Hope Sundered

The Southern Wilds wasn’t exactly a desert, but neither was it a lush and fertile landscape. Patches of short bristled grass dotted the flat terrain, often the tallest feature for miles. There were no trees, no rivers, and no lakes. The distant purple line behind Keila and Ekard was all that remained of the Orharos Uplands. After a day, it too disappeared.

The wind rushed unhindered across the open ground, buffeting the pair of weary travelers. Once or twice, distant thunder rumbled in the clouded sky, but no lightning and no rain. The dry air carried the scent of clay and soil, parching their tongues.

They caught sight of a herd of huge lumbering beasts in the distance, the like of which they’d never seen before. The large shaggy animals paid them no heed, but Keila followed them at a distance on the hunch they might lead her to water or, better still, Nokri hunters.

What the Wilds lacked in vegetation and topography, it made up for in spectacular sunsets. Wide bands of yellow, orange, and purple streaked across the limitless sky, illuminating the speckled clouds with a fiery glow. The combined vastness of the heavens above and the prairie below gave them a feeling of insignificance and peace at the same time.

There’d been no sign of the Nokri. She knew they were a nomadic people, but the stubborn land yielded no indication of any human culture living there, or even passing through. No settlements, no campfires, no burial sites. For the first time since leaving Ob’Riant, she began to see the folly of her desperate plan.

The additional guilt of dragging Ekard along was another arrow in her heart. She hadn’t asked him to come, but neither had she turned him away. She doubted she’d have been successful had she tried. She looked over at him, who noticed and smiled back. Ever-loyal Ekard. She was happy she wouldn’t die alone, at least.

She pulled her blanket tighter around her hunched shoulders to ward off the increasing chill. Their fire was pitiful as a result of being battered back and forth by the prairie winds. He noticed her discomfort and moved to sit next to her. With his own cloak he draped his arm around her and pulled her close.

Her body stiffened but she didn’t resist, instead offering a weak smile of gratitude. She was perched precariously on the razor’s edge of pushing away the one person who’d refused to leave her side. Ekard and Lark had been friends for as long as she could remember. She couldn’t recall anyone who’d ever spoken ill of him, and he’d proven himself reliable since their flight from Chastin’s shore.

“What made you think of the Nokri, anyway?” he asked.

“I'm not sure,” she admitted with a shrug. Her gaze drifted north toward Ob’Riant, and the memory of a strange conversation with an even stranger man. “Do you…believe in celestial beings?”

“What, like spirits?”

She chuckled away her sudden embarrassment. “Forget I asked.”

“Well, I’m starting to think the Nokri have died out. I can’t see how anyone survives out here, and I’m fairly certain we’re lost.”

“I’m sorry,” she finally said. He looked at her as if the apology didn’t make sense. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen, and I’m sorry for bringing you all the way out here.”

His smile told her there was nothing to forgive. “At least we’re together.” He leaned in to kiss her.

“Stop,” she whispered and arched back. When he didn’t, she jumped to her feet, shaking off his embrace and their two coverings. “I said stop!”

“But I love you.”

There it was, spoken plainly.

“How can you say that to me right now? Maker’s mercy, Ekard, I was engaged!”

“Not anymore!”

She lashed out, striking him on the cheek. “How dare you? Lark gave his life to save both of us! Have you no shame? No honor?” She retreated a step, put her hands on her hips and dropped her head. Despite her best efforts, she’d failed him, somehow leaving a door open, one he believed he could enter. Why had she not been clearer?

“The Nokri aren’t here, Keila. We’ve been wandering around in circles. We’re out of food and almost out of water. After everything we’ve been through together, after everything I’ve done for you, would you deny me this?”

He took a step toward her, and a very real fear coiled around her gut. She was alone with a man as broken as she was, but with a different type of damage. The hunger in his eyes made her shiver.

Was he desperate enough to take her by force? Having known him her entire life, she didn’t want to believe he was capable of such an act. Nevertheless, she steeled her nerves for a fight. Things were bad enough, but despite the recent horrors she refused to be violated.

Then she noticed he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was focused on something past her, over her right shoulder. The lust filling his eyes had been replaced by fear. She turned slowly to see half a dozen Nokri warriors, each with a loaded bow in hand, stretched taut, and aimed for the kill.