Zuline

They were walking for hours. Typhon was in front of her, they were both silent. The atmosphere was tense. Arja could even perceive some fear in her partner, she never saw him like this.

Each step was more and more complicated, their body was heavy, and they soon felt lacking oxygen. The wind was oppressive. Arja threw an eye to the sky and she could see nothing except the darkness around. They were using a candle in a glass lamp that they took from the vanguard to lighten their path, the candle itself started to show weakness and they knew that they would be put into the full night very fast.

Typhon watched at the map, she could see his face becoming paler. She stopped in front of him.

"What is wrong with the map?"

Typhon took a deep breath. He couldn't believe the situation and his words couldn't be said out loud without consequences. He had to check many times to be sure and it was only after a few minutes that he finally said in a whisper.

"The map… is false…"

Arja opened her eyes widely, she believed in him and his talents. She knew he would never say such things lightly. She knew he was right.

She took the map in her hands as he gave it to her, Typhon was livid.

"There, we should see a path in the rocks."

Arja raised her head, no matter how dense was the darkness, it was obvious that there were no rocks in this area and even less of a path. They were lost in the desert. She remained confident, she took his hand and smiled at him.

"I am sure we will find a solution. Let's continue, we will see."

He packed the map in his bag and started to walk, pulled by her. The situation was desperate, they were supposed to rescue a team and the more the time was passing, the more they understood that there was nobody to save. It was ironic, Arja felt her heart bumping. Slowly she had an intense sensation to know such an environment. She felt very fine in the desert. The wind was pushing them, biting their back gently with the sand. They covered their faces with pieces of fabric, she took a deep breath and smiled under the textile. This way, they continued their road, and Typhon seemed happy too. His heart was beating strongly in his chest. Behind her back, he could admire her so determined to survive.

Her hair was flying with the wind but her moves were not restrained by it, she was agile and gracious. She seemed to be dancing in the wind. Typhon could not stop to look at her, keeping her hand strongly in his. He had no idea about how long their journey would be. They finally found a little cave in the rocks and decided to take a rest there.

Arja went to collect some dead wood to make a fire, during this time Typhon went into the cave to be sure that it was a safe place.

When she came back, he found that everything was safe. It was a tiny hole in the rocks, three or four meters large and two meters high. They both had the feeling to be in a very safe and special place. They sat not far from the entrance to be able to control any eventual intrusion and they made a fire. Arja took out her upper clothes and she laughed after seeing the kilos of sand falling from them.

"Now, I understand why I felt so heavy."

Her laugh was resonating in the cave, Typhon remained silent, still watching her. They ate some rations, and Arja installed herself to drift into a deep sleep. Typhon showed her his knees. She smiled and used them as a soft and gentle pillow. Soon after, she closed her eyes and fell asleep. He raised his hand and caressed the hairs on her head tenderly without being able to hold himself.

A tear ran away from his eyes.

"I am sorry to have brought you there..."

Then his eyes dropped to her chest and he could see the corner of a piece of paper sliding out. He took it and read.

That was one of the love letters Arja received in the base. She spoke with a warm voice, keeping her eyes closed.

"I know they come from you."

He was surprised to realize she was not sleeping and he turned red. She smiled, took his hand, and placed it again on her head without opening her eyes. Arja was deeply happy, she continued her sentence.

"Maybe, after this mission, we could leave together. What do you think?"

Typhon smiled too, he kissed her forehead delicately and whispered.

"Sounds like a great plan."

They fell asleep happily together. When they awakened, a few hours later, they left the cave, both determined to survive this mission and leave the organization right after.

They tried to calculate the direction they should take and followed a path. The wind was calmer but still present and their road was extremely tiring. After what they estimated to be a full day of walking they started to search for another place to shelter. Brutally, Arja threw herself on the floor pulling him with her.

She made him sign to watch and what a surprise!

He saw a kid. The figure was covered with a black coat, the silhouette was little. The movements of the arms didn't cause any doubts. That was a child! They followed him as discreetly as possible. By doing this, they eventually found a village. They couldn't believe people were living in such a dangerous area. They came closer, then, Typhon felt pressure on his back and when he turned his head he let a scream escape. Arja turned herself immediately but she was knocked out before she had time to see anything.

When she awakened, she was strongly attached to a large piece of wood. She heard people arguing outside but she could not recognize the language they were using. After a while, someone came inside.

The person took out the fabric on her head and Arja could discover that the creature in front of her was not human. It was a woman with pale blue skin, her feet were hooves, and she had two horns on the top of her head, she also had a long tail. Her eyes were entirely black. She came close to Arja and spoke to her in a foreign language.

Arja couldn't determine what this language was.

"I don't understand your language."

Then the woman in front of her frowned.

"And now, do you understand me?"

Arja nodded. The woman crossed her arms and had a severe expression.

"How did you find us? What do you want us to do?"

The woman was firm, Arja could understand in her voice that she was terrified. Arja decided to cooperate, she judged rapidly the situation and she understood that these creatures seemed peaceful. After checking the tent she was in, she understood they were not made to resist a war or start an attack. They seemed like family habitations. She even saw a child's toy on the floor next to her.

"We are lost in the desert. We saw one of your children and we followed him hoping to find someplace to rest."

The woman seemed furious.

"You lie! Why were you hiding if you didn't want to harm?"

Arja took a deep breath to control her emotions. At this moment, she was scared.

"Because the child was alone. He could be scared and run before we could find any help."

The woman stood up and came to Arja. She took out a knife. Arja was tense, her muscles were contracted and she was prepared for the impact. The woman sliced the rope and freed her. Arja felt the pain in her wrists as the blood was coming back into her hands and she tried to massage herself. With the sand, the rope caused a few burns and she had red marks on her skin.

"Your partner said the same thing to us. Come with me."

Arja stood up and followed the woman outside. She saw Typhon sitting with men around a fire. He was talking with a big smile. Arja was surprised to see him so happy in these conditions.

The woman showed Arja a place to sit and presented herself.

"I am sorry, we never received visitors from the outside world. I am Zuline."