°??───??12??───??°

  The day in which Kally realises the dangers of Darkurr Moor

  °??───???───??°

  It took a week for them to make it out of that forest. Kally would be happy never to see a tree again, so many trees they had passed, weaving through them - getting lost, bickering amongst themselves - as they backtracked to get back to where they had first met Naevii. Even when they had backtracked fully, they still had half a forest before them. Kally kicked herself for the treacherous detour. Her mood was made worse when she realised there was no need for the rationing of water she had put in place. Ahkaiyu could just conjure some up for them, which she made him do immediately upon receipt of this knowledge. If she could quench that thirst, she would. The journey through the leafy forest was easier after that, and significantly less bickering occurred.

  Once finally out of the body of trees, they had little time to rest. Onwards, they must. A long winding path down a craggy hill led them to the next part of their journey.

  ???

  Darkurr Moor, previously mentioned in Karin’s Almanac, was indeed an arid landscape. A vast expanse of golden-red sand shimmered and steamed from the intense heat of the relentless glare of the sun.

  The purple was not as prevalent here.

  It struggled to stick to anything, as if the sand itself repelled it. Still, the mist swirled in the air, and gusts of cold wind sent sharp grains of sand up to mix with the purple, creating a scratchy grit to maim the eyes. Each grain of sand - both in the air and on the ground - shifted constantly, like the trickle of an hourglass filled with unlimited time. This had the effect of a terrain, unstable and unpredictable. One moment, a sand dune, high and sweeping, could collapse with no warning; another, a tall pyramid could rise from the earth as if summoned by the spirit of the desert itself.

  Despite the heat, the land felt cold in its harshness, as if the heat of the sun masked something far darker and more dangerous that lurks beneath the sandy surface.

  The only way to reach Traemir town was to traverse this ancient desert of Darkurr Moor. Kally could not believe the size of it, all she could see before her was blinding sand. She had heard stories of this place as a child: of the ancient ruins, the lost civilisations - she shuddered - the resentful spirits and strange beasts that had made this desolate place their home.

  She had thought it was exaggerated, a hyperbolic story the elders had made up to scare the children. At first glance, at least, it didn’t seem that was the case.

  Wondering if she would get the chance to see a baem or a tokki, native species of Darkurr Moor, Kally sighed. Baems were snake-like, with large purple scales that shone like gems. Because of this, they had been hunted nearly to extinction by scavengers about a hundred years ago. Few remained. A sighting of baem was unlikely. Finding tokki, however, the desert rabbit, was more likely. Though elusive, as they ducked into holes and burrowed deep within the dunes, their numbers were high and it was said they were inquisitive creatures. Whether she saw them or not, shouldn’t matter. She turned her focus back to the task at hand - crossing that desert. She gulped.

  ???

  Ahkaiyu had fixed his attention to the purple wind. A problem arose in his mind, the barrier sigil would be ineffective here. The ground would be too unstable to control and it would expend too much of his energy. Magic, on the whole could not harm them, but for the purple grit that could swirl and maim. He took out his scimitar and with a precise cut, sliced the bottom of his sleeve, catching it before it hit the ground. He touched the fabric gently with his finger; blue energy careened out, fizzling as it ignited on the rough grey material. He passed it to Kally.

  “Here, put this on. It will protect your eyes… and remember to put up your hood.”

  Kally looked up at him with a quizzical glint to her eye. “…How can I see?”

  He sighed, exasperated, and brought the cloth to her eyes. “Look.”

  Kally giggled at the strange sensation: a tingle of the eyes, as a blurry image of the scene in front etched onto them, slightly darker than normal from the glow of the grey fabric. She could make out a blurry hand waving in front of her.

  “Has it worked for you?” he asked. “I’ve not used this spell on anyone else so it might not quite align with your vision.”

  So this was how he could see though his mask.

  It all made sense to her now. She laughed at herself. It was just a spell on the mask. Had her mind conjured up all that sorrow she had felt from him? She disagreed with herself, there was still a reason he chose to wear the mask in the first place. Kally tied the cloth around her head.

  “I can see, I can see!”

  She jumped. “It’s a tad blurry, but I can see, Kai.” Kally laughed. “Four fingers. You’re holding up four fingers.”

  Ahkaiyu shook his head. Kally continued, “… and a thumb.”

  Ahkaiyu groaned and humphed. She could see well enough - at least enough to make terrible jokes.

  It shouldn’t be blurry, but without analysing her vision - in order to realign the curvature of the magic lens - he had based it off his own, which was evidently different to hers. A slight blur should be fine for their purposes anyway.

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  “If you get a headache, let me know, and we can stop.”

  Kally nodded, happy that she had noticed a slight caring tone in his voice. He was talking a bit more now, at least, and not just one word responses. Plus, she had to admit, this whole thing was getting exciting. She was going to cross Darkurr Moor, a feat no Crumbolian had attempted before. She would soon have stories to tell at the bar, and to her children at the school.

  Ahkaiyu pinched his pointer finger and his thumb together. He pulled them apart to create a glob of thick bubble. He split it in four and put two in his nostrils and, before Kally could react, did the same to her, grazing her nose slightly.

  “To breathe, blocking the purple.”

  Kally nodded and, sure enough, she could still breathe with these globs of water pockets up her nose. It felt weird though. Not natural in the slightest, and it tickled on each exhale. She was going to be aware of her nose for a long time.

  “They’ll dissipate within an hour. Let me know if yours pop before mine.”

  Pop? Kally thought, that was not a surprise she was looking forward to.

  “Now, I think that’s everything. Oh, keep Katoia in your boot and your mouth shut… unless absolutely necessary.”

  “Anything to shut me up,” Kally joked.

  ???

  With that they headed out into the desert. Sheathed in their cloaks and hoods, Kally, surprised by the force of the wind, pushed on. She stooped low, and with wide deliberate strides, progressed onwards with no complaint, taking pains to keep up with Ahkaiyu who was guiding the way. She had felt nothing from Katoia the entire morning. Unsure if she was asleep or in a thoughtful distant mood, Kally thought it was best to not disturb her so moved with even more care on her left side.

  Kally’s nose had popped thrice as they had been walking. She couldn’t say she liked the sensation - honestly, who would? - but each time she became more accustomed to it. She was tired; walking on sand is harsh on the backs of the legs. With each stride, adjusting to the shifting nature of its grain, you use up a lot of strength. She had stumbled a few times but, on the whole, she felt like she had kept up with Ahkaiyu’s pace adequately. There had been no complaints from him: verbal or non verbal.

  The sweltering heat was unbearable, crushing her lungs and burning her windpipe. She felt the side of her ears burning. Clutching her hood, she pulled it further down her face, in a constant battle against the wind.

  A flurry of purple swirled in an upwind, dancing in pure force and revelry. She braced herself, cloak rippling as if trying to escape. The magic passed by and Kally let out a sigh of relief, then quickly clasped her mouth with her hands. Many of these had swarmed past her over the last few hours.

  She could not stop the involuntary dread that plagued her upon sight of it. She knew her eyes were safe, and her nose, unless an untimely pop occurred - she tried hard not to think of that - but her mouth— She almost wished she had been gagged. Anything to rid her of this responsibility. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut but this was by far easier said than done. Cursing her overly expressive self, she continued, pressing her lips tightly shut, adamant that nothing should enter them.

  ???

  A bird swooped from above. Bright pink feathers, luscious with a healthy sheen, framed its face. Its beak looked carved from wood, glossy, as the tip curled to a point. With an imposing wingspan, its shadow loomed a few feet away from Kally as it hovered over its prey. A rodent, with saucer eyes, black and glazed, hiccuped - frozen with fright. Kally gawked. As if she would see a doksuri here of all places. Doksuri were birds of prey, known to be a wide array of colours, but all equal in terms of aggression. In a flash, it dipped and, grabbing the rodent in its talons, flew into the distance - making a mockery of their progress on foot. Ahkaiyu was even further in the distance now. Kally sighed. It seemed like he had missed it. His loss.

  She quickened her pace, aware of the need to catch up. She did not want a repeat of the last time they were separated. A gloom settled on her, as she had inadvertently reminded herself of Naevii.

  Ahkaiyu stopped abruptly, his arm shaded his face and he looked up to the sky. His mouth was set in a grimace. “Hmm,” he grumbled. A faint smell had startled him, of fust and mildew, concerning in an arid desert with no sign of water. He pulsed his energy to his hands again and let out a tiny drop. It sizzled as it hit the sand, turning black. Water and the sun’s rays had turned the sand to ash? His brow beneath the mask furrowed, causing his mask to ripple. Could this be natural, or was it an effect of the purple? He sighed. This was dangerous. They needed to pick up their pace, which he did, unaware Kally was lagging behind. A good guide would check.

  A gust of magic rippled again. Again. She was sick of this. The magic seemed to be kicking up more and more. At first it was every half hour or so, then fifteen, then ten and so on and so forth. There could not have been more than a minute since the last burst.

  Pop.

  Oh no, she groaned. Not now. Ahkaiyu was still a good few paces away from her. Using her hands to cup around her mouth, she called out, “Kai!”

  Her voice was gruff, but loud enough. He turned and she signalled a ‘pop’ with her fingers. He nodded, making his way towards her; all going well, they would meet in the middle.

  The purple swirled around them, harsher and more of it this time, as if sentient and aware of the opportunity in front of it. Kally, pinching her nose, held her breath; her heartbeat rapid. She strode forward but was finding it difficult to see. Her blurry vision was further being obstructed by the tormenting mist swirling around her: a menacing predator. Her cloak, battered by the harsh grit, fought with her, and she gasped as she felt a stray fleck slice her cheek.

  Ahkaiyu rushed forward as he witnessed Kally crumple to the ground, holding her cheek. She clawed at her face, still trying to hold her nose with one hand. She felt golden sandworms, solid and cold like metal, burrow within the graze. Her skin peeled, red raw, and her eyes stung. Sand gets everywhere. In cuts, in eyes, in every crevice. Where wasn’t there magic now?

  Ahkaiyu, by this point had realised the danger they were in: a sandstorm. He had thought they had time. Storms like this usually only occurred at night; they would have had plenty of time to find shelter before nightfall. With a huge amount of force, he did the only thing he could think of and released a flood of water. The sand blackened to ash, as before, soaking Kally in the process. The sandworms disintegrated, and Kally sighed, internally - still clutching her nose.

  She shivered.

  Ahkaiyu’s action had quelled the sand around Kally but the magic had not abated. It swirled more sand into its midst and surrounded her in sheets of spiralling desert dust. Her eyes watered underneath the porous cloth which clung tighter to her; it was unclear if that was due to the dousing of water or the wind itself.

  This magic wind battered her face with a force she had never experienced before, her cheeks stinging as they flapped in a way they had never flapped before.

  The dust choked her, smothering her, until she could not help but to gasp for air. Magic surged within her mouth and brought her upwards, levitating off the ground. She felt a tug on her arm. Her heart lurched. Her immediate thought was of Naevii.

  She was pulled out of the eye of the storm and tumbled down the dune, landing in a large burrow.

  °??───? Author’s Note ?───??°

  Sand in your boots. Water up your nose. A cursed toe in your shoe. Welcome to Darkurr Moor.

  Kally’s desert adventure begins—and nothing says "heroic journey" like getting repeatedly sassed by wind, wildlife, and your own mistakes. This chapter was all about shifting sands, growing trust (maybe…), and blurry magical eyewear that really should come with a user manual.

  If you've ever gagged on dust or tried to walk on a beach and regretted every life choice, congrats - you know what it’s like to be Kally right now.

  Let me know your favourite moment, doksuri-related or otherwise!

  ? Coming up - Chapter 13 title ?

  °??───?? The abode in which atmospheres are made and broken ??───??°

  ? Update Schedule ?

  The next chapter will be released 09-05-2025 (dd-mm-yyyy)

  ?? Vision Watch ??

  ? A faraway land, with blue eyes and pale faces vying for attention (Chapter 5)

  ? Gribbles play as a celebration is happening and Kally wakes up mouthing a name - Alena (Chapter 8)

  ? A young knight trains in a training ground (Chapter 10)

  ~ SK Payde

  ? ? ?