With a lurch in my stomach and the light blinding me, I suddenly found myself back in Eresath where I had first touched the lines of power. What had just happened? Had I followed that pulse all the way to the other side of the world? I could only draw one logical conclusion, I had just witnessed the birth of someone who, in the future, will be able to manifest their Talents.

Tifara wakened them well before the first light of the day. Samos shivered as he dressed, the contrast with the heat that tortured the city during the day couldn’t have been greater. Both he and Eder donned the clothes provided by their strange companions.

They were strikingly similar to the garbs Teiran and Sia had worn during their journey from Vorna and curious as to how they would feel, Samos donned the clothing, Eder following his example soon after. They felt surprisingly comfortable, allowing room for more movement than he had expected.

Finally, they both strapped on their sword belt, stuffed the remainders of their clothing in their bags and made for the stairs. They were greeted by a groggy looking Yara and Faye who clearly hadn’t suspected they would be awakened so early. They were wearing the same set of clothes. The four Nakin stood talking softly at the door to the stable.

Teiran turned when he saw Samos and Eder enter. “This is where Sia and I will be leaving you,” he approached them and shook their hands. “Remember what I told you about Absorption. Train it, it might just save your life one day.”

He gave a stern nod and made for the stables. Sia trailed after him, but not before giving them a quick nod, two fingers to his hood where his temple would be. After all this time, they hadn’t even seen in face a single time.

The sound of horse hooves on stone resounded and dissipated after a moment, Teiran and Sia gone.

“Now that this emotional display of farewells is done with,” Tifara suddenly spoke up, “it’s about time we get going as well. I’m glad to see you all had at least the common sense to dress more appropriately this time around, we want to draw as little attention as possible. The Warbringer has his spies everywhere.”

She guided them towards to the stables where the boy they had seen yesterday was just finishing up strapping on the last saddle. At the sight of them, he gave them a strange look, no doubt marvelling at the sight of four outlanders suddenly dressed in Nakin clothes.

“You might want to pull up those hoods,” Tifara instructed as she saw the boy stare. “Those garbs might say Nakin, but those faces say something else entirely.” She tossed a coin to the boy which he caught with the same expertise he had displayed yesterday. “Remember, it was only me that stayed here.”

The boy nodded eagerly and tapped his forehead. “As ya say, ma’m,” he grinned. “Assa matte o’ fact, I don’t even member yous.”

Tifara nodded satisfied as the boy hurried off to Sevens know where. Tifara’s companion, whose name they still didn’t know, watched him go with suspicion in his eyes.

They took their horses out on the streets and began making their way to the gates. They departed in a different direction they had initially come on, Samos noticed. Not that it would have mattered, he wouldn’t have found his way back anyway.

Slowly, the sky grew less dark as the first rays of sunlight found their way above the horizon in the east. Few people wandered the streets of Pelizar this early, but all were quick on their feet to make way for the small parade of Nakin-dressed riders.

They rode in silence, the only sound coming from the slowly awakening city. Windows shutters were opened with a soft thud, a rooster crowing in the distance. Bit by bit, the temperature rose and soon Samos was glad for the robes he was wearing. They kept him warm during the cold of the morning but would keep the heat out as well once the sun stood high.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the southern gates and cross the bridge that allowed passage over the river that ran just south of the city. Again, Samos noticed the proficient lack of guards looking over the area. People really felt comfortable with the idea that fear of retaliation by the Nakin kept their city safe.

Or they didn’t feel comfortable at all and had the common sense to keep their mouth shut.

They rode south only for a bit before turning east and riding parallel with the river for a while. The Sanlan, Tifara called it.

“It had once been the official border of the Masenis kingdom,” she told them. “The tribes had peace with Pelizar and trading was done frequently all the way to Vorna. Until one of our caravans was attacked and they paid the prize.”

Samos recalled Faye’s words from yesterday. The Desolation of Masenis she had called it. The reason why the Nakin were so feared.

They continued riding and Samos took in the landscape around him. To the north, beyond the river, the dry ground was interchanged by large boulders sticking out of the ground, growing higher steadily until they reached the mountains to the north.

To the south however, large dunes of sand could be seen. They seemed rather small from a distance, but he was sure once he stood before them they would tower above him like giants.

“How does someone even survive in that?” Eder asked loudly enough for Tifara to hear.

To their surprise, it was her companion that answered. “We don’t live there, boy. We travel them from oasis to oasis and only rarely at that. I’ve heard tales of outlanders thinking we eat sand and drink air. Bunch of fools.”

“And we have to cross them?” Faye asked.

“Normally, yes.” Tifara answered. “And it would be a long and harsh journey, one you would most likely not survive.”

She looked back at them, chuckling at the look in their eyes.

“Luckily for the four of you, you all have manifested your Talents and as such we’ll only be walking the dunes of the Calm Waste for no more than a few hours. But before we get to that, we have to ride east.”

She made it sound as if it was the final thing she would say on the matter.

All in all, the two-day trip was strikingly similar to their journey with Teiran and Sia, the main difference being the extreme temperatures they experienced both during the day and at night. But at least Teiran had been talkative.

The first night, Samos and Eder had tried to continue the exercises Teiran had given them, but none of them was making any progress. Enhancing their power came as easily as breathing now, but doing the exact opposite deemed to be impossible for now. How does one do the opposite of breathing anyway?

Tifara’s companion was a Sealer at least, that much they knew, but Samos had no idea if either of them had any other Talents. When he asked, his only answer was either a grunt or a disproving glance. For some reason, he found himself missing Teiran. The man had been friendly at least, even it had just been an act to make them go along with him.

The evening of the second day, they reached a group of buildings constructed near the banks of the Sanlan. It looked like a small village, but the lack of people said otherwise. Some of the houses looked like they had been abandoned at least a decade or two. Tifara guided them to one of the larger buildings, a long house with a stable built against its side. It looked strikingly similar to the house they had stayed in at Pelizar, Samos noticed.

“This is where we will be leaving the horses,” Tifara told them. “The last part of the journey we do using our own set of feet.” She lead them into the stables, where they were greeted by another Nakin, his face covered by his hood.

“Take only what you need the most,” he instructed them. “Everything you leave behind will be stored away should you come back for them in the future.” He looked at Tifara. “Will you be taking the short road?

She nodded.

“Take as little as you can,” the man continued. “The more you carry, the more difficult the journey will be. And I’m not talking about long expedition on foot that will leave you exhausted.”

Obeying the strange instructions, they took only the necessary items with them. Eventually, the clothes they wore, their swords and a small sack with extra clothes was all they carried. Eder moved to take a water bag, but the man stopped him.

“You won’t need the water, it’ll only be extra weight.”

Eder regarded him strangely but eventually shrugged and put the bag back. He clearly had stopped being surprised by the strange turns of events.

“And I suggest you only take one sword with you,” the man suggested looking at Samos. “The more solid something is, the harder it will be to take with you.”

“Just where in Sevens are we going?” His question showed more aggravation than he had intended, but the endless commanding without explanation was starting to get him riled up.

The man scolded at him. “The less you know the better,” was all he answered. “Tifara, Sador, you two ready?”

So Sador is his name.

The two of them nodded.

“Let us go then.”

With that, he left the stable followed by Tifara and Sador. For a brief moment, they were alone in the stable.

“Where in Sevens are they taking us,” Eder muttered. “We should have made off in Pelizar while we had the chance.”

“And go where, Eder?” Yara retorted. “By now, there will be spies in every major city looking out for us. I think we should go with them, if only to know what kind of journey it is we are to take. I’m becoming suspicious this will be something we never witnessed before”

Faye nodded in agreement, as did Samos.

Eder sighed. “Fine. Fine. Let’s be underway then, might as well get this over with.”

Samos gave him a comforting back on the pat as he passed him. Somehow, he felt responsible for the misfortune that had befallen them. Was it his fault? In Vorna, he had tried leading them to safety but to no avail. Should he have stayed with Ralph despite his words? Could he have done better?

He didn’t think so.

They soon caught up with Tifara and the others. They were headed straight for the dunes to the south. If water had not been a priority, they should reach their destination at least before the sun rose again the next morning.

Just where were they going?

They walked for an hour before they reached the outer stretches of the dunes, sand slowly taking over the ground beneath them.

“Follow my exact steps,” the man warned as they began climbing the first ridge of sand. “Sinkholes and quicksand are not uncommon occurrences here.”

“Sinkholes?” Faye cried anxiously. “Are you certain we’ll be safe?”

“Child,” the man sighed. “I’ve been walking these parts for about forty years. I could walk these ever-changing hills with my eyes closed if I wanted to. But then again, so could you with the necessary training.”

That last sentence earned him an interested look from the four of them, but he didn’t elaborate any further on the matter.

They reached the top of the first dune and Samos gasped. In the twilight of the evening, he could just make out the landscape before him. As far as he could see, the desert continued in a chaotic pattern of dunes. It should have been a dull sight, the dunes all looking the same, but instead he found it to be marvellous.

A gasp from Yara as she rounded the top indicated she thought the same. A smile appeared on her face.

“What are you thinking about?” Samos asked curiously.

“My dad,” she answered with a chuckle. “I’d love to see his face if he learned where I was.”

Samos snickered at the idea of Harald’s surprised face. It had been nearly three months since they had left Ters behind. Who could have known where they would end up eventually? If he had to guess back then, the last place he would assume would be the Calm Waste.

“I don’t see it,” Tifara said suddenly as she scanned the slopes below them.

“The sand shifted since you last arrived here,” the man lectured her as if it was the hundredth time he was telling this. “It’s buried underneath, but shouldn’t be too deep.”

He trust his arm forward and light exploded from his palm, a seal larger than Samos had ever seen. It lurched downwards, blasting sand away as it did. When the sand settled back then, small rocks could be seen sticking out of the sand. They were smooth, Samos noticed, as if they were chiselled by men.

“Follow me and find some footing on the steps that are sticking out,” the man instructed.

The seven of them descended. First carefully, the sand giving way underneath their feet at first. After a while though, the ground beneath them became solid as they reached the bits of rock that had been sticking out.

“Everyone’s got a good foothold?” He didn’t wait for the answer before stretching his arm out again and forming the same seal. It was aimed close to the ground this time and more sand got blown away. Bit by bit, the steps beneath their feet were revealed in full.

“These are manmade,” Yara whispered in disbelief.

The seal continued downwards the sandhill where it revealed a small stone circle before dying out.

“There we go,” the man mumbled satisfied. “Follow me.”

He preceded them down the steps to the small circle. It was neatly carved from the same rock the steps had been. Samos couldn’t tell if the rock had already been here or the stones had come from someplace else. Either way they looked ancient, any irregularities they might have had eroded away by centuries of shifting sand.

In the middle of the circle, a large purple rock stuck out of the ground. It gave off a soft purple glow.

“Taen.”

It came as a whisper, but it was repeated in unison by Yara and Faye. The rock was definitely taen, but he had never thought a piece this large would ever have existed. Its value could nearly buy a kingdom.

“How…” he sputtered. “Why is this here?”

“Tifara laughed at their expressions. “I will watch your faces once we arrive,” she grinned.

“Who’s going first?” their guide asked.

Sador stepped forward and without a word, he put a hand on the taen rock. The purple glow began to grow more brightly to the point it became impossible to look at. Samos averted his eyes.

Seconds later, the glow faded away and when he looked back, Sador was gone.

“What…” was all he could say.

“Where in Sevens did he go?” Eder exclaimed.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Tifara said. “Who’s next?”

They looked at her mouths agape.

“You want us to do… that?” Faye rasped.

Tifara shrugged. “It’s either this or a month-long trek through the Calm Waste. You decide.”

Samos approached the taen. “How do we do it?”

“Simple really,” she explained. “It only works for people who manifested a Talent, it doesn’t matter which one. All you do is lay your hand on the rock, send power into it and if you have enough strength, you’ll make it to the other side.”

“If I have enough strength?” he asked, but Tifara only gave him a wicked smile.

“Samos…” Yara whispered. “Are you sure?”

He shrugged. “Not really, but we’re at a point where the only thing I care for is knowing what this is all about.”

She gave him a hurtful look. Had he said something wrong?

He shook of his doubts and moved his hand onto the taen. It felt warm under his touch. He Enhanced his hand and just as he did with his sword, sent the power outwards into the rock. It exploded with light, nearly blinding him before he closed his eyes.

He became power again, much like that time in Sandos. Something was different though. Back in Sandos, he had felt he had left his human body behind. This time however, he was still Samos as well as he was power.

Towering dunes of sand passed beside him as he raced across the deserts of the Calm Waste. In mere seconds, he had crossed a hundred miles at the least.

In the distance, the high towers of a city came into sight. A city, here? In the middle of the Waste? On the charts he had seen, there had been no indication of a city this far away from any source of water.

The towers grew larger as he came closer, rooftops appearing as well. Eventually, the entire city came into view and for a moment, Samos was certain he was dreaming.

Before him, an entire city lay floating in the air, a taen rock the size of a small village in the ground beneath it.