Nine years later...

The sun was hot, beating down on Ako like it always did. She had never liked or hated the sun. To her, it was just there, something that she had to deal with daily. She thanked Noam that her hair, normally dark and long, was now short. She had also painted her face in a myriad of whites, which in the mirror had reflected prettily off her olive skin, in Ako’s opinion. A light brown headscarf and robes capped off the rest of her attire, which was made for riding hard through the desert over long periods of time.

It was strangely quiet. Ako stood outside the front of her home, the biggest home in what could generously be called a village. She looked out and saw a few other dwellings. There was also a tiny inn, the well in the middle of the village, a small stable, and a blacksmith. It wasn’t much, but for the desert, anything at all was significant.

Ako’s family had led the Jianta tribe since the Divinity War, and now she was leaving. Not for good but leaving all the same. It had shocked everyone when she said that she was leaving. She glanced down the line from her father to her Mother, Grandmother, and her younger brother, Tau, who had his arms crossed and was glaring at her. Her father spoke first.

“You have chosen to leave,” Father said. Ako’s attention was swept back to him. He looked stern, although Ako could tell that he was close to tears.

“You have chosen to leave us to explore the world, my daughter. Despite what I asked, despite what is expected of you.”

“I will return,” Ako said. She frowned at the thought of having to marry Djal, the idiot boy from a nearby tribe. Even if she had decided to stay and not get her ‘wanderlust out of her system,’ she would have never married him. She wouldn’t, no matter what happened in the future. “I promise.”

There was a tense moment as the two weighed each other. Ako’s father had always been strong, but for the first time, he seemed old. His hair was streaked with grey, and his face was lined with tiredness, his brow furrowed. Shrugging off her introspection, Ako closed the distance between her father and hugged him. Ako’s father placed a kiss on her brow. “I have never been able to deny you anything,” he said, murmuring softly. “Come back, don’t let the world sweep you away. When you’re done exploring, come back home.”

“I will come back,” Ako said again. “Don’t worry.”

“I always worry,” Ako’s father said softly. He stepped back to his former position in the line and wiped his eyes.

She hugged her mother, who said nothing but clenched her tightly before she stepped back. Her grandmother was the same, but she managed a smile as she hugged her.

It’s like they’re mourning me, Ako thought, torn between anger and fondness. My stubborn family thinks I’m riding off to my death.

She wasn’t. While she hadn’t been the boy that her father had originally wanted, she had been taught everything that an heir of a tribe would need to lead. This meant being taught how to survive off the Huzha, tracking an enemy over the Huzha’s endless dunes, riding from one end to another of the desert, helping her father with business deals, and whatever else needed doing to help their tribe survive.

She walked to Tau. Even under the hood that he preferred to wear, Ako could see that his eyes were red from crying. She had heard crying last night and had wondered who it was. I should be surprised, but I’m not, Ako thought as she stood in front of Tau and waited. He’s always been emotional.

“So,” Tau said blandly.

“So,” Ako said. She raised an eyebrow.

They waited. Someone down the line coughed, but no one spoke as Ako and her brother stared at one another. Eventually, it was Tau who broke and visibly forced a smile.

“Good luck, sister,” Tau said, and Ako could feel the tension loosening as he reached forward and hugged her. Tau’s hug was stiff as if he were acting out his movements and unsure of what to do. After a few moments, he stepped back, his forced smile still on his face.

“Father, I’d like to escort Ako to the edge of the village,” Tau said. His forced smile was thankfully gone now. Instead, it was replaced with something complex and unreadable. “Please.”

“Of course,” he said. Their father slowly nodded, his gaze flicking between his children.

“Come along now,” he said, moving and gently taking the shoulders of their mother and grandmother. Both women sniffled, and Ako felt a twinge of guilt as to what she was putting her family through, before she hardened to it again. I will come back.

Ako nearly jumped when she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned to a now-glowering Tau. She had never seen him so angry—he seemed to be almost quivering in outrage.

“Come on,” Tau ground out, jutting a finger to the stables. “I’ll help you pack.”

The two walked away from their home as their father shut the door. Ako flinched at the wail that immediately erupted from the house, intermingled with another. Mother and Grandmother.

“So, you do feel guilt,” Tau said as they walked to the stable, talking over his shoulder. “Good. I was wondering if you had a heart, or if stone had replaced it over the past few months.”

Ako said nothing, ignoring her brother, who glared at her for a moment before stomping ahead. He threw open the doors to the stables, scaring most of the animals. Vam, her camel, was startled awake. The camel opened his eyes and glared at Tau, who stopped for a moment before he laughed bitterly.

“He’s just as stubborn as you,” Tau said before he stepped into the stall and grabbed a few saddlebags off the ground. He looked over them, sneered, and made to throw them onto Vam. Ako went to move forward, a cry of outrage on her lips, but Tau seemed to realize what he was about to do.

Instead of throwing them onto Vam, he put them on regularly, if a little rougher than usual.

“You have all of your supplies, don’t you?” Tau said, his voice high-pitched and mocking. “Do you have all of the food, water, and clothes you’ll need? I’m so worried about you, Ako. It’s a dangerous world out there, and I don’t want to worry.”

“I have everything I need,” Ako said through gritted teeth. “You know that, Tau. You helped me gather the supplies and everything that I could possibly need.”

“Yes,” Tau said softly. His back was still to her as he settled the straps on Vam. “I helped you, didn’t I?”

“You did,” Ako said. She wanted to hit him over the head with something, but with Tau’s absurd luck, she would end up hitting Vam instead. “Thank you.”

“Oh, no problem,” Tau said. He moved to the other side of Vam and began tying straps. “No problem at all.”

“I’m going, whether you like it or not, Tau,” Ako snapped, finally fed up with Tau’s idiocy. “You can throw as many tantrums as you want, but—”

“You call this a tantrum?” Tau asked, his voice low. He whirled and slammed a fist into the stable wall, the wood around his hand splintering with a loud crack.

“This is a tantrum!” he yelled, spittle spewing from his lips. His hood fell back, and he breathed heavily like he had just finished a footrace. His brown skin glistened in the sunlight and his brown hair flowed down and over his heaving shoulders. He was sweating and his eyes were wild. “You are abandoning our family!”

“A family that tried to sell me off like a prized camel!” Ako yelled back. She had kept her calm over the past few months, taking in the snipes from every member of her family, but enough was enough. I’m tired of being walked all over. That’s why I decided to leave to begin with.

“You would have secured an important alliance between—” Tau began, but Ako stopped him with a raised hand.

“I don’t care,” she said. “I don’t. I’m only twenty, and I’m not ready to marry yet. When I am, I will choose a husband that I am satisfied with and will help the tribe. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you really think I would have been happy with the likes of Djal?!”

She went to Vam, ignoring Tau’s splutters. She walked around Vam, checking to see if everything was there. It was, and it was tied properly too, which Ako appreciated. She wanted to leave right now to get out and away from her suffocating family.

She mounted her camel, but before she could nudge Vam on his way, Tau grabbed her foot, stopping her. Ako’s first reaction was to kick him in the head and ride off, but something stopped her. Her gaze moved from Tau’s hand to his eyes, which were full of tears. He swallowed and made to speak, but instead, he sighed and took away his hand.

“Go,” he said roughly, waving Ako off. “Go.”

Ako felt her chest constrict at the sight of her brother, trying to be strong and commanding, like their father. Instead, right now, he looked like a scared little boy, even though he was almost eighteen. Tears welled in Ako’s eyes and flowed down her cheeks, but she ignored it.

Instead, Ako reached down and stretched out her hand. Tau grabbed it and held it tightly. Nothing was said for a moment. Ako gave Tau a watery smile. “I will come back,” she whispered. “I will send what help I can, whether it’s money or supplies. I won’t forget about our family, little brother. I promise.”

Tau nodded, swallowing. His lips were quivering. He blinked before he turned away from her, angrily wiping away his tears.

“Get out,” Tau said hoarsely.

Ako wanted nothing more than to get off her camel and hug her brother. She remembered holding him in her arms when they were young and when he had been terrified of the dust storms. She had been his rock, and she had looked out for him. Now, she was leaving her brother angry and afraid.

“Goodbye, Tau,” Ako said, tapping Vam’s side with her boots. Tau said nothing as he continued to stare at her tearfully.

I will come back, Ako mentally promised, scrubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She settled in her saddle and looked off into the distance.

The nearest village was a few dozen miles from here, and it would take two days riding hard to make it there. I promise, Tau. I will return.