Dangerous game

*POV* Lexus Franklin

I stood and grabbed my coat. "I can't believe that idiot really got General Charles Watts to send him into the desert to search for the portal, I guess my mother and her friends weren't as dumb as I had been thinking they were."

Thinking bitterly I stomped down to Stefon's office and without knocking pushed the door open. "Did you hear what Captain Dominic did?"

He looked up from his papers, then looked back down.

I sighed. "I guess I am the last to know, it figures." I plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. "What are we going to do? If they find it then who knows wh-.." He stood and grabbed his own coat.

I jumped to my feet and followed, slipping my arm into his. "I don't think they will find it. Dominic is in the wrong part of the desert and we will keep it that way." I grinned at his comment and felt more relaxed than before. "Then you have a plan?" He shrugged and I couldn't help but frown in disappointment.

*POV* Destiny Blaze

This place was hot, the sun beat down on us. It had only been an hour since we landed, my skin felt dry and I was sweating at the same time. I stared at the golden sand that reflected the sun, making me shield my eyes.

"What's that?"

Blaz shielded his own eyes and looked in the same direction. "I don't see anything." He said in his deep gravelly voice. I glanced at his chocolate face before looking out again. "Right there, it looks like a dust cloud!" He squinted his eyes and watched the heat swell in front of us.

"We might be in for an attack." I stared at him as I braced my feet. "What kind of attack?" He shrugged. "It could be about anything." He quickened his step to pull a head in the procession.

A minute later we were called to stop. The march wasn't new to me, but being told what to do was. I clamped my mouth shut as Dominic shouted over the small group. "We have danger coming up on us, so be ready!"

We watched the dust cloud continue to grow as whatever it was came towards us at a fast speed.

I held back, not sure I wanted to be killed in trying to fight this unknown foe.

The ground erupted upward and as I lost my balance, I stared into the eye of a massive worm like creature, its mouth closed around a small number of the soldiers.

I gritted my teeth, the urge to scream tugging at my throat. Instead I channel all the last week's rage, shouting my spell into the air thick with dust and falling men.

Fire lit up my hands, shaping the fire I flung the ball at the eye, just as the ground began to shake again as the creature disappeared back into the ground. My attack missed, hitting the ground and fizzling out.

"I had to run!" I thought frantically scrambling to my feet. I started to run, but after a moment the ground underneath me heaved up and I was being lifted into the air. Time seemed to slow, my heart pounding.

Searching my mind for the right spell ticked away precious time, a second later I fell to my knees, screaming the spell, I sent a stream of fire out of my hands and into the ground below me.

My uniform burst into flames, but I continued to force my power into the creature. It let out a screech opening its mouth wide. I fell downwards.

I closed my eyes, as I was sucked inside the beast. "I am going to die!" I thought hopelessly, as my eyes opened again in the darkness then I hit the bottom? Something hard.

Flame filled my palm as I pulled myself into a sitting position, my body one big ache. I took a breath, the air was stale, I choked then began coughing.

There was no air in the belly of this thing, my eyes watering, I whispered the only spell that came to mind. Everything around me exploded, then I was being crushed, all was black, I gasped for air.

Just as I was about to black out, air entered my dirt coffin followed by a beam of light. I gasped for breath, my vision blurry. I heard a gravelly voice speaking to me. "Soldier, are you alright?" I didn't answer and didn't move when I was picked up with unknown force.

Then wrapped in a blanket.

I was laid in the soft sand in the pounding raze of the sun, closing my eyes. I focused on my heart beat and kept my breathing slow. "Are you okay?" Blaz asked, his dark face coming into view as I stared up at the blue sky.

"I had just survived being swallowed alive! I would never be the same. I had fought men ready to slit my throat, but I had never been that helpless." I thought, but nodded in response.

"Is she alive?" I could hear Dominic say as he grew closer. "Yes, she is just a little stunned. She didn't have air for a good half a minute or so." Dominic came into view and I glared at him as best I could.

"Can she walk? We have to keep going!" Blaz shook his head. "No, not at the moment. Do we have a spare uniform?" Dominic stared at him questioningly then seemed to understand and coughed. "Yeah." Then he marched away.

If I could have I would have punched him hard in the ribs, he hadn't told me we would be fighting abominable creatures! Laying there I wondered if this was even worth it, was I being tricked!?