Someone here had forgotten their history and what happened when one disturbed the Delfora. An oversight that could get all of us killed.
13
Inside the tent, the true size and opulence of it became apparent.
“They do nothing by halves here, do they,” Len said, spinning to take in the sheer expanse of space.
“This is the main living and lounging area,” Reece explained, waving his hand across the round area that was at least eighty feet in diameter. The sands here were covered in large, padded rugs weaved from the pamolsa leaves—one of the only tree-like plants that grew in the Desert Lands. It was a highly tradable commodity, and when used in conjunction with the sands, could be turned into many amazing products.
Atop the rugs were thick cushions weaved from strands of the olive-green leaves of the pamolsa. Inside was a cloudlike stuffing, spun through manipulating the sands of the east lands. There were so many cushions that as we moved through, we had to push them aside to be able to cross the lounging room.
“Everyone has a designated sleeping area at the back here,” Reece said, pointing them out. Each of the sleeping areas had their own closed doorway, giving as much privacy as one could get in a tent.
“Spare clothes and some weapons should be in there as well.”
I generally didn’t bring changes of clothes since I could use my energy to clean mine and, more importantly, call my armor if needed. But for the others, this would be very helpful.
As everyone chose a room, I entered one and was unsurprised to see on the ground a huge version of the cushions outside. The bedding here was nothing like I’d felt in other worlds, and while I might not have slept that much before my rebirth, when I’d been here, I’d always found myself meditating in a supine position.
“Each of your rooms,” Reece called out to us, “has agithnaattached… a wash area. You should be able to figure out how to access the liquid, and you won’t need any soaps because our underground aquifers are imbued with natural cleansing.”
We all left the rooms to rejoin him near their entrance. “How does water work here?” Mera asked. “I mean, I know you probably don’t call it water, but you know what I mean. You must have some sort of liquid to drink that hydrates you, right?”
“Right,” Reece confirmed, “but it only exists deep under our sands. You will never findliforinaabove or see it fall from our sky.”
Before Mera could ask another of the dozen or so questions that were no doubt lingering in her mind, Shadow spoke up. “Let’s get settled in the lounging area, and then Reece can pull out his maps. A geography lesson on the deserts should calm some of the curiosity swishing around”—his deadpan stare turned in Mera’s direction—“everyone’s brains.”
Mera smirked broadly before she clapped her hands in excitement. Through our bond I felt a spike in her adrenaline at the possibility of some new discoveries.
“I need to quickly rehydrate first,” Alistair spoke up. “The dryness of this land and its air is already taking its toll.”
Alistair had been born in the waters of Karn, and his skin was sensitive to heat and temperature. In most worlds there was enough moisture in the air to keep him functioning, but the deserts were not the same. We’d have to keep an eye on him because if his body dried out too much, he could die.
“Plenty of water in your room,” Reece said, falling back on the more general term for liforina. “Take as much as you need.”
Alistair slapped his friend on the arm before he ran a hand through his blue green curls, shaking them out like that would relieve his discomfort. As he disappeared, the rest of us returned to the lounging area to sit among the cushions.
I chose to sit away from Reece since the library incident still felt unresolved, not to mention being here was messing with my memories and ability to compartmentalize them. Of course, no matter how far away I sat, I couldn’t escape his heavy gaze. At least he was distracted while he had to explain the basic layout of this world. His sands brought to him a large map that had been rolled up in a basket near the front door.
“This is the Desert Lands,” he said, unrolling it easily, his sands holding it up higher so we could all see its full-colored glory. “The large land mass in the center with the ochre sands is the Ostealon—neutral territory.” His fingers traced across from there, following the wavy lines. “As you can see, the Ostealon is surrounded by a complete circle of the sand rivers so that everything can flow to and from here as needed. For that reason, much of our bartering takes place here.”
Mera leaned forward on her cushion, cradling her belly between both hands as she examined the map. “So those eight large lands around it are not connected by water but bysand rivers?”
It was clear that she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around that concept.
Reece nodded. “Yes, we don’t have rivers or oceans like you might recognize on Earth. Just imagine depthless sand that you cannot walk across. It has tides and an energy flow, and is filled with many creatures that ‘swim’ through the layers.”
“Like quicksand, only with a current,” Mera said with a nod.
Reece grinned, enjoying the focus on his world. “Close enough.”
“The rivers are their transport links,” Shadow added. “They move fast, the sands sweeping in one direction on the left, and the opposite on the right. Only specially designed vessels can travel on them, and if you use anything else, you run the risk of being crushed by the currents and falling into the depths, never to be found again.”
Mera swallowed hard. “That sounds... scary.”
Reece’s smile faded in a serious stare. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. I have many safe and secure vessels for us to use if we need to travel around. Of course, they’re in Rohami, but if need be, I’ll have one brought here.”
Looked like he still had a fascination with ships… it was nice to know some things hadn’t changed.
