Chapter 33

The sun was beating down on the sands of the Eastern Desert. The plants were sparse there, the animals- hardy. Water was rare, and held more value than gold or jewels. In a place such as this, life could be as difficult as it was short.

But, to Nazir Alikar, this place was home and he loved it with all of his heart.

The good chef was returning home after finishing his journey around all of Langrace. He had searched every nook and cranny of the country in the hopes of finding the most brilliant new flavors and recipes to bring back to his homeland. His journey had been a fruitful one too, from the lush fruits gathered on the southern edge of Langrace, to the exotic spices he purchased from the Beastmen of the Witherwoods, to the simple traditional recipes he found while spending time among the rural villages clustered at the edge of the Great Forest, Nazir had gathered every bit of cooking knowledge he could get his hands on!

It was not a stretch to say that he was among the greatest in Langrace when it came to his culinary knowledge, and his name had traveled far and wide throughout the nation. He had cooked for Lords, Ladies, peasants and paupers! Why, he had even prepared a feast for the Royal family and the three Heroes!

…

Though the latter occasion was one he would sooner forget.

And now, after exploring the vast lands of Langrace, it was time for the chef to finally return home and settle down. For while cooking was one of his great passions, there were two others that he needed to attend to. His wife Nadalia and his one year old son Salim. Originally Nazir and Nadalia had been traveling the lands together, living and laughing and loving as they enjoyed the world beyond the sands and sun of the desert.

But then Nadalia got pregnant. Nazir had wanted to call off the whole trip and return home to take care of his wife and unborn son, but Nadalia refused him.

“Go and live your dream.” she laughed, waving her husband's suggestion to end their journey off “We will wait for you back home.” She placed Nazir’s hand on her belly, where their child was resting, and said “Promise me, my dearest, that you will not forget about us.” the look in her eyes was intoxicating to Nazir.

“How could I ever forget about you. You are the stars of my life, lighting my way through the night. Without you, I am lost forever.”

Nadalia had smiled at her husband's heartfelt words and said “Then I will await for you, the sun of my life, to grace my horizons again.”

They shared an intimate night and the next morning, Nadalia was on a carriage back to Aribas, their home in the sands.

For a lesser man, this might have put a damper on their journey, but for the great chef Nazir Alikar? Never! Rather than allow himself to be saddened by his wife’s departure, he resolved to double his efforts on his adventure. That way when he returned, he would have all manner of exciting tales to share with Nadalia and his child. Now Nazir had no regrets…well, almost none.

“If only I could have returned with an apprentice…” Nazir thought, remembering his only failure on this journey. “That girl…should I have been a bit more persistent?”

2 years ago, in one of the villages bordering the Great Forest, Nazir had come across a young girl named Merry. To his astonishment, she had the Novice Chef skill and yet she couldn’t have been older than ten! Even Nazir, the culinary conquistador that he was, hadn’t learned his first chef skill until he was in his late teens.

Nazir sighed, and he couldn’t help but feel that he had let a diamond slip through his fingers. But there was nothing he could do about it now. Nazir was not the kind of man who would try and force someone to leave behind their friends and family for his own selfish interests. Perhaps he would meet her again someday, when she made her own name as a master chef.

“Sir.” the young driver of his carriage said “Aribas is in sight, if you want to look.”

Nazir excitedly peeked his head out the carriage door and happily drank in the far off sight of his home city. Though from here he could only make out the walls surrounding it, the inside he knew was a sprawling expanse of carved stone buildings and houses. And in the center of it all, just visible from outside of the walls, were the spires of the Lord Aliyas Amad’s Palace.

He looked fondly at those walls, remembering how safe they had made him feel while growing up. Of course, in his teenage years they had started to feel more like the walls of a prison than a protective barrier. But, it was that very feeling that had driven Nazir to leave Aribas and explore the country. In an odd way, he owed the last part of the journey of his life to those walls. And he would owe the next part to them as well, for those walls would play a key role in maintaining his family's safety.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she Sir?” his driver said, smiling appreciatively at the massive stone barriers. “Ain’t another city in Langrace quite like Aribas. Just looking at her makes me wanna settle down here. Too bad I’ve got no tolerance for the sun and heat.”

“Hahaha! You are right of course, Aribas is the jewel of the desert! I daresay even the capital city could not compete with her brilliance. But I am surprised, the way you speak, it is as if you have been here before?” Nazir said, looking curiously at the young man. He was barely in his mid teens yet he had already driven a carriage into lands as harsh as these?

“Ah well, my boss is kind of a hard ass when it comes to doing the job right, you know? He’s been sending me all over Langrace, just to make sure I know how to get everywhere.” the boy said. Though his voice sounded dire there was a smile on his face that betrayed how much he enjoyed his work.

“Sounds like you have it rough, eh son? Tell you what, if you can get us to the city before sun down I’ll treat you to some of my famous cuisine! What do you say to that?”

“You had me at ‘free food’, Sir!” the boy said, laughing as he spurred the horses onward. True to his word, we arrived at the city just as the sun began to disappear behind it’s walls, casting a shadow that stretched far into the desert.

The inside of the city was exactly as Nazir remembered it. Streets lined with stalls and shops marked the road that lead from the entrance. Even now, as darkness slowly fell and torches and lanterns were lit to stave off the shadows, the hustle and bustle of Aribas did not stop. Further inward was the merchant’s bazaar where all manner of goods were bought and sold, and beyond that- the residential district…

“Where my beloved wife and son await.” Nazir thought .

He could hardly sit still, so eager was he to see his family. He longed to feel the warmth of Nadalia’s embrace, the softness of her lips, the sound of her laughter, and the joy as the two of them looked on at the miracle they had brought into this world together.

Nazir smiled at the thought, and said “You know boy, to go out on an adventure and see the world for all of it’s beauty? It is one of the greatest joys I have ever felt. But in the end nothing beats home sweet home. Nothing.”

“I agree sir. Nothing beats being with my family.” the boy said, somewhat wistfully.

“You miss them already, huh?” Nazir asked, nodding his head “It has been a month since we left the capital, and you will have to wait another month until you get back there. If you like, I can help you find a client to make the return trip with, hm? That way you can leave as quickly as possible while still earning some gold, hm?”

But the boy just smiled, and said “I appreciate the offer sir, but I have to meet my boss in this city anyway. Actually, I’m already late.”

“Oh, is that so? Then shall we pick up the pace?” Nazir asked jovially.

“Aye!” he shouted, though there was nothing he could really do to speed the carriage up, short of trample the crowd of people walking around the merchants bazaar.

Only when the sun had dipped well below the horizon and the streets were lit by torch fires and magical werelights did Nazir arrive at his home. Almost as soon as he stepped out of the carriage, Nadalia burst through the door of their abode and practically tackled her husband, so hurried was she to enter his embrace. Nazir, while winded, held Nadalia with all of his strength, desperate to let out as much of the love he had been building up since her departure as possible. They said no words. They did not need to.

“Hey, uh, not to interrupt you guys or anything, but will you need help bringing in any of this?” the driver asked, pointing a thumb at Nazir’s belongings, which he had already begun removing from the carriage.

“No thank you, my friend! I can manage on my own. But please, come back here tomorrow evening so I can fulfill my promise to you. I will make you a meal the likes of which you have never eaten before!” Nazir boasted, grinning.

“Oh my, what have you gone and done this time my love?” Nadalia said, looking affectionately at her husband. “I apologize if my foolish husband has caused you any trouble, young man. Thank you for watching over him on his journey home, we would be honored to have you join us.”

“Haha, he was no trouble at all ma’am. I’d be happy to come over for a meal…” the boy said, smiling.

Then, all of a sudden, his eyes became worried and for a moment- just a moment- the boy’s joyous expression changed, becoming darker. In fact, it happened so fast that Nazir thought he had imagined it, as the boy's sunny disposition immediately returned and he said “Sorry, I’ve got to go now. My boss will be really mad at me if I’m any later. Bye!” and with that he trundled off as fast as one could go on these streets.

The couple looked on as the boy left, curious about the carriage driver’s odd behavior.

“Strange…” Nazir said, before turning back to his wife “I shall have to make sure that the boy’s employer isn’t abusing him, but that will keep until tomorrow, i think. Tonight, there is someone I think you need to introduce me to!”

Nazir couldn’t wait any longer, he needed to see his son! Quietly, Nadalia led him into the house to their child's room. There Salim slept peacefully in his crib, sucking his thumb.

“My son…” Nazir said, reaching down to caress the child's face. “Look at him…” Nazir said, his eyes welling with tears at the sight of the child. “He has your eyes, my love…”

“The eyes are mine, yes, but the rest of that face belongs to you and…” she kissed Nazir on the lips “That is a good thing, I think. He certainly won't have any trouble finding a wife.”

“Nadalia, I have only just got back. Don’t go giving my son away before I have had the chance to be his father.” Nazir said, smiling at her.

Nadalia pressed herself against Nazir, and said “Do not fret my love. Salim is not very likely to be the only child you give me…” she was already guiding Nazir to their bedroom, clearly after a certain something.

“Ahh, Nadalia. Your eyes, your lips, your body…how I have missed every part of you.”

Nazir and Nadalia found themselves skipping dinner that night in favor of another meal.

****

The next morning Nazir awoke feeling very well rested. Nadalia was still sleeping, as Nazir had gotten used to a much tighter schedule while adventuring, so he went ahead and cooked a light breakfast for his family. Nazir hummed happily while cooking, as there were few pleasures in life that were as great to him as seeing people he loved enjoy his food.

“Good morning…” came his wife’s sleepy voice from the doorway. She was dressed in a very loose, very thin sleep shawl that covered everything yet hid nothing from his eyes. If her goal was to provoke Nazir, she was succeeding.

Sidling up to him while he was cooking, she said “Ahh, how I’ve missed the smell of my beloved husband's food…mmm, divine.” she said, pressing her bosom against his back.

Nazir smiled, and raised an eyebrow at her. They both knew what the other wanted.

“Salim is still asleep you know…” she said, whispering in his ear “We could always-”

CRACK

Before Nadalia could finish her sentence however, a massive sound like the earth splitting open resounded from somewhere. Nazir and Nadalia both grabbed their heads as it felt like someone was pressing splinters into their skulls. From the baby room came Salim’s shrieking voice as the pain affected him too. Them, just as quickly as it started, the pain went away.

Nazir and Nadalia both looked at each other for a moment, before racing to Salim to make sure he was ok. Thankfully, there were no physical injuries.

“Nazir” Nadalia said, shivering with fear “What was tha-” but again she was cut off, as another voice started talking.

“Ahem…can all of you people hear me? Tch…so this is what I can expect from my first time using ? Denizens of Aribas If you can hear me, kindly come out of your houses. All of you.” came a voice. Nadalia looked around for the source of the voice, but Nazir shook his head.

“Whoever it is, they’re speaking directly into our heads with a Skill. Nadalia…you stay in here. I will go and see what is going on.”

For a moment it looked like she was going to argue, but she seemed to realize that this was not the time for that, so she said “Nazir…ok…just please, don’t do anything dangerous. Remember, Salim needs you…I need you.”

Nazir nodded. That was the plan regardless, Nazir had no intention of leaving his family so soon after getting back to them.

Quickly as he could, Nazir got dressed and bolted out the door. In the streets he found many people, mostly the men and boys of his neighbors families, looking around for the source of the telepathy. Several of them had come out with swords as they prepared to defend their homes and Nazir wished that he had had the foresight to bring a weapon as well. Yet just as he was about to go back inside and get one, the voice spoke again.

“I seem to remember requesting all of you come out. Not just the men.” the voice said, and though he couldn’t see the speaker, Nazir had a feeling the speaker was sneering at them.

“Now now darling, they’re scared. They are just trying to protect their families.” came a second, much kinder sounding voice. Nazir thought he might be imagining it, but this voice sounded familiar to him.

The men of Aribas were still looking around wildly, desperately trying to find the Skill User who had interrupted their mornings. Finally, one of them spotted it.

“Up there, in the sky!” he shouted, pointing up. It was difficult to see in the glaring sunlight, but after a moment Nazir could make them out. There, hovering in mid air like a sign of the apocalypse, were a pair of children. One wore a black attire with a cloak fluttering around him. He seemed to be the source of the sneering voice. Beside him was a girl dressed in a beautiful white dress that fluttered in the desert wind. She must have been the kind sounding voice. Both of them had a pair of leathery wings sprouting from their backs. But the wings weren’t what astonished Nazir the most.

He knew these children. His memory of the boy was hazy but he had to be the same one from before if he was beside her. But it couldn’t be them, there was absolutely no way, Right?! Yet as Nazir stood there he became more and more certain of the identities of these two children. And then the sneering voice spoke again, and with his words he verified Nazir’s fears.

“You are too sweet.” he said, shaking his head “But very well, I will omit the women and children for you, Merry.”