A Fire In The Night

Chapter 16

The dusk was slowly setting in, as their legs became heavier with each step. There was a mesmerising beauty about the desert as sundown. The golden dunes became for a few minutes a deep shade of orange as if they were on fire and the unforgiving hot wind turned into a refreshing breeze, before getting to freezing temperatures once the sun was completely out of sight. On Ila's dry lips this sudden change in temperature felt life-saving. It had been hours since she had a sip of water, because of the fact that she had given her last drops to Nathan who had looked pale and about to pass out due to dehydration. She had been surprised to see that her resistance was, in the end, better than that of a soldier, proud even, and quite frankly she got cocky. Those sips could now make the difference between living and dying and she felt nothing but stupid for giving them up. And very, very tired.

The more they moved forward, the less hope she had left that they would find something before nightfall. Which now was only about 20 minutes away. How were they supposed to survive a freezing night in the middle of this sea of sand without shelter from the wind nor the dangerous creatures that lurked in the dark? And even if they did survive what were they going to do in the morning? She knew for a fact that without water their chances of even making it another 40 meters were very slim.

Panic started to fill her veins. Her vision started to get blurry due to tiredness and now genuine fear for her life. In her hyperventilating state, her foot slipped on the unforgiving sand and she lost her balance, stretching her arms before her body, bracing for impact. Except her palms never hit the smooth, warm sand. Instead, they unconsciously reached for Nathans's clothed arm. Ila could feel his toned bicep under the rough leather jacket, as she supported her whole body weight against him. He was taken aback by the sudden impact, but regained his balance in a heartbeat, placing one hand on her waist and the other on her arm to help her regain composure.

His fingers felt electric on her body and Ila was glad for the pieces of fabric that were separating their skin. It was still enough contact though for her skin to radiate a tingling sensation around the areas where he was touching her. For a moment she almost forgot how tired she was. To Ila seemed that a simple look in those hypnotising eyes was enough to solve all the problems she ever had. But the feeling of comfort only lasted for a few seconds before the wave of exhaustion hit her like a brick. Her eyelids were heavy, making it unnaturally difficult for Ila to keep her eyes open and focused. She couldn't help but watch his lips, which even after so many hours of walking through the scorching sun, they were still plump and soft looking, while hers lost their colour at the edges and were so dry in the middle that it hurt her tongue when she tried to wet them.

Ila didn't realise that Nathan had been analysing her too during this time, until he moved one of his hands to the straps of her backpack, making it glide down her shoulder. She lightly moved her head to watch him do so. There was something almost erotic about the way he was pulling the strap down. Gently, slowly, caressing the material of her jacket with each inch while making his way down. The tenderness of his movements made her feel as if he was slowly undressing her at the beginning of a passionate night. Part of her wished that that was what he was doing.

But to Ila's disappointment, the intimacy of the moment ended when her backpack hit the ground. While still holding her by the waistline, the prince turned around to his trusted man and gave him an order to start digging a semicircular hole in the sand, for them to use as shelter during the night. Part of Ila was happy that he didn't let go of her body, but the attitude of the touch had changed dramatically. It was now nothing more than a mechanical support for her balance. She suddenly felt like a naive thirteen-year-old girl, who fell head over heels for the first boy that showed slight interest in her. Embarrassed by her childish thoughts she let go of his arm, leaving behind the imprint of her hand on the dusty material.

~

Ila was quite impressed by how their little cave had turned out. They were sitting now around a small fire, about 5 feet underground, and picking at two rats that Nathan had killed and skinned in the previous hours. She tried not to think about what she was eating or at the fact that if a sand storm came during the night they would literally be buried alive.

All three of them were sitting in silence, none of them with enough energy left to make small talk. Ila's thirst was in the meantime almost unbearable and the salty meat she had forced down her throat did not exactly help with her dehydration. She was so desperate for a sip of liquid that she almost considered drinking her own urine. The only problem was, due to so little liquid intake, she hadn't felt the need to visit the bushes for the past half day.

Ila decided to distract herself from the torturous thoughts of fresh, crystal clear, cold water and moved her glance to the third person of their group. The man was sitting on the other side of the fire from Nathan and Ila. A polite distance, she thought to herself. He was probably a few years older than the crown prince, judging by the wrinkles on his forehead and at the corner of his eyes. He was also way more massive than Nathan. His arms were so muscular and shoulders so broad that the clothes on him almost looked like there were about to rip the second he would flex any of them. Ila also noticed that throughout their whole journey the man had been walking a few steps behind Nathan and herself, holding a respectful distance but always close enough to step in should it had been needed. She wondered if the soldier was the prince's personal bodyguard, never leaving his side and ready to attend to all his needs. After all, he never said a word since they left camp, but executed without complaint the task of digging a hole big enough to shelter three people. He was now leaning against the wall of sand, head tilted a little backwards and knees flexed before the small fire to absorb the warmth. It was clear even to Ila's untrained eyes that he too was moments away from passing out due to exhaustion.

Nathan shifted his position next to her, making her snap out of her thoughts. She turned to look at him.

"We should catch some rest." His raspy voice was a little louder than a soft whisper. Carefully silent in case something could hear them from above, she thought.

She nodded and started helping the prince put out the fire, burring it under the sand. It got frightening dark and cold the second the light had vanished from the small cave. Ila let out a shaky breath as her eyes were trying to adjust in the darkness. She jumped in surprise as she felt someone's hand on her shoulder, her body getting stiff.

"It's going to be ok, Uriel is going to take the first watch."

Uriel, she thought as she laid on her back next to Nathan in the moonless night, the guardian of Eden's gates. How fitting...