "Mind over matter."

"If you say so," the disembodied voice said, but she ignored it.

"I'm tired and delirious, but that won't stop me. I just have to put one foot in front of the other."

Vera stood again and took several deep breaths. As she trudged back toward her father and the others, the heat abated and a strong breeze cooled the temperature several degrees. The farther she got away from the rocks and trees, the better she felt. And by the time she arrived back at the camels, Vera felt almost normal.

Despite feeling like she had spent hours making her way back, none of the others had returned yet. She guzzled water and used some to wash the baby.

"Oh!" Anne cried when she returned and saw her son. "Thank you, thank you! Is he alright?"

Vera nodded, smiling as the mother cradled her baby close to her chest. "I'm sure he's very hungry and thirsty, but he doesn't seem injured."

"Of course he isn't," the disembodied voice scoffed.

She whipped around in the direction of the voice, but Anne continued to fuss over her baby and didn't seem to hear it. Vera's blood went cold. She felt well enough now, and had drank some water upon her return, so why was she still hearing the voice?

"Are you alright, Vera? You're very pale," Anne remarked, placing a hand on her elbow as if to steady her.

She swallowed hard and nodded.

"Of course you're alright," the voice insisted with a laugh. "It's just mind over matter, right?"

Vera fainted.