Chapter 15
The orange sky that proceeded the dawn brought with it an eerie glow that washed across the sand. Gewey thought that it was beautiful in a way that only could be appreciated firsthand. Kaylia would be the only one who would ever understand what it looked like through his eyes; he could never find the words. Just then his heart ached from the emptiness he felt without her voice inside him.
“Keep your thoughts here and now,” scolded Aaliyah.
Pali stirred and stretched. “I see neither of you slept.” He reached in his pack, retrieved some jerky and flatbread and shared it with Gewey and Aaliyah.
Something caught Gewey's eye. A figure approached from the direction of the Black Oasis. As it neared he could see that it was a human woman. Her dark blond hair was tangled and matted, and her tattered clothes were covered with dust and grime. She stumbled through the sands as if near exhaustion until she was only a few yards away. Gewey and the others stood, but did not approach her.
“Who are you?” the woman asked, weakly. She didn't meet their eyes, and stared submissively at the ground. Cuts and bruises on her face and arms told of abuse. “Why are you here?”
“A slave,” whispered Pali. “Who is your master?”
“Why are you here?” she repeated.
“You need not fear us,” said Aaliyah. “If you wish, we shall protect you.”
Pali nodded approvingly. “Come forward.”
She didn't move. “Please. Why are you here?”
Gewey could see the fear in the woman's eyes. He took a step forward, but she jumped back, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Slavers do this to them.” Pali's face burned with fury and disgust. “They destroy their will, and torture them until they are nothing resembling what they once were.” He looked hard at Aaliyah. “This is why we protect the humans.” He turned to the woman. “Look at her. She is so afraid, that she will not go with us. She fears what will happen to her if she tries to escape. I've seen this before…far too many times.”
“Is this true?” Aaliyah asked the woman. “Will you not let us help you?”
Tears welled in the woman's eyes “Please. I must obey my master. He wants to know why you're here.” She anxiously gripped the sides of her long tan skirt, and her light blue blouse was caked with thick patches of dried blood and filth.
“Who is your master?” asked Gewey.
The woman shook her head nervously. “Please.”
“Tell your master that our business is our own, and none of his affair,” said Pali.
The woman bowed and scurried away.
“Poor wretch,” Pali muttered, sadly. “It seems we are expected. What do you suggest?”
“We have little choice,” said Aaliyah. “We must continue. They may expect us, but I doubt they are prepared for us.”
They watched the slave return to the Oasis, making a note of where she entered. Once she disappeared, they cautiously followed. Gewey reached out, but his senses were deflected. The look on Aaliyah's face told him she was faring no better.
As they neared, the blackness of the Oasis turned to enormous deep green and thick gray vines. Slick, round leaves, beaded with the dense humidity, hung low, some touching the moss-covered ground. Vines and thorns twisted their way through the branches, wrapping themselves from tree to tree in a never-ending web. Tiny blue flowers dotted the vines and low branches, their colors so deep and rich that one had to strain to notice them as they blended with the leaves. Each flower was cradled by a nest of black berries no larger than the tip of a child’s finger. High above the canopy, flocks of jet black birds, of a species Gewey had never seen, darted and swirled, landing in the tree-tops for a moment, then taking flight again.
Gewey could taste the moisture in the air in stark contrast to the arid desert, and the scent of rotting foliage left a foul taste in his mouth. They checked where they saw the slave enter the wood, but saw no trail or path. Pali slowly scanned the area, then with a satisfied smile, pushed his hand against a patch of brambles. They swung back as if on hinges. Gewey could make out a narrow trail that disappeared into the blackness.
“I will lead,” said Aaliyah.
Gewey could feel her drawing in the flow and reaching out. Her face twisted in frustration and she drew her daggers. The trail was very narrow, making Gewey's sword all but useless, as well as Pali's scimitar. He pulled out his small dagger and followed Aaliyah into the gloom of the Black Oasis.
Though Aaliyah was only a few feet ahead, he could barely see her; even with his heightened senses. Thankfully the trail was, for the time being, straight and even. The ground was covered in thick moss that was nearly as deep as the desert sand. The impenetrable trees and vines compounded the darkness, making it impossible to see more than a few inches on either side. Even the air was thick and humid. Already his clothes were soaked and his hair hung limp. The few sounds to be heard were the drops of dew and creaking of trees and the occasional rustle of some small animal scuttling through the undergrowth.
Aaliyah stopped short, her back stiff and straight. “Something lurks,” she whispered. The sound of her voice only barely reached Gewey.
“What?” asked Gewey.
“I do not know,” she replied. “But I can feel something watching us.”
Gewey looked around. He couldn't imagine from where someone could watch them. The foliage was far too thick for a man or even an elf to pass through. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Then, as an itch in the small of his back, just where he couldn't reach, it was there. A presence…watching. He was reminded of when he was in the Spirit Hills with Dina.
“Some say, the Black Oasis is alive,” remarked Pali. “And though I do not possess your skills, I feel something odd, as well.”
They continued for another half mile. Both Gewey and Aaliyah's frustrations grew as neither could sense beyond a few feet, regardless of how much of the flow they allowed to pass through them. Then they smelled it before they saw it….smoke. Foul smoke. Ahead they could see the trees thin and open into a small clearing. The closer they came, the more apparent it was that this was not a natural clearing. No, this had been carved out by hand. The perimeter smoldered and in some spots small fires still burned. The moss on the ground had been trampled flat and at the far end the trail had been sheered wider. Gewey and Pali put away their daggers and drew their swords.
“Whoever was here has clearly fled,” said Pali.
“Yes,” agreed Aaliyah. “But why?”
“I don't know,” said Pali. “But I'd wager we'll find out.”
Gewey listened for signs of people, but as every time he'd tried, his senses reflected back on him. “Well, whoever they are, there's only one way they could have gone.”
“Don't be so sure,” said Pali. “If they can survive this place, they may have learned its secrets.”
Aaliyah nodded in agreement and cautiously moved across the clearing. The smoke lingered just above the ground, and reeked like rotting earth mingled with decaying flesh. Gewey nearly became ill. As they neared the trail Gewey spotted a dark lump a few yards away. At first he couldn’t tell what it was, but then a cold chill sent him shivering when the blood-spattered face of the slave girl came into view. “Monsters,” he fumed.
“Indeed,” said Pali.
They dragged the body to the clearing and covered her with a blanket.
“We must continue,” said Aaliyah.
Gewey nodded and said a silent prayer for the poor creature.
The ground on the trail ahead had been stripped of all life, leaving only tightly packed black earth. On either side the trees and vines had been hacked away, making it wide enough for them to walk abreast.