Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 19: Desert Cartographers

Vir rummaged through the bedroom for supplies.

Riyans not even giving us ink, so well have to do this the old-fashioned way, said Maiya, casting a grim gaze at the small clay fireplace built into the far wall of the room.

The abode was well insulated owing to being underground, but they both appreciated the coziness of a fire, especially when staying up late into the night, chatting. A rarity these days, given how exhausted they usually were after a hard day of training.

Probably because he expects us to mess it up and waste it, Vir replied. He rolled up his sleeves and rummaged around the coals, making his fingertips black with ash. He selected a few suitable pieces of charcoal and dropped them into his rucksack. "At least he gave us parchment to write on."

Lets see Maiya said, looking around the room. Water. Well want plenty of water if were venturing out into the desert. Ill fill up our waterskins in the kitchen. Dyou think we need blankets?

Were taking Bumpy, right? Vir asked. Bumpy was the name Maiya had bestowed upon one of Riyans two Ashvas, for its terrible ride. Despite that, Bumpy was the one she always picked if she had a choice. Shed dubbed the other one Grumpy. Grumpy didnt like her very much.

As far as either of them knew, Riyan had never bothered to name the poor beasts.

I dont think its a bad idea, in case we get lost. But uh, lets tell Riyan exactly where were going? I really dont want a repeat of last time, Vir said with a shiver, recalling how much pain hed caused them both when hed snuck away.

Maiya nodded vigorously.

With their bags packed and loaded onto Bumpy, they signed out on Riyans roster, leaving Neel behind to guard the abode.

If you are looking for the oasis, you will want to head due south, their instructor said as they left.

Do we at least get a compass? Maiya asked.

Riyans shrug said it all: youre on your own.

Its like he wants us to get lost, Maiya whispered.

Vir thanked Janak that the man failed to hear her.

Maiya yielded the reins to Virwho was more familiar with Ashva riding than she wasand sat behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist for stability.

Vir already had a general lay of the land, so he at least knew which direction led west to the coast. From there, he calculated approximately where south was by cross-referencing the position of the sun in the sky.

Bearing set, they headed out.

Minutes after they left, they came across their first landmarka series of caves embedded into the hills. Vir brought the Ashva closer for a better look. Some caves were tiny, only a few paces deep. Others looked as if they stretched on forever.

Wanna go explore some? Maiya asked with excitement.

Wed better not, Vir said, Riyan warned us about them, remember? Said it was easy to get lost in there.

Mmm but still! I wanna find that secret supply stash he keeps in there, Maiya said, staring into the darkness of the cave. Not like theres much else to do around here Would it have killed him to live a bit closer to a big city?

Vir nodded. Its off the beaten path, thats for sure. Im guessing thats why he picked it in the first place. Wonder how long hes lived here?

Maiya tapped her chin. Hmm. Maybe a few years? Everything feels new-ish, but not brand new, if you know what I mean?

Right. Like it feels lived in, but not old. Really wonder who he is, to have access to so much wealth. And that training dome? No normal person has something like that in their house.

I know, right? I bet hes someone super famous, Maiya said. Definitely a Sawai noble of some sort.

Vir urged the Ashva onward, leaving the caves behind them and continuing south. A half hours ride had the sand dunes giving way to the endless plains that hed visited on his solo outing weeks ago.

Lets stop here, he said, dismounting and retrieving a piece of charcoal from the pannier on Bumpys rump.

So, lets put Riyans home at the very center of the map, he said, placing the map on the ground and drawing a small dome to represent the house. Its surrounded by a desert on all sides, so we can add that. And then we have the caves and the transition to the plains to the south.

Maiya watched as he worked. Youre actually pretty good at this, she said, sounding both irked and impressed at the same time. Ah! Lets add the coast to the west. Riyan said the coastline runs north-south, and that youd run into the port city of Saran if you kept going north.

Okay. I think the coast was about a half hours ride to the west? So about the same distance as the plains, then.

That came as a bit of a surprise to Vir. The ride to the coast had felt like it had been far longer. But everything was new to him back then, and he hadnt really paid much attention to his surroundings.

And you said wed eventually run into the Godshollow if we keep going south? Maiya asked.

Vir frowned. Not quite. Id gone southwest, which means the plains wrap around the desert, maybe in a circle. And I didnt get anywhere close to the Godshollow. Just that the terrain where I was at felt similar to the land around the forest. And I think wed hit the northern border of the forest, rather than the eastern border next to Brij, he said, scribbling in the rough outline of the forest and their village.

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Riyan had mentioned that his home was several hours from the Godshollow, so Vir tried to show that on the map. He also knew that the Godshollow extended all the way to the Viridian Coast to the west, which had been Rudviks initial destination, so he drew that in as well.

Wow, this is really coming together, huh? Maiya said. Not bad for a few minutes of effort.

She was right. Theyd solidified their picture of the surroundings, but of course, there were still several empty spots.

We know nothing about what lies east or north of Riyans place, but I guess we can look for that later. How about we go find this oasis you saw?

Maiya looked around. Hmm. You said youd ended up southwest of Riyans place before, right? And I saw the oasis in the distance on my left when we came to search for you. So that means it should be around here

Actually, I think weve gone too far, Vir replied, shaking his head, Were already at the edge of the desert.

Oh, right. Okay, lets backtrack then.

Vir stowed the map before mounting Bumpy. This time, he turned them around and headed slightly northwest.

But even after another half hour of searching, they werent any closer to finding the elusive oasis.

I think we should call it for today, Vir said. We need to get back in time for our afternoon lessons.

Maiya remained silent, hoping that shed lay eyes on the oasis. But things were never so convenient. Searching for something so small in such a large desert was bound to be an arduous task. Theyd have to try again some other ti

Found it! Maiya announced, pointing to the right. Vir squinted, and sure enough, saw trees through the haze of the desert heat.

Hiya! He turned Bumpy toward the patch of green in the ocean of sand and ordered him to speed up.

The oasis was on the smaller side. It took Bumpy only ten minutes to circle the entire thing. Tall coconut trees ringed the area, while small shrubs covered the ground all the way to the pond at its center. Small animals darted here and there, scurrying away as they approached.

Weird for a pond to be all the way out here, dont you think? Maiya said.

Actually, I wonder if this pond is fed by the same source that gives us water at Riyans place?

Could be! Doubt theres much in the way of water sources in this area, Maiya said, jumping off Bumpy. I think this is a perfect spot for lunch, dont you?

She retrieved a picnic cloth and a banana leaf that had been folded around a package.

Lunch! she said, holding it up. Nothing special. Just some sandwiches I threw together, but it should fill us up.

Thanks Maiya! Vir replied. Hed been thinking of quickly wolfing something down once they got back. This was so much better.

Vir picked a spot near the pond under the shade of a coconut tree and stomped around for a few minutes to flatten the location. Maiya then placed the cloth, securing its corners with some pebbles.

Not an unpleasant view, Vir said as he kicked off his shoes and sat down beside Maiya, marveling at the amazing scenery.

He opened up his banana leaf and munched on his lunch, the leaf doubling as a convenient plate. The tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, capers, peppers, and salt all exploded with taste, making for a delightfully refreshing meal. All procured from Riyans pantry.

Watching Vir devour her sandwiches made a smug smile creep up on Maiyas face. So, she said, this is working out pretty well for us, huh? I mean, no one likes being constantly sore, but I can feel myself growing stronger by the day, yknow?

Same, her friend replied between mouthfuls. My endurance still sucks, but staying with Riyan was the right call. I cant wait to get to some of the more advanced stuff hes gonna teach us.

Only question is when hes gonna ask us for those favors. Seems like itll be awhile, though. I cant imagine wed be of any use to him as we are now.

Right, Vir replied. I think our infiltration skills will be important for whatever he has planned, and he hasnt even started teaching that to us.

Maiya went silent for a moment. I just... I wanna visit home, Vir. My parents must be worried sick about me. And I miss them. A lot.

I do too, Maiya. The faster we progress, the faster he'll let us visit Brij.

Just hope he gets around to teaching me magic soon, Maiya said, twiddling her toes in the sand. Id be a lot more useful if I could cast fireballs.

Vir smirked but remained silent. He could picture her horror when she discovered shed be an ice mage. Fate had such a cruel sense of irony.

He broke out the map after hed finished eating and added the oasis, putting it due south of Riyans home. Now, all that remained was to chart out the east and the north, and theyd have a pretty clear picture of the area.

Lets head back, he said once hed finished. Wouldnt want to miss our second round of torture now, would we?

Oh no. Anything but that! Maiya said, placing the back of her hand on her forehead.

The truth was that Vir actually couldnt wait to return to his training. Every moment spent in that sandy dome felt like it inched him closer to understanding some fundamental secret about his own body. He couldnt shake the feeling that the prana inside him was powerful. He yearned for the day he could see it in action.

Vir touched the eight pronged tattoo on his chest.

If only I could unlock it somehow

Just then, something caught his attention. It took him a moment to realize what it was, but when he did, he looked up at the coconut tree that shaded them from the heat of the desert sun. Its powerful shadow seemed darker than usual, and Vir was thankful for it But there was something else there, too.

In its shadow?

Vir suddenly stood up, startling Maiya.

Whats up, Vir?

Im going for a jog.

Uh, what? Maiya asked, but Vir was already gone, leaving his friend staring after him like hed gone crazy.

Maybe he had gone crazy, but he had to be sure.

With the temperature being what it was, a single lap around the small pond was enough to get his blood pumpingand in so doing, his prana vision intensified. He was now immensely thankful for the very heat hed complained about moments earlier.

Vir returned to Maiya, drenched in sweat. He peered at the shadow of the coconut tree.

He hadnt imagined it! There really was something there. Something gray, moving ever-so-slightly. Unlike the other prana affinities that coursed through their respective elements, this affinity barely budged at all, which was why hed never noticed. That, and it was the same color as the shadow itself.

Shadow affinity prana!?

Vir instinctively looked at the prana in his arm. But no, this was not the same. This was clearly different. Another new affinity.

Hed now discovered three affinities that werent supposed to exist. Rather than exciting him, he started to doubt the validity of his thesis.

Were these truly new, undiscovered affinities?

Or was something else going on? Vir only wished he had the answers.

Sooo, uhh Feel like telling me why you randomly took a jog around the pond? In a desert? Under the sun? Maiya asked.

Happy to, but I feel like you're just gonna be as confused as I am once I do, came his deflated response.

Next time: 20 - Maiya vs Vir

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