At some point in the early hours of the morning, he finally managed to fall asleep. Not entirely, not peacefully either, for he would not trust Ariel even though he had revealed part of his plan to them. However, the night was getting the better of Finnian, and something more than the effort of infiltrating Arden made him close his eyes, letting himself be carried away by fatigue.

He even ignored the exact moment when they entered the Ikeleia Desert. He knew nothing of that place, as it was far from the route drawn on his map. Nor did Ariel allow them to see what was outside. Their trailer seemed to be a world away from reality, although cameras ensured no one was bothering them. The artificial light gave them no break, but at least the pressure that kept them from thinking was no longer so constant. It was still there, as was the danger, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Did you have sweet dreams?” Ariel sneered.

“Only until I heard you speak,” Finnian said.

“Does my voice bother you?” said the lion with mock concern.

“There’s always a first time for everything, isn’t there?” Finnian said, rolling his eyes. Seeing Ariel watching him warily, he shook his head. “Don’t think things have changed. Helping you is not and will not be in my plans.”

“They will, sooner or later, you will give in,” Ariel said in a sing-song voice.

It was still dark, which was a relief. Even after spending several hours cooped up there, anyone could lose track of time. It was enough to see one of the cameras to check the amount of sand that surrounded them, all while they were going to some ruins where no one would bother them, or so Ariel hoped. As soon as they stopped, Finnian let out a snort of relief, grateful that at least they didn’t have to continue feeling as if they were inside a blender.

“It never ends well to leave someone in the middle of nowhere. Anything can happen,” Finnian said sarcastically.

“That’s the idea,” Ariel said.

“Are you going to leave us alone? In the middle of nowhere?” Blanche snorted.

“You’ve got your partner. You could do something instead of turning to the others to get their hands dirty,” Ariel said.

He would have applauded that on any other occasion but decided that keeping silent would be best. The Signer looked indignant, and when she glanced at him, Finnian merely shrugged. Ariel had barely needed a couple of hours to get to know her better than most, and if it annoyed him that she was always finding an excuse for someone else to do the work, when would she start fighting alongside him?

In any case, the system that Ariel’s henchmen installed was far from being a conventional trap. Besides, according to what they heard, the temperature of the Ikeleia was very extreme: freezing at night, although not enough to turn it into an icy desert, and a scorching heat whenever the sun was shining. The perfect place to set up an ambush, indeed.

Who else would want to enter such a place? Then, after getting ready, came the warning. They might be out in the open, but Ariel had not released them, nor did he intend to. Any spell or object could be detected, even if they hid it. If they used him to leave a trail that could be followed during the journey, what they were looking for was to create a place where they would know where he was, even if he failed to catch it at full range. Attempting to escape would only cause Ariel to intervene to stop them.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you either. You can consider me your guardian angel,” Ariel said, bowing too long.

“Mostly that,” Finnian replied, rolling his eyes once again. “Very comforting.”

They had ended up near some ruins, where the earth would not devour them, nor would it help them hide. The possibility of going into the big tunnel, not knowing if there would be a way out, was not even a tempting option, not when it could be worse what they would find there. They were not so naive!

“This is crazy,” Blanche muttered.

“From start to finish. I have doubts about whether this trap is a good idea or whether it will work and attract the Eroder,” Finnian admitted.

“Are you kidding? Something is coming to us. I’ve felt it since he let us out,” Blanche said, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.

An overwhelming force, almost comparable to a storm, although the night sky was clear, unlike his thoughts. The power that the desert gave off even at that hour made him doubt if what he was seeing or perceiving was not a mirage.

“Though the idea isn’t bad,” Blanche continued, thoughtful for an instant. “Not just anyone would come here, and if they were to finish us off, few would want to check if we were still in one piece, not with the show he’s put on.”

Ariel wanted everyone to know they had been there. The spotlights illuminated the place as if it were a soccer field. He even led the way to them, and the encounter was not discreet. At first glance, it may have just been them moving freely. Still, in reality, he had camouflaged his trailer and the small group of henchmen, making him as terrifying as the Eroder itself. He could only use illusions to make this an effective plan.

Nothing happened for an hour, not even when the sky began to stop showing infinite darkness. Staying out in the open made them rub their arms and move as much as they could, trying to get warm. Then the spotlights flickered, making them both jump to their feet just as their world began to tremble. The sand was moving like a tidal wave, threatening to devour them and the ruins if it continued there any longer. This event could not have been more timely.

“Ark wouldn’t happen to sprout wings when he evolved, would he?” Finnian said, holding his breath. “We could really use something like that right now.”

“I wish, but we’re not going to be that lucky,” Blanche said, pointing to the desert itself.

From the ruins emerged two prominent stone figures that were neither affected by the earthquake nor the cause of it. In the night, they could make them out with difficulty, but golden veins glowed in their sturdy bodies, as did their eyes. However, they were not the only ones who had appeared, for a dragon of considerable size emerged from the earth just as a colossal worm entered and exited it, forming whirlpools wherever it appeared.

It was impossible to set foot outside the ruins, searching for an escape route.

“Didn’t you tell me that we would get out of this one?” Blanche said. “Because this doesn’t look good at all.”

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for pointing out the obvious!” Finnian exclaimed.

That was the fruit of what Ariel had attracted? Desert creatures that would barely serve them as an appetizer? Even when vision shocked and terrified him to disproportionate levels, there was a hope that continued in his heart and spread throughout his being.

“Finnian? We are very close. Hold on!”

He let out a laugh, perhaps because of the nerves that did not leave him, but it was only after hearing Aer’s voice and perceiving the rest of them more and clearly that he stopped worrying about what was around them.

“Have you lost your mind? Why are you laughing so much?” Blanche said, letting out a snort. “We’re going to die, and you have to be the last thing I hear?”

“Trust us. They are not the real danger.”

That was Rune’s voice! His pulse quickened, a smile was born on his face, aware of how much effort there was. Even Blanche looked at him with her usual strangeness, contemplating what had changed in her favour. Even Ariel, aware of such a sudden variation, was quick to abandon her camouflage, although she was not close enough to get her claw on them.

“An incredible feat, but your companions are no match for me. They didn’t before, and they won’t now,” Ariel said, walking decisively toward them even with tremors that would shake anyone.

“Says the one who was safe and hidden in the shadows,” Blanche mocked as she approached Finnian.

“An insignificant problem that doesn’t alter my plans.”

“You think so?” Finnian said. “You still think you have everything under control?”

“Don’t get smart with me. It won’t work,” Ariel assured him.

“Finnian? It’s Ead. Come out of the ruins. Trust us”

That they would trust a chatty hummingbird to jump into an arena that seemed like an ocean itself? Better that than staying with that rock star!

Finnian stepped back, aware that Ariel would not let them go and resorted to the first thing that came to his mind. His eyes caught how Ariel multiplied, creating copies of himself to encircle them. That was what they prepared, strands of illusions so convincing that even the Eroder would doubt where they or their enemy were. Something like this was designed to deceive the senses, especially sight.

“Cover your face,” he said to Blanche.

Creating a small sphere of energy in each hand, he threw them straight up, where the mirages were. A shower of light distorted all those that were not real, making them disappear in a matter of seconds to let them see only the original. It was a variation of a simple and not at all offensive spell. It was taught to Aer and Rune to light up when he needed it, although that did not imply that it was no longer applicable in situations like that. This gave them the time they needed to run away without listening to their friend’s complaints for once. And though the fear of sinking into the sand remained firm under her footsteps. What’s more, while the rest around them moved steadily, a safe path opened up where they ran.

“The Desert Elementals will give you more time. Keep running!” Leith exclaimed.

More golems (well, Elementals) emerged from the ruins and attacked Ariel. Aer, Rune and Leith landed several meters further on a dune, away from the whirlpools and the dragons that gave them safe passage. None of their companions had dropped back in level, which was as comforting as the allies helping them. And beside them was also Nero, his blue and white fur glowing with the colours of the night.

“Are you okay?” Aer smiled, kneeling on the ground to get a better look at them.

“Do you all have your arms, legs and fingers?” Rune added, looking them over quickly.

“Can you save the silly questions for later?” Blanche said, almost spitting out her words. “Calamity is after us. Let’s get out of here!”

The Eroder was not there, and not even Ariel had expected such a triumphant entrance from his companions. They understood him instantly, and even Nero joined them. The four elthean stood in front, right in Calamity’s direction. The latter let out a grunt without noticing the elementals, the giant worm or the dragons.

And then, after a glance, the battle did not begin. It was not like his vision when he arrived at Elthea, although the sense of danger was similar. He did not know what the future held, but he was not in that sandbox or with a singer lion for his good.