Claimed by the Desert

Chapter One

This story is will eventually be edited. There will be quite a few changes made to it sometime in the near future. 

Chapter One

 The sun glittered off the sand so brightly it made Vera shield her eyes. After spending most of her life in rainy England, the intensity of the desert sun was shocking. She was grateful her father had insisted upon her wearing the ugly, wide-brimmed hat he had bought for her at the local market. It looked ridiculous on her, but she had to admit that without it her pale, freckled face would be badly sunburned.  She frowned in frustration as she admired the locals' tanned skin. Why couldn't she have such beautiful caramel colored skin?

"Not homesick already, are you?" Vera's father joked when he spotted her unhappy face. His tall stature cast her in shadow for a moment, giving her a brief reprieve from the scorching sun. 

Vera grinned up at him and replied, "Not even a bit."

He returned her smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Shall we get to work then, my amateur archeologist?"

After nodding in response, Vera raced ahead of him toward the dig site. She had always wanted to travel with her father on his expeditions, but he had refused, insisting she pursue more ladylike hobbies. Once she had turned nineteen, and still refused to give up her love of archeology and ancient history, he had finally given in and decided to let her tag along with him to his most current location, an old temple out in the middle of the desert.

The other men working at the site tipped their hats to her as she walked by, but otherwise continued about their business as usual. It had surprised her father to see how comfortable she had become with the job in only a matter of days, but Vera had always known she would feel at home here.  She had been dreaming of this since she was a child.

Vera's father called to her as she walked away, "Remember to stay in sight and take breaks if you begin to feel too hot and-"

"Drink plenty of water." Vera turned and interrupted him with a roll of her eyes. "I know, Papa. We've been here for over a week now."

She hurried away before he could lecture her anymore, clambering over a bunch of rocks that had probably been a large wall many years ago.

It had been several hours since she had begun excavating and digging around the wall and her back was incredibly sore. Despite the fact that she had yet to find anything of historical significance, Vera wasn't deterred. Just being out in the sunshine, around people who shared the same interests as her made the entire trip worthwhile. Out in the sun and sand she wasn't poor, boring Vera, as her cousins called her. Out here she was amateur archeologist Vera, who was capable of finding the treasure of a lifetime.

Standing and stretching, she pushed the hat back from her head and ran her fingers through her sweaty blonde curls.  After taking a long drink from her canteen, she set off to see if her father had made any more progress than she had. When she found him he was in a heated discussion with several local men, and Vera decided it best to wait until they finished before approaching them. She had only recently begun to pick up the language and customs and she didn't want to seem rude.

She sat down on a rock and picked through pieces of broken stone and pottery at her feet as she waited. As she flipped one piece over, a drawing on it caught her eye. It appeared to be a drawing of a hideous monster with red eyes, talons, and fangs.

Her curiosity awoken, Vera snatched up the piece of stone and sought out the foreman of the excavation, a man named William Peters. He was a nice old man, incredibly intelligent and polite and Vera always sought him out for advice or questions when her father was too busy.