RED HORIZON (Heliocite Saga #1)

𝕋ℍ𝕀ℝ𝕋𝔼𝔼ℕ

This is a total waste of time, Azariah thought as he trudged through the burning sand. Sweat beaded on his brow and made his tunic stick to his back. Beside him, Seri was perched on a horse, keeping its pace slow to avoid jostling her injuries. If the heat bothered her as well, she didn't make a peep. She kept her gaze trained on the horizon, looking for any possible sign of life even though they were still a ways away from the bodies.

He knew exactly what they would find when they got there. A pile of corpses and nothing more. Maybe a few vultures, though he hadn't seen any circling yet. He hoped the bodies wouldn't stink too much already; the desert sun was unforgiving in its afternoon height. The thought made his nose curl in disgust. Again, he had the urge to convince Seri to turn back around. If she wanted to help, she could do so in the shade and safety of their home. He didn't understand why she even cared if these settlers were still alive. She didn't know them, nor was she responsible for their fall. It made much more sense to him for her to go back to her room and rest like he had suggested in the first place. But of course, her stubbornness never seemed to bow to his reason.

"Look, Az! Up there." Seri kicked a heel into her horse to bring it to a trot and Azariah chased after her, swearing under his breath. This woman would kill herself trying to save everyone else.

The first body they came upon was covering in flies, the head twisted at an odd angle. Clearly dead. The next was much the same, the rider crushed under his horse and red staining the sand around him. The sights became more gruesome when they neared the bulk of the carnage, composed of several bodies and mounts. Azariah lifted the neck of his tunic over his nose and gagged. The stench of blood was overpowering. Many of the bodies were crushed in places, having obviously been run over by the thick wheels of duneriders.

To Seri's credit, he didn't see her flinch once. Too focused on her mission, she said nothing as she scanned wreckage of human life, patting the horse's neck with hushed and calming words when it jerked away from the bodies in fear. But surely even she could see that there was no life to be found in these dunes.

He wanted to gloat, but for Seri's sake, he held his tongue. It was sweet for her to be so optimistic, but hopefully now she would listen to his rationale and go rest. He went to the side of her mount, placing a hand on its flank. "Ser..." he began gently, ready to make the call to head back. But he never got the chance.

"Look!" Seri pointed to what seemed like a random spot amongst the corpses. He did, but saw nothing. Again, he opened his mouth to tell her to let it go, but she was already urging the horse forward. "A man, Azariah! There's a man! Under that horse. The one with the dappled coat. He's breathing!"

Azariah took a second look, squinting through the glaring sun. He saw the horse, its eyes staring up at nothing and it's face painted with blood, then followed it to its rider. There was an elderly man, possibly around Elijah's age, maybe older, with his legs trapped under the animal's back. At first glance, he seemed as dead as the rest. But then he coughed.

"Shit!" Azariah immediately stumbled over the bodies towards him, careful not to dirty his sandals with blood. He looped his arms into the old man's armpits, then shoved his foot into the hock of the horse. It took a few tries, but eventually he managed to free the man. He groaned in pain, but did not open his eyes.

"Bring him up here!" Seri motioned with her hands and Azariah did as instructed, hoisting the man up and over the back of the horse and in front of Seri so he wouldn't slip.

"We'd better get him back as soon as possible," Azariah said. The man looked as if he was on his final, fragile thread of life. Azariah would hate to see Seri's face if they did not save him. Another quick once over of the carcasses brought no other signs of life, and Seri agreed to leave. She shifted forward in her saddle so that Azariah could swing up behind her, holding onto the old man to keep him steady. Azariah reached around to take hold of the reigns. With a crack of leather, they went racing back to the sanctuaries.