Shadows

With Aurora safely tucked into his arms, Devrim went barreling into the desert. The sun had just dipped below the horizon when his horse met the soft sand.

The force of the creature's hooves sent the sand flying behind them, making those behind need to alter their course to avoid being blinded.

"Watch what you are doing!" Brinn spat grit from her mouth as she pushed her horse alongside the Emperor's.

Devrim did not seem to hear her. His face was set determinedly forward as he did his best to keep Aurora comfortable and keep one hand on the reins.

Zan was at the Emperor's other side. His face was grim.

"You cannot keep up this pace, Your Majesty!" He called.

Devrim straightened his back against the reproof. "We have to get there!" He furrowed his brow.

"We will, but your pace is going to exhaust the horses. Already some have fallen behind! And your horse is one of Valiant. It can break its leg running full-out in the uncertain sand." Zan's voice was compassionate but firm.

Devrim wanted to say then he would just get another horse and keep going, but he knew the answer was both insensitive and foolish.

Abusing animals was not something he was comfortable doing. Realistically, they did not have any to spare if something happened to the one he was on.

And what would happen if his horse broke its leg? He and Aurora would go crashing to the ground. His wife's leg was already broken. He could not stomach adding more bones to that count.

Taking a deep breath, Devrim slowly pulled on the reins. The stallion lessened his pace, obeying his master with a snort.

As the rest of the unit caught up, they also fell into step with their leader. An urgent unease settled among them, but they did not speed up again. Stamina was more important than simply covering the first distance quickly.

Devrim was more unsettled than any of them. Aurora had yet to awaken and her body's fever had only grown more intense.

The Empress was groaning and mumbling. Her breath raggedly pulled in and out between her incoherent ramblings. Something was seriously amiss.

The Emperor's only comfort was that Aurora's leg was no longer bleeding. The bandage remained unbloodied. Even with all the jostling, Sav's stitches seemed to be holding. At least for now.

The closed wound meant that healing could begin, or at least that is what Devrim hoped.

"Hold on my love," he whispered for the hundredth time.

Aurora's restlessness quieted for a moment. "Love," she whispered.

They continued on for the next couple of hours moving with the horses as quickly as was feasible. At last they had to stop at a small oasis to water themselves and their animals.

"We are making good time," Nurlan told the Emperor as he took the Empress into his arms.

Dismounting, Devrim did not take his eyes off of the fiery haired woman. "But is it good enough?"

He was not convinced it was.

"We shall see," the General answered simply.

Devrim reached to take Aurora back from Nurlan, but the General tightened his grip. "If you plan to hold Her Majesty for the rest of the journey, you need to give your arms a rest. If I may, I will get the Empress to Sav for another round of herbs. That way you can refresh your own body as well."

Although he wanted to refuse, Devrim could not deny that his arms felt on fire. Aurora was light enough, but her alternatingly limp and thrashing body meant the Emperor had to exert extra strength to hold onto her.

"Guard her well," he said at last.

"With my life, as always," Nurlan confirmed with a bow of his head. As the general turned away, Devrim collapsed in a heap into the sand.

Only a small bit of grass grew around what could barely be called a pond, and Devrim had not gone close enough to the edge to land in the foliage.

Thankfully, a servant saw to his horse's needs and got the noble beast as much water and food as it required. Devrim was most grateful for both the horse and the one tending to it.

After a moment, Zan came over with Exlan and bowed before the Emperor. Devrim motioned for them to join him on the sand.

Even in the moonlight, Devrim could see the hopeful expression on the scout's face. "We are making good time."

"So I have been told," Devrim answered emotionlessly.

"I did not think non-sand dwellers would be able to tolerate that pace for so long, Your Majesty. You have a very capable group." Exlan realized his compliment sounded more like an insult. "The sand is very hard to maneuver for those unused to the journey." 

"How is Her Majesty?" Zan changed the subject before Exlan could dig himself deeper into the sand with his words. 

"Feverish, restless, and still unconscious," Devrim's grey eyes traced the path that Nurlan had taken a short time before. 

"The Empress is strong. After all the times she has come near to death, I very much doubt that she will let a mundane canyon wall get the better of her," Zan answered. He knew better than to discount the one twice-blessed by the Maker. 

"I hope you are right." Devrim wanted to believe. He willed it to be true. 

Zan passed the Emperor a waterskin. "Drink. Even in the dark in the desert, we need to constantly be drinking." 

The group waited until Aurora's bandage was redressed. Sav gave the Empress another dose of what she had. Since they had been traveling lightly, it was almost the end of what the healer had.

When they reached the settlement of Secluse, they could restock. Until then, Sav would ration her supplies appropriately. 

After a quarter hour, Nurlan returned with the still sleeping Empress. Sav was by his side.

"She is ready to go," the healer told the Emperor. 

"Why hasn't she awakened?" Devrim couldn't help but ask.

"Since the Empress did not hit her head, I would actually take her slumber as a positive sign. Her body is trying to preserve itself and spare itself the pain. As long as her condition remains the same and doesn't worsen, we can only hope she will remain unconscious until we arrive."

"What warning signs do I need to watch for?" Devrim had been too absorbed in heading out to find out this information before. 

"If she wakes up and is not making sense or if she starts shaking uncontrollably, find me immediately. Those will be signs that things have taken a turn for the worse." The healer tried to give the signs that would be most obvious to spot while on horseback at night.

"Thank you, Sav." Devrim took his horse from a servant and mounted. Others began to follow his lead. 

"I will try to stay close, if it pleases Your Majesty." Sav performed a modified curtsy.

"Try not to lose sight of me." Devrim nodded at the healer. Holding out his arms to the general, the Emperor took back his wife. His heart skipped a beat. 

Aurora looked strikingly beautiful in the moon's glow. Her skin almost resembled that of the fates, and her fiery hair was painted in shades of black and silver. He could stare at her all day. 

Instead he tore his eyes away and looked out at the sands bathed in moonlight.

They would only be able to see this clearly for another couple of hours before the moon dipped below the horizon. For now--with their eyes adjusted to the darkness--they could see almost as well as in the daylight. When the dead of night finally set it, they would likely have to light torches to keep together and find their way. 

"We will be there in no time," the Emperor told the woman in his arms. 

"No time," she repeated, her eyes moving chaotically beneath their lids. 

"Hold on," Devrim called softly, hoping she would heed his words.

"Hold on," Aurora mimicked before falling back into her feverish ramblings once more. 

"Always." The grey-eyed man smiled at her, knowing full-well she could not she could not see him. "I'll never let go." 

A cloud fell across the moon, sending a shadow over the Emperor and his company. Devrim shivered. Without the sun, the dessert could be a very cold place.

But it was not the cold that had disturbed the grey-eyed man. He could not help but feel there was a second shadow looming out there in the darkness. 

And possibly many, many more.