Page 3 of From the Myths of Kings

Saoirse took a deep breath, willing the familiar tide of combat to wash over her. She’d done this with the elite Torqen soldiers countless times. Maybe the stakes hadn’t been nearly as high. The missions she’d gone on were mere child’s play compared to what they were about to do, but she’d done this before. And she’d do it a thousand times over for her people. She left her tent and joined Aurelia and Noora outside, ready to discover what horrors the Soundless Oasis held.

Noora had believed the Soundless Oasis was only an hour away.

Now, nearly three hours later, there was nothing in sight save for unending dunes and a velvet-dark sky, cloudless and studded with stars. The wind had picked up, howling over the uneven terrain like a warning. The breeze caught their scarves and tugged at their loose clothing as though begging them to turn back. Saoirse was grateful the fabric covered her nose and mouth, shielding her from the fine grains of sand that pelted them. They climbed down a particularly steep mound of sand and the ground below shifted with every step, kicking up tiny granules that caught in the wind.

“How much farther?” Aurelia called, her voice muffled by her scarf.

There was no sign of sunrise yet, but it was only a matter of time before the beating sun drowned out the night. They needed to turn around and head back to camp if they wanted to avoid the unforgiving heat.

“I thought we’d be there by now.” Noora stopped and assessed their progress. She looked at the sky critically, analyzing celestial patterns and sensing the direction of the wind. It was more than impressive that the archer could track their journey through a seemingly endless sprawl of identical dunes in the darkness.

“It should be in this area. Wait. I think I see something.” Noora took one step forward, her desert boots light on the sand. She pointed toward the west. “There.”

It was hard to see it in the dark, but sure enough, one of the smooth hills beyond was broken by a lush tree line. Sweat slicked Saoirse’s palms at the sight of it. So it was real then. She imagined the cluster of green palms in the distance would’ve looked tantalizing in the daylight, shining like gemstones against the infinite beige landscape. But here in the darkness, the Soundless Oasis looked like a crouching tiger waiting to pounce. Not even the moonlight touched the plot of land. Instead, it was as though a cloud hung over the area and blocked out the silver light from above, cloaking it in shadow like a curse.

“This is it then,” Aurelia hedged, striding forward. “Let’s go.”

“We’ll have to be quiet,” Noora added. “Take the oasis by surprise.”

The wind went still.

Their scarves and loose clothing stopped flowing in the breeze, dropping to their sides. Gone was the familiar shift of sand and the whispers of crisp air. Numbing quiet abruptly fell over the entire desert, silent as falling snow.

The fine hairs rose on the back of Saoirse’s neck.

Suddenly they weren’t standing on the hill overlooking the oasis. Huge palm trees and vegetation sprouted from the ground, surrounding them in walls of green so dense it was like they’d been transported to a jungle on the Isles of Mythos. Saoirse’s heart stopped.

The Soundless Oasis had come for them.

2

SAOIRSE

Saoirse stumbled forward as though they’d been flung across the desert by some trick of magic. They’d been transported to another world in the blink of an eye.

“Titans,” Aurelia cursed, struggling to regain balance. She began to unsheath her sword, the slow hiss of metal filling the silence like a lone cry in the night.

“Shh.” Noora held up a hand in a silent order and Aurelia stilled, her sword halfway out of its sheath.

Against the utter silence of the Soundless Oasis, Saoirse’s breathing sounded deafening. She didn’t dare move a muscle. Her eyes flicked to their surroundings, taking in the lush plants that sprang from the fertile ground like sentinels. Clusters of palm trees rose high above them, rooted in place by dense trunks and crowned by wide leaves that fanned out in a canopy so thick even the stars were blotted out. Other spindly trees climbed upward, tangles of curling vines weaving in between their branches like lounging serpents. Ghostly moonlight shone through slats in the overlapping branches, filtering down to the oasis floor like the wisps of a forgotten dream, choked out by the shadows.

Tension coiled in Saoirse’s stomach. It was so unbearably silent, so painfully noiseless. It wasn’t the tranquil kind of silence that lulled and comforted. This absence of sound was like balancing on the edge of a knife, waiting for a drop that would never come, or anticipating danger but not knowing what to be afraid of.

To their right, a pool of water lay cradled by a beach-like embankment, its surface smooth as glass. Even by night, Saoirse could tell the water was deep blue, shining like a polished sapphire. Even as warning bells echoed through her mind and her skin prickled with fear, Saoirse couldn’t deny the primal pull to creep closer. Every part of her body yearned to kneel and drink deeply, to hurl herself into its fathomless depths and let the cool waters ease her dry scales like a healing balm. Her tongue suddenly felt like ash in her mouth, and she had an overwhelming urge to gulp down the crystal blue water. She would do anything to taste it. She would cut off her finger for just one sip.

Saoirse jolted out of the stupor, horrified by the thought. She now understood why so few could resist the tantalizing enchantment of the oasis. When she finally pried her eyes away from the glass-like pool, it felt like a spell had been broken.

“Where is the scholar’s sanctum?” Aurelia dared to whisper.

“I’m not sure,” Noora admitted. She gingerly stepped forward and paused, waiting for a trap to spring. Nothing happened. The numbing silence of the oasis still droned on, every leaf and branch still as stone. Noora stepped forward again, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. She gestured for Saoirse and Aurelia to follow with a flick of her hand.

The feeling of unease continued to swell like a tide as they crept through the trees, lapping at their heels with every step forward. The dreadful anticipation was a keen torture. They passed more glistening pools of water, some mere puddles, and others the size of ponds. Each one was more tempting than the last, each one bluer and more dazzling, each one promising to quench their thirst more. Saoirse’s mouth watered. With each body of water they passed, the urge to drink grew stronger. The desire gnawed at Saoirse, warring to be the sole focus of her mind. She fought against it, dug her mental heels in the dirt and forced herself to look away from the tempting waters. She sensed that Aurelia struggled equally, her footsteps slowly dragging forward as though an invisible force held her back. Even Noora appeared to grapple with temptation as a muscle in her neck flexed like she was straining to keep her eyes forward with everything she had.

“Keep going. Don’t stop,” Noora gritted out.

They breathed as though they’d just run across the length of the Shujaa Desert in the hottest part of the day. Saoirse felt magic suffusing the air and coating her tongue, seeping into her bones. It was as though the harder they resisted, the more the oasis worked to tire them out, feeding them delusions of burning muscles and aching lungs. Sweat dripped down Saoirse’s back even though the night was cold. She fell to her knees, sinking into the supple earth. Her entire body trembled like she’d just battled for days on end without food or water.

“What would happen if we drank it?” Saoirse panted. She closed her eyes against the beckoning pools, but behind her eyelids, she still saw shimmering waves and beguiling pools that promised sweet relief. The myths of the Soundless Oasis were a distant memory, blurred and half-realized. She was possessed by an unquenchable thirst, her entire existence reduced to this point in time, this singular desire to drink.

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