Alliance of Heroes

Chapter 7 - Blood in the Sand

Chapter 7 - Blood in the Sand

Danger was in the air. He could smell it. The wind whistled around him, throwing dirt into his eyes. He rubbed his eyes then looked around him. The scene had changed. He was standing in a large chamber with large decorated poles on either side, glinting with golden stones. It had an immensely high roof and a long red carpet led up to a raised section at the end of the chamber. A brilliant golden throne sat on the raised area with a huge glass window behind it which filled the whole wall space. A lone figure sat on the throne, hidden by the darkness in the chamber.

This must be the one. The one he was looking for. The one he was fighting against. He knew that the battle would eventually end here, no matter what he did. His destiny was leading him here to a final battle with the strongest person in Revek: King Yerga.

The figure on the throne stood up, reaching down and picking up a long golden sceptre. It had a long round loop at the top of it, with a scarlet gem set in the middle. Yerga descended from the platform, staring straight ahead. Yerga also knew that the battle would end here. He raised his sceptre high above his head, preparing for the kill.

Jake awoke with a start, breathing heavily, his heart beating fast. He stared at the ceiling as his breathing slowed. What was that nightmare about? It had seemed so real. He buried his face in his hands. What was going on? What had happened to him? His parents would be very worried about him now. He had been at the Alliance for about five weeks, though he still felt homesick sometimes.

He looked over at Versai, sleeping softly in the small nest made of old cloth that the Alliance had given him. The dragon's body moved up and down slowly, his tail twitching sometimes while he dreamed.

The previous day, after they had returned from Ker'ai, Jason had taken them into his office and told them the details of the operation that was commencing in two days time.

"To the north of Ker'ai lies the Blistering Desert," Jason had explained. "Yerga's soldiers were traversing the desert from the north, heading back down to deliver supplies from the northern cities to Ker'ai."

"Wait!" Versai interjected. "The 'Blistering Desert'? That doesn't sound very friendly at all!"

"Yes, the name was decided upon unanimously," Jason replied, sliding a map onto his desk and pointing at the spot where the desert lay. "It is a harsh place, unfit for most life, and most of the time it is wiser to head around the place, rather than straight through it."

"But the soldiers didn't feel like doing that?" Jake said.

"No, it would seem not. The desert is not fit for human life, but many dangerous creatures reside there; it seems they did not treat the intrusion upon their territory kindly. The soldiers were all likely killed, and the supplies left somewhere out there."

"Somewhere?" Versai said, staring at the map. "But that place is huge! It could take us days to find the stuff!"

"Normally, you would be correct," Jason nodded. "But my information tells us that the soldiers were resting for the night in an old abandoned fortress, used centuries ago, located to the far south of the desert." He tapped a spot on the map. "This is where the supplies will be located."

"How can you be sure?" Jake asked.

"Our information is correct," Yuki said. "There is no doubt."

"Who exactly is giving you this information?" Versai asked, suspicion in his voice. "Sounds a little too simple. And you're information would have to come from someone within the group of soldiers who were taking the supplies, which means that he was working for Yerga!"