Ako had never felt so free. She was alone in the Huzha Desert with only two weeks worth of supplies. She had been alone for two days and was still riding the wave of euphoria that came with making her own choices. She relished not having them made for her. She had always wanted to travel the world anyway, and her family trying to force her to marry an idiot was the push she’d needed to leave.

It was hot. It always was in the desert, but today was particularly so. The sun was high in the sky with barely any clouds to be seen. All she could see was sand in every direction. Esai was about a week and a half away, so she could afford to take her time and enjoy her freedom.

Ako was jostled from her thoughts as her camel began to slowly trudge up a sand dune. Raising an eyebrow, she waited until the camel gently pulled on the reins and came to a stop.

“Whoa,” she said, patting the camel’s neck. The camel looked back at her and snorted, accepting the petting as she dismounted and seized a water flask. Taking careful sips from it, she wiped a bead of moisture off her forehead and peered again at the world around her.

Ako started as she saw something other than sand and dunes. She narrowed her eyes, bringing her hand to her forehead to block the bright sun.

“There’s something there,” Ako murmured, narrowing her eyes further until they were almost slits.

It was far off in the distance, far enough that Ako wasn’t completely sure she wasn’t seeing a mirage. It appeared to be a broken-down cart. It wasn’t too far out of the way, and this was something that Ako could do now.

I can now make my own decisions, Ako thought as she put her water flask away. She thought for a moment, then took her bow from where it had been hanging off the camel’s flank, took a string out of her pocket, and strung the bow. She also pulled her quiver out of her pack and attached it to her belt.

“Come on,” Ako said, remounting the camel. She put her bow over her head, the bowstring going between her breasts. It was uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t take too long to arrive at the scene. Less than an hour, even if it was in the far distance.

“Nothing for it,” Ako said as she descended the hill. It was slow, but once she was on flat ground—or as flat as a desert could ever get—she nudged her camel again, and it went into a trot that it could maintain for hours.

The entire time, Ako kept staring at the destroyed cart, almost afraid to blink in case it disappeared the moment she looked away. There was a strange tension in her gut. She wasn’t fearful—she was strong, and she knew she could handle herself—but she was incredibly curious.

“Who would be riding a cart in the middle of the Huzha?” Ako muttered, thinking hard. Her family wasn’t large or powerful, but like anyone born in the Huzha, she knew how it worked. There were many trade routes in the desert, all circling around the Lake of Peace in the middle of the Huzha, a sacred place with the largest body of freshwater to be found for thousands of miles.

The Lake of Peace had been where Noam, the Goddess of Light and Life, had blessed the Kulok people, becoming the god that everyone native to the Huzha Desert followed. She had rested there before the final battle of the Divinity Wars when she had helped kill her brother, Azmar, the God of Darkness and Death. As she was leaving, she had spoken to the leader of the tribes that lived by the lake, telling the man that if they and the rest of the Kulok stayed faithful to her and never fought for control of the Lake, it would continue to grow and never run out, even if it never rained again.

The Kulok peoples had obeyed their goddess, and true to Noam’s word, the Lake had continued to grow over time, defying all logic.

Just like the cart. It defies all logic by being there.

The cart was off the known trade routes, and even then, it wouldn’t be only one cart. It would be many backed by a guard in a caravan that could be seen for miles. At least I’ll have my answers soon, Ako thought, refocusing on the cart. It was close now; her camel comfortably closed the gap quickly.

Ako contemplated pulling up a few hundred feet from the site and then walking silently to the scene, but she dismissed it just as quickly. There was nothing to hide under, it was in the middle of the afternoon, and she had probably already been spotted riding towards the cart, if there was anyone that was watching her.

Ako kept going, dismounting as soon as she arrived on the scene.

Ako was surprised to see how damaged it was. She stalked through the site, keeping her bow and three arrows in one hand while ensuring her other hand free.

The first thing that she noticed was the cart. It was made from white wood, a type of wood that she had never seen before. She wanted to go over and study it, but she kept her guard up as she inspected her surroundings.

What had once been a sturdy cart full of whatever supplies it had been carrying was destroyed, totally unrecoverable. White wood was everywhere, a strange-looking thing to find in the Huzha. Ako picked a piece of wood up and ran her thumb up and down it, intrigued by its smoothness.

There were tracks everywhere, with many hoof and footprints evident. Ako kept moving around slowly, waiting for something to pop out. She strung an arrow to her bow and pulled it back when she heard some shuffling and murmuring.

Ako slowly moved to the cart and looked underneath it, dropping to one knee and pulling the arrow back to her cheek. She almost released her arrow when she saw someone lying down. It was an old white man with sunburnt skin and white hair, and a beard. There was dried blood on the side of his head, and his eyes were closed, his breathing coming in short and nearly silent gasps.

Taking another look around the site and finding nothing except her camel—who also appeared fascinated with the wood—she relaxed the tension in her bow and put her arrows back in her quiver. She put her bow over her shoulders and drew her knife, just in case, from her boot. She sank to one knee, ready to leap out of the way or loose an arrow if she had to. She wasn’t about to crawl underneath the cart, not when she didn’t know if he was a friend or foe.

“Hello?” Ako called tentatively. The murmuring from the man stopped, and his eyes opened blearily.

“Yes?” the man asked, seemingly looking right through her before his eyes focused. The beginning of a nearly white beard was making its presence known on the man’s face, while his eyes were the lightest shade of brown she had ever seen. It is a shame that he’s so old, Ako thought, looking the old man over. He was undoubtedly in his sixties, and despite his current condition, he was fit for his age. He was probably a handsome man in his day.

“Are you hurt? What happened?”

“I…” the man began, before his eyes unfocused and he smiled, looking at the top of his cart. “You’re far too pretty to be Azmar,” he said.

Ako laughed disbelievingly. “I’m not Azmar,” she said. “Nor am I Noam, Velaire, Diev, or any other deity you may worship.”

“Pity,” the man said, his voice becoming soft. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Ako started, dropping down to the ground and crawling to the man. She still held her knife, but from what she’d seen he couldn’t cause anyone harm unless he was a magnificent actor and was waiting to strike.

I can handle myself, Ako thought, although, for the first time, she felt some trepidation. She gripped her knife more tightly as she crawled her way to the old man. When she arrived, she tentatively waved a hand in front of his face.

“Hello?”

The old man didn’t stir. For a moment, Ako thought that he was dead. Then his chest moved, and Ako breathed a sigh of relief as she placed a finger on his neck, searching for a pulse. There was one, but it was weak.

Ako sat up, hunching over. It was a tight fit underneath the cart, but she could do it due to her relatively short height. She stared at the old man and thought hard. Should I save him?

A large part of her, the part that grew up in the sometimes-hellish conditions of the Huzha Desert, was tempted to leave the old man to his fate. She didn’t have many supplies, and unless they went on half-rations, it wouldn’t be enough for them both. If he didn’t wake up and Ako ended up wasting a few days sitting here, watching the old man slowly die, it could be disastrous. Either she could run out of supplies or be found again by whoever attacked the man, or something even worse that she didn’t want to think about could happen.

But then, Ako thought of how she would want to be treated if she had an accident and was found in the desert. Would she want the stranger to look her over and then leave without a word?

No, I wouldn’t. I would want to be helped, just as this man needs my help.

Ako sighed in resignation and moved back to the man, running her hands up and down his body. No breaks. Good. She wasn’t a Learned One or someone with deep knowledge in healing, but she had been taught to locate broken bones and treat minor injuries. Besides the swelling on the man’s head where he had been struck, he seemed healthy. Extremely healthy, in fact.

He could possibly only need some water and someone to nurse his injuries, Ako thought with a frown. Shrugging, she crawled back to the man, grabbing one of his arms and pulling him backwards out of the cart. It was slow as the man was heavy, but after a few minutes, she had pulled him out from underneath the cart. He hadn’t awoken when she yanked on his arm or pulled him from his hiding place, which was worrying.

Ako blinked as the sun’s rays nearly blinded her. She shielded her eyes with her hand and looked down at the old man, who still hadn’t stirred.

Leaving him there beside the cart for a moment, she went back to her camel and grabbed a few blankets from one of her packs and a couple of water flasks. Looking around the site, she also found a big piece of lumber that was heavy enough for what she wanted.

Going back to the old man, Ako took her longest blanket and threw it over the side of the cart. Dropping everything else to the ground, she reached over and pulled the blanket back and to the ground, creating shade from the beating rays of the sun. She then placed the piece of wood on the other end of the blanket, making it stay. The blanket still flopped to the ground, and Ako rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. She quickly fetched another heavy piece of lumber, going back to the cart and carefully placing it over the other end of the blanket.

She then bundled up one of her blankets and placed it on the sand, creating a barrier between the sand and the old man. Ako looked back at the old man a few feet away, and her back twinged at the thought of having to drag the old man again. Shaking her head, she steeled herself and grabbed both of his arms, slowly dragging him to the shelter she had created. It took some work to maneuver the man without disturbing the blankets, but she managed to do so after some effort.

She bunched up her last blanket and put it under the old man’s head, which was now shaded from the sun. Ako picked up a flask and jostled it, listening closely. It was half-full. Nodding approvingly, she then brushed the old man’s hair, looking for the wound. Ako sucked in a breath through her teeth at the size of the bump, which was substantial.

“How are you alive?” Ako asked the unconscious man. She poured some water on the old man’s wound, and dried blood slowly began to wash off it. During the process, the old man’s eyes fluttered open.

This time, he seemed much more lucid, and was staring at her with a startling clarity.

“What is your name?” he whispered.

Ako smiled in what she hoped was a friendly and welcoming way. She was a little nervous being this close to a man who, while old, could probably overwhelm her if she didn’t react quickly enough.

“My name is Ako,” Ako said. “I found you here and pulled you out from underneath your cart. What is your name?”

“Jakub,” Jakub said, closing his eyes. “I am a trader that was attacked by bandits. Did you see any of them?”

Bandits?

Ako swallowed at the idea of bandits coming down upon her family, less than two days ride from here. She pushed the thoughts away. Jakub needs me now.

“I haven’t seen anyone except for you,” Ako said. “How long have you been here?”

“A day, maybe two,” Jakub murmured, shifting his shoulders and wincing at the movement. His hand went up to his head, but Ako stopped him, holding his arm down. He was weak, but it took more strength than Ako would’ve liked to keep his arm down.

“You took a blow to the head,” Ako said. “I was cleaning your wound.”

“Thank you, Ako,” Jakub said, his eyes still closed. “I’m going to sleep now; will you be here when I wake up?”

“I will be, but you must drink first,” Ako said, managing to keep her insecurities out of her voice. She held up a flask to Jakub, tilting it so it would slosh and cocking her head questioningly. When he nodded, she uncorked it and carefully tilted the flask so that he could sip it. Jakub tried to reach up and tilt the flask further, but Ako pulled the flask back.

“Drink slowly, or you will be in pain,” Ako said.

Jakub’s laugh came out as a hacking wheeze. “I’m… already in pain,” he gasped.

“You will be in more pain,” Ako said, still holding the flask back.

Jakub considered this and then nodded. “Fair enough,” he agreed.

Ako then gave Jakub half of the flask in total, more than enough for the present. Once he was done he settled back.

“I will protect you. Sleep now,” Ako said.

“Thank you, you saved my life,” Jakub said softly, and, with a sigh, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.