The Expedition: Chapter Five

Amelia was rushed to the portal leading out of the lamp, where Shayanna the Genie smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to do this alone, sweet Amelia."

"Why?" Amelia said. "I need you! If I am in danger-"

Trey shook her head. "They have a genie hunter with them. The cat, as they say, is out of the bag. Mm, yes! They must have been looking for this lamp all along."

Genie looked at her sharply. "But not as fast as they could. It seems they came upon it quickly once they knew its location."

Amelia frowned. "Can we stop them? Do something?"

Shayanna smiled. "Go inland. Follow the stones of the Trader's Road. You will come to a town by the name of Sha'lal Ak'har. There, seek a man by the name of Dunaden. He shall help you; now go, hurry!"

Amelia stepped through the portal, and in a dizzying swirl of pink smoke and a weightless vortex of magic, she stood back in the oppressive heat of the desert in the dry canyon. She ran as hard and fast as she could up the rocky slope leading out of the canyon on the other side. When she reached the top, she spotted a large caravan of warriors headed towards the canyon opposite the gorge.

While a small group of cultists had chased her the night before, now an entire army was on her heels!

How has she gotten herself in so much trouble? Amelia wondered. And why is it always me? I'm just a girl...not even into war or politics or anything like that!

She needed to get to the village's safety and warn them about the soldiers coming for her...if they would protect her!

She scrambled away from the canyon, knowing it would take them time to cross, but they would also find her tracks easily. They were mounted, which meant she needed more time to get some distance and either find a place to hide or lose them somehow - if she could lose them!

She ran, stuffing the lamp in her pocket as she peered across the desert, looking for something that looked like a road. She thought, if I see any signpost anywhere, I should head there...maybe hitch a ride? She kept running as fast as she dared, looking over her shoulder occasionally to spot soldiers galloping after her with their swords drawn, trying not to let out a scream of fear or panic since doing so might make them realize how frightened she was.

Finally, she spotted what she hoped was a road. It looked almost man-made: deep grooves carved into stones laid in the sand in long straight lines pointing toward the mountains ahead. It took everything in her power, but she ran until the last of the men chasing her lost sight of her behind the dunes, and she was safe again, breathing heavily and sweating profusely under her clothes. She took a drink from her small waterskin and knew she didn't have enough water to stay out here for long, but she could get a refill if she knew how to get back inside the lamp. Supposing she could get back inside the magic lamp, as she was no djinn herself!

She scanned the horizon for anything that could help her return to civilization, hoping to find a town. A caravan? Something?

Nothing!

She cursed herself for leaving the palace without getting directions to Sha'lal Akh'har. All she was told was to follow a road, and she hoped this was the right one. At least it pointed to where she needed to go and would probably take her far away from those cultists who seemed hell-bent on killing everyone she loved!

She reached up in her pocket and pulled out Shayanna's bottle, wondering if finding it was a curse or a blessing. She would only know if she could figure out how to return home or if Trey and Shayanna had any idea what she should do. And now more people were hunting them down because of this mysterious lamp. They must be vital!

Amelia felt tired again. She wished she could sleep somewhere warm with a nice blanket, some food, and maybe some tea or coffee...oh, I wish I could rest! But Amelia wasn't given a choice; she was too afraid she'd fall asleep in the desert. Even though the sun was high in the sky and she was hot already, the thought of having to endure another day like the previous ones made her want to collapse.

Her thoughts wandered to her father and the museum she studied in. He had taught her about ancient times and famous figures from before history all over the world. History that none of them ever learned while living in modern times. So much knowledge was gone from their lives quickly...but they didn't even realize it!

She stopped thinking as she saw something strange ahead. In front of the road, a large group of men appeared, walking toward her wearing white robes! She knew instantly that they were pilgrims making a trip to Kalaya: the sacred city for the nomad tribes. The men also carried swords and shields, which meant they were warriors but still only necessarily dangerous if you got between them and where they wanted to go. However, seeing their weapons made her uneasy until they passed by. There was only one way around them: going off course and taking longer, possibly worse. They seemed friendly enough, chatting amongst themselves and smiling at her as she came closer to greet them.

Amelia's heart skipped a beat when she heard one of the men speak in a language she had never heard before!

"Is he speaking Common?"

The group's leader raised a hand before they met, and the men stopped, staring at her.

Amelia smiled. "Um, hello!" She held out a hand politely. "I'm new here; I don't know anyone yet." She waved to show how far back she was from the men, who looked like they might be trying to decide whether to attack her now instead of letting her be on her way to Sha'lal Akh'har. "Where are you guys headed? Maybe we can travel together since you seem to be heading in the same direction as me anyway."

One man nodded and spoke in common, while others replied in kind. He pointed forward down the road with his sword while answering Amelia in Common. "Yes...we are pilgrims in search of our god Kalaya! We seek peace and wisdom within her temple."

Amelia glanced behind him and saw several women wearing robes similar to his and armed with short swords. Even the women of this land were armed! They wore loincloth bikinis made of gold and silver under their robes, and they were all so beautiful!

"Ah," she said in awe, feeling embarrassed. She cleared her throat before continuing, "Well, you have found it then! So much beauty amongst your people..." She could not stop looking at these beautiful creatures, and only when she noticed some of them giving her odd looks did she realize that she was still standing there gawking at them like a country farmer! Her cheeks reddened as she lowered her gaze quickly and hoped no one had seen her staring.

"Kalaya will find favor with the maiden's heart if they wish to become part of the tribe. It is an honor for any warrior to offer his life for Kalaya's cause, even though they must first pass the Trials."

Amelia smiled weakly. "Um...thank you." She swallowed hard and stepped forward to introduce herself again but paused before moving closer. "Can I travel with you for a while? I am headed to Sha'lal Akh'har." She held out her hand to shake. "I am Amelia Zinzer."

The leader gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. "It would be our pleasure! Sha'lal Akh'har. is on the way to our temple. You may travel with our women! I am Hadaj, Chief of the Mal'a'kai people. Many welcomes to you, one not of this land, Amelia."

Amelia watched as the woman nodded, turning to face their caravan once more, and began speaking in their language that sounded very similar to Common, except she knew she had never heard it before. She thought she recognized words she'd learned in school but needed clarification since they were spoken differently here. A few other men talked amongst themselves quietly as well. After an eternity, they finally moved away from each other to continue down the road toward their destination. The sight left a sense of awe inside of her: all these beautiful women carrying swords and shields with such grace and strength! They seemed like royalty...but why would these simple people need so many warriors?

She was still confused by the whole thing when her mind wandered back to her father and his museum. It was true that knowledge had been lost over time, especially the things that made history exciting to learn. These nomads could teach her more than any book ever could! If only she could get them to tell her where they came from, she could start to make some real progress on deciphering this mystery and understanding just how vital this lamp was and who all the genies were. And if Amelia wanted to know something, she found a way to find out.

The group stopped again, and Hadaj worked his way back to Amelia. He pointed at a large group of men and their mounts on the edge of a distant hill. "Look, young one. See that group. Those are death cultists of the foul god Rastal Tal A'daj. They have about 300 with them."

Amelia's heart sank; their group was a third of the size! And those were the same cultists following her and looking for the lamp! What am I supposed to do now? She had no idea where she was or even what direction she should go in! Could this tribe even stand a chance against them?

One of the women smiled. "Let's hope they attack." She looked up the slope. "I think we can beat them, don't you?" The others nodded excitedly as they listened.

Amelia felt as though someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on her. The woman wasn't trying to scare her! Amelia knew the Mal'a'kai didn't fear these men because of their weapons. They feared the dark power that drew its strength from the darkness. All living creatures, be they plant or animal alike, could sense it: a dark presence made their hearts tremble and skin crawl. If they could see it with their own eyes, it must have been not very pleasant! And how much worse would they feel up close if they could feel it from this far away?

She watched with wide eyes as Hadaj continued talking.

"They have been causing problems in our lands for months now. They try to kill any who defy Kalaya, yet they remain. We will fight them and send them away once and for all!"

Amelia caught herself before she gasped at his words, remembering he probably wouldn't want her to interrupt him. He seemed so confident that his people would defeat the cultists...but what about the more of them? Wouldn't there also be trouble there? Amelia realized that she did not know what the answer was.

The female warriors started chanting, and their hands glowed with magic they channeled into their swords and shields! Did they all know some battle magic? Was everyone in the tribe a holy warrior for the goddess Kayala? That thought alone filled her with awe! As an archaeologist, she had seen many things over the years, but nothing prepared her for the sheer amount of magical ability present here!

One of the women suddenly screamed as two men jumped out of hiding behind a large boulder only fifty yards from them! A lead group of the death cultists had snuck up as the leading group watched, and a few hundred of them screamed vile, wicked battle cries as the two groups of warriors screamed at the top of their lungs and ran towards each other in battle!