32 Feasability of a Vision

"Ready to eat now? You've been sleeping for a long time."

"Mo-mother?" A-Narah groggily opened her eyes and looked around. The space around her was unfamiliar, but at the same time not.

The gentle voice spoke again, "Sorry dear not your mother, but you can call me Feme." A-Narah looked at the woman. She had dark hair that was graying at her temples and a pretty face that hid her age. Her only wrinkles were the slight lines around her eyes. Her hair was long and curly, some of the curls escaping her braids. She was dressed simply in a soft leather hide skirt and woven top.

"Where am I?"

"Currently you are in the Aten tribe and are staying in my tent. You've been sleeping for the past four days." Feme picked up the food and handed it to A-Narah.

"Four days! Where are the people I was with?"

Chuckling Feme replied, "They are well, don't worry. Like you they have been resting, but I must say that they are dedicated. The entire time you have been here one of them has been outside guarding you. Now eat something you must be starving after sleeping for so long."

After Feme said it, A-Narah could feel her stomach eating at her insides, demanding food from her. She picked up the spoon and began to eat the soup that Feme had presented her with.

"And what of my other friend, Elon, who was injured?" A-Narah said in-between bites.

"He is in the chief's tent being tended to by the shaman. If you want to learn more about him you should ask my son. He visits the tent every day."

"Oh." A-Narah stopped talking and just focused on eating. She didn't know what to talk about with this kind woman. She had never met anyone like her before. The only person who was even remotely similar was…her own mother. A-Narah felt her stomach ache and set down the spoon. Why would someone with no relation to her be so caring? The only person who would treat you like this would be a birth mother. Her mother and Feme looked nothing alike, but when she looked up at Feme the image of her own mother overlapped with hers. She picked up the spoon and began eating again. She missed mother.

"Feme I know that my friends and I came to the Endless Desert, but where exactly are we?"

"You are in the northeastern part of the desert. A couple days ride to the border. Normally we would never stay this close, but we had been waiting for you."

"Waiting for us? What do you mean?"

"The shaman had been given guidance and said important visitors would be coming, so we waited for you to come. Once you are well we will move again."

"But why?"

"If you wish to know you will have to speak with the shaman. I can't tell you more."

Feme got up and went to the tent entrance, leaving to do her daily chores.

"Feme, thank you."

"No need for thanks. When you feel up to it you should come outside and see your friends. They could use some reassurance that you are alright." Feme left leaving A-Narah alone.

A-Narah looked down at her bowl and finished her soup. She didn't know what they meant by the shaman waiting for them. There was no way he could have possibly known about their arrival. Coming here had been unplanned. They had aimlessly roamed the borders just trying to find someone who might be able to save Elon. It really had been a miracle to stumble upon them. But these people couldn't have known that they were the people they were waiting for even if this shaman did receive some 'vision'. Anyone could have come here and have been taken in as the one they were waiting for.

After finishing her meal, A-Narah put the bowl on the tray and set it aside. She believed that there were some strange things in the world. That, like her mother had told her, there had once been gods and creatures. She knew it sounded absurd but she could feel it. She could feel something odd, something different, moving under her skin. Some things didn't make sense if it wasn't true. Like how that man hadn't seen her in the carriage, like she was invisible. She didn't know how it worked or how to control it, but there was some power lying inside of her. However, magical visions of the future were something she just couldn't believe in. To her precognition just didn't make any sense at all. Unless she saw it for herself, she wouldn't believe it.

A-Narah got up and went outside. Feme was right, she needed to check on her friends.

In the three days that she had been sleeping, after she had woken up on the first day, A-Narah had forgotten the dream she had experienced. Maybe if she had remembered she would have had other thoughts on the authenticity of visions, but all she had left were some impressions of her dreams. And even if she had remembered she might have only believed them to be thoughts made up by her own mind. The world that A-Narah had grown up in had been mundane. Stuff such as visions, powers, and gods were left to myths and legends. It would take more than a few occurrences where she felt more to convince her that the world that she had known was nothing but a well painted mask, hiding the real thing.

"Uri!"

Outside the tent Uri was sitting and eating his own lunch. When A-Narah came put and shouted his name, Uri spurted his soup out in surprise.

"Ara! I mean Little Lady! You are awake!" Uri jumped up, overturning his lunch and ran to hug A-Narah. He picked her up and spun her around.

"It is good that you are well! We should and see the others, so they can see you too. They will be happy to know that you are better." Uri grabbed her arm, ready to drag her away.

"Uri, wait." A-Narah held him back. "I would like to see Elon."

Uri scratched the back of his head and sheepishly told A-Narah, "We were told that we would have to wait a week. We can't see him until then."

"Why not?"

"We were told not to bother them with the treatment. They don't want any distractions. But my lady it makes sense though. Elon was really badly injured and he and the doc need to concentrate on fixing him up. We shouldn't get in the way."

A-Narah frowned but said, "I understand. I don't like it, but I won't bother them…for now."

"It's only for three more days little lady. After that we can visit him as much as we like."

"Okay. Anyway, let's do as you previously said and see the others."

Grinning Uri commented, "They really will be relived to see you up and better. We thought you might just sleep the rest of your life away."

A-Narah's eyes smiled back at Uri. "You shouldn't ever have to worry about that. It's much too dull to sleep your entire life away."

"You never know little lady, some people end up preferring the dullness to constant excitement."