Ashes of the Oasis

The three emissaries my father welcomed into the chamber were not what I had expected.

And from what I could see on their faces, we were not what they expected either.

Instead of the fine, brightly coloured linen robes and amber jewellery for which their people were known, the two heavily built men wore dark, wide trousers that billowed and gathered at the ankles. Their chests were covered with tight black tunics and strapped with empty scabbards, my father having enforced the rule that they must remove their weapons before entering the city.

The woman, petite and elderly, wore dark leggings and a long, plain blue tunic that covered her arms and wrapped around her neck. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise, her mouth agape as she stepped into the chamber.

They were wearing no jewellery, no colours. No sign of the oil-rich clan they came from. Instead, their long dark hair was pulled back in a similar braid, and they were filthy, their skin weathered, their lips cracked and burned, sand filling every visible fold of their clothing.

They looked as if they had walked here from Srul, weeks away.

My father stepped aside as they entered the chamber to give them space to take it all in.

They looked stunned.

No matter how many wonders they might have seen in their lives, nothing could compare to stepping into the chamber at the heart of the Oasis Fortress, the hidden gem of the great city of Bala.

I could see them taking in the high vaulted ceilings of the chamber, made of smooth red sandstone and delicately painted tiles of deep blue, green and gold. The lush plants grew bright green and climbed up the tiled walls, curving over the archways, blue jade hanging in large bushels. Sunlight filtered in from above, through the leaves and flowers. The golden chandelier hanging heavy from the arches above the pool, dripping.

And the water. The crystal clear pool, perfectly circular, not too deep, rippling with the movement of my finger, reflected off the golden columns. Large water lilies, in full bloom, floated delicately.

And then they noticed us, the girls and I, lounging by the crystal pool, wearing delicate, thin clothes, draped in glittering jewels, our damp skin shimmering.

"Aren't they lovely? They are my water nymphs," my father murmured, giving his guests the time they needed to take us completely in.

The air in the chamber was hot and humid. Next to me were hot stones in a wide stone bowl. I slowly scooped up water from the pool and poured it over the stones. They hissed, releasing more steam into the air.

The emissaries gasped; they had never been surrounded by so much water.

I took the opportunity to stand up.

Their eyes immediately fell on me, on my long, gauzy blue dress. The glittering, low-cut bodice, lined with bright blue, green and gold stones, clung to my wet skin. The gold belt glittering in the bright sunlight, the long slits up the side of my legs and the long earrings jingling as I moved.

They looked as if they had never seen such luxury.

But they must have, Srul was as rich a city as we were.

I approached, my skirt moving smoothly around my bare thighs, my feet almost silent on the damp tiles, the jewelled anklet jingling.

"Father," I smiled. "So good of you to join us."

He beamed at me.

"I'd like you to meet my eldest daughter. This is Cordelia. " He held out his hand, and I took it, allowing him to lead me closer to the Srul emissaries.

As I moved closer, I noticed the figures standing behind them, guards who had travelled with them. One for each emissary. They were tall men with thick chests and leather jackets strapped tightly.

But one stood out, a little different from the others. He stood closer to the woman, his hair wasn't long and black like theirs, but light brown and cut short. His face was strong and masculine, with a square jaw, a straight nose and a wide mouth. His black eyes met mine and held my gaze. There was no shock, no awe, no wonder in his gaze, it was almost resentment.

Confused, I quickly looked past him to Nathaniel, my father's captain of the guard, and his son Eli.

"Cordelia," my father continued. "These are the emissaries from Srul, Gerald and Tobin, and this is Thera, from Mathe."

I looked down at the small woman; no wonder she and her guard looked different. She was from Mathe. I was convinced that Mathe had made a deal with my father decades ago. I wondered what she was doing here.

"Welcome to Bala," I replied. "Would you like some water?" I offered. "It's pure."

As I turned, I saw a flash of anger in Thera's eyes. I tried to ignore it as a servant hurried towards me with four glasses and a silver jug on a tray. I took the jug, led it to the pool and dipped it into the cool water. The water sparkled in the sunlight as I poured it into the four glasses.

When I raised my eyes again, those black eyes were staring at me again. He didn't lower his gaze; he held mine.

"Please," my father gestured to the glasses, taking one himself and downing it to show them it was safe.

The two emissaries from Srul immediately grabbed a glass and sipped, their eyes wide. Thera didn't move. Her blue eyes snapped at my father.

"You're wasting water, making steam?" she hissed, running her fingers over her already damp hand.

"Water is not wasted when we have plenty of it," my father replied calmly.

"Do you have a spring in here?" asked one of the Srul emissaries, Tobin, if I remember correctly.

"We do," I replied. I would give them no more information. They were supposed to be our allies, but that didn't mean we were going to share all our secrets.

"And it doesn't dry up?" Tobin pressed.

"No," my father shook his head.

"Please, taste it," I urged the Mathe envoy. She gave me an incredulous look. Her guard's gaze was fixed on me as she raised her glass and sipped at the cool water.

We were silent as she drank.

"Delicious, isn't it?" my father purred.

"I've never tasted anything like it," she murmured.

I smiled and motioned for the servant to come and fetch the glasses.

"Bala is the city of the oasis, the fortress of the oasis," my father explained, his dark gaze meeting mine for a split second. "Water is our most important resource. We have revealed to you what few others will ever see, as a show of good faith in our ongoing negotiations."

The Srul emissaries murmured their acknowledgement, their eyes still dancing around the cavernous expanse of the chamber, the circular pool.

Thera rubbed her damp hands together. Her skin looked clammy, and her cheeks flushed. I could tell she was uncomfortable; she was used to heat, but not damp heat. It took some getting used to.

"Zaya," I murmured. "Can you take care of the steam for us?"

My little sister, Zaya, was lounging on the jewel-blue tiles beside the pool. Her long, dark hair was piled on her head, her eyes closed, her sun-kissed skin shimmering. She wore only a pale green dress, cut in delicate triangles to reveal her back and belly, and her outer legs.

She turned slightly to look up at me. All the emissaries were staring at her.

"Of course," she murmured. She flicked her fingers, and with a single blast of air, the steam was cleared from the chamber and rose outwards.

"As you can see, Bala is well protected by the wind mages. We know how to keep our people safe within our walls," my father beamed at his guests. "Please, if you will follow me," he stepped past them, out of the chamber and into the long, cool corridor.

The envoys shuffled around, taking one last longing look around the chamber before following him back out into the hall. Nathaniel walked ahead of my father, the emissaries following behind.

I waited until the guards had turned to follow. The Mathe guard, his dark eyes meeting mine warily before he followed Thera.

I placed a hand on the tiled wall as I pulled on my sandals, while Eli waited for me in the hall. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, a slight smile on his lips as his green eyes met mine. As the son of the Captain of the Guard, Eli and I had practically grown up together. It's only recently, as he's spent more time rising through the ranks of the Bala Guard, that I've seen less of him.

His golden Bala tunic was cut perfectly to his size, outlining the thick muscles in his arms, his broad chest and his slim waist. Long black trousers with a leather belt. I glanced at the small embroidery on his right breast, a fountain, water spurting softly and vines growing up the side, the symbol of the city of Bala.

He held out his arm and I took it. His big black boots crunched on the red sandstone as we walked through the corridor towards the palace balconies. Ripe heat hit us with every step as we moved away from the water chamber.

"What's Mathe doing here?" I asked, squeezing Eli's arm. "I thought they had a long-standing deal with Bala."

He looked down at me, his other hand still on the hilt of his sword.

"They suffered a sandstorm six months ago that would have destroyed their main well," he murmured. "They've been living off smaller ones, but it's not enough to feed their growing population. They have been negotiating with Mayor Ivan for months to get access to our water."

"That explains their reaction to the steam," I muttered. "Has my father not sent them water? We should help them if they are already our allies."

"Water tanks were sent immediately after the sandstorm to help them rebuild, but Mathe has gotten used to it," he scowled. "Their wells have been rebuilt, but they want more of our water. Your father had to cut them off."

"Ah, so she's here to renegotiate the terms of her original deal."

Eli made a face. "I'm not sure she'll be successful, the deal is already skewed in their favour. We barely get any of their technology and haven't had any deliveries since the storm."

The blinding sun hit us with a searing heat as we stepped out onto the balcony. The dry air immediately sucked the remaining moisture from my skin.

I looked down at the city below. Bala was a desert fortress, nestled against the high sandstone mountains of Balayan. Surrounded by high walls, seventy feet high, guarded by the City Guard, Bala had stood, steadfast, for centuries. Since the great fires.

Miles of winding red clay streets led to the central square, where a well provided water for the inhabitants. Water was pumped directly from the pool chamber and the lakes below. The palace rose above the central square, wide and domed, lined with balconies and carved from red clay, blending into the red sand landscape that surrounded us.

It was a view I had seen all my life, but it never really took my breath away. The hot sun hung heavy in the sky, careening towards the horizon. It's bright gold and deep reds and oranges, but still scorching.

At least there was a hot wind blowing tonight from the south. I lifted my thick hair with one hand and pinned it to my head to air out my already sweaty neck.

"Now that you have seen what we have to offer you, our allies, we can begin to discuss in earnest," my father said as he led the group around the balconies, showing off Bala's various districts.

Thera and her guard held back behind the group, walking slowly. Her guard kept looking back at the hall we'd left. But the doors had been locked, and only a member of our guard or our family could open them.

His head swivelled back towards me, and I watched as his eyes moved slowly up my body. He was squinting. I felt Eli stiffen at my side, but I knew why he was staring. The gauze of my dress flapped in the wind, showing my legs with every step, and the jewels on the bodice of my dress glistened in the burning sunlight. As his eyes moved up to my face, I met his gaze straight on, still holding my hair up. There was a flash of anger in his eyes before his expression settled into complete boredom.

I didn't let it affect me.

"Please," I murmured, motioning for him to move forward, ever the delicate hostess.

He just let out a grunt and turned away from me.

I looked up at Eli and saw the muscles in his jaw tighten as he glared at the guard's back.

"He's harmless," I whispered.

"He's a Mathe warrior," Eli countered.

"An unarmed Mathe warrior," I grinned and looked back towards the sunset. The hot wind blew against the side of my face. I let my hair down again.

Eli stared at me as I turned back to him. He looked like he was going to say something, but instead, he shook his head.

My father pushed open the glass doors of our council room and led us inside. It was a spacious room, circular, with delicate red clay arches containing windows with spectacular views of Bala, the Great Wall and the sun setting on the horizon. Potted plants grew up and around the arches, green vines dipping into the sunlight.

Opposite the windows, the wall was painted with intricate golden figurines depicting the fall of the Ancients to the Great Fires and the scorching sun that brought centuries of heat waves.

The tiny golden humans running from the growing sun were almost invisible, the paint itself having been exposed to the bright sunlight for too long.

The emissaries took their seats around the circular table, and I sat next to my father, with the Srul emissary, Gerald, to my left.

Eli and his father Nathaniel moved to two sides of the room, quietly folding their hands in front of them.

My father remained standing, spreading his fingers across the smooth table as he leaned forward.

"I am proud to be the Mayor of Bala," he murmured, his gaze meeting each of the emissaries. "Bala is my home, home to my family," he gestured to me. "Home to those you saw in the streets as you rode up. We are a proud people. Our walls keep us safe. Our water keeps us fed. And yet the oil fields you control in Srul and the technology you develop in Mathe are important to us. We would like to trade with you. We are, or I would not have shown you the pool chamber. But the best deal we can offer you," he paused for dramatic effect, "would be for you to join us. Bring us your oil, your technology, live here and use our water."

"Never," Thera's icy tone cut my father off. He looked at her in surprise. The Srul emissaries frowned, looking between her glare and my father's confused expression.

"Hear him out," I said, meeting Thera's gaze. "It's a good offer."

She turned her withering gaze on me. Her blue eyes were icy, her leathery brown skin pinched. Behind her hovered her guard, his jaw set defensively.

"You've been promising us water for years, years we've been getting the bare minimum, less than negotiated, years we've been starving," she hissed. I glanced at my father in surprise, he shook his head. "And now you've att-"

"Your population was never exactly what you wanted," he cut her off.

Anger flamed in her eyes, I could see her clenching her old hands into tight fists.

"We've been dying out there in the desert while you sneak around stealing and wasting water." Her fiery gaze was focused on me.

"It's not wasted when we have plenty," I bit out, repeating my father's earlier words.

"Then why don't you share it?" she barked. "Why don't you respect the deal you made with our leader? Give us back our water!"

"If you were here, if you joined our people, you would have access to all the water you want," my father replied.

She slammed her small hands down on the table. "That wasn't the deal!"

"Nathaniel," my father waved her off.

Immediately, Nathaniel and Eli stepped forward. The Srul emissaries and I watched as Eli tried to grab her arm, but her guard stepped between them.

"Don't touch her," he growled, his voice deep and hoarse.

"Nathaniel, you can show Thera of Mathe and her guard out of Bala," my father ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere until you give us what you promised! This is a lie of a peace negotiation!" Thera growled.

"Please, let's calm down and have a glass of water," I suggested, standing up and motioning for one of the servants standing in one of the archways to fetch water.

"Sit down, girl, and shut up," Thera hissed. My eyes snapped back to hers in surprise. "Glasses of water won't fix a soured relationship."

I opened my mouth to reply, but my father cut me off.

"Cordelia, why don't you leave us now?" he breathed.

"What?" I gasped. I shook my head. "No." I had asked to be here, I wanted to be part of the negotiations, the politics. How else would I be a good leader for my people one day?

"Cordelia," my father growled in warning. He wouldn't be disobeyed.

I felt a hand on my elbow and realised it was Eli, gently pulling me towards the door.

No.

"Father," I turned to face my father, quietly begging him to let me stay. Begged him. He knew I wanted to be here, I had begged him for years to let me be a part of this.

He didn't even meet my eyes, he was already looking back at Thera, wondering how he was going to convince her to keep their deal. And not make him look bad in front of the Srul emissaries.

"Delia," Eli whispered, tugging at me, but I wouldn't budge. I shook my head at him. His green eyes grew concerned, and I felt him squeeze my elbow. "Please, come with me."

I didn't want to make a scene. I couldn't, not in front of future allies, current allies, no matter how weak that alliance was now.

I could feel my anger bubbling to the surface as I glared at my father. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, I lifted my chin, straightened my shoulders, pulled myself out of Eli's grip and marched towards the doors, my skirt swaying with each step.

Eli held the door open for me and I swept past him, furious. He followed me onto the balcony. Dry heat hit me, I started to sweat immediately.

"Delia," Eli caught up with me, spinning me around to face him.

"Let me go," I pulled out of his grip. "I can make my own way back to my room."

Eli hesitated, his green eyes wide. "Delia, you know he doesn't... he's doing this for your own good. To protect you."

He explained, running a large hand through his curly brown hair.

I glared at him.

"I'm not a child anymore, I don't need his protection, or yours."

Eli's jaw clenched as his eyes swept up and down my body. "You are the most important person in this city," he reminded me. "You must be protected."

"From a discussion?" I snapped.

"It was getting rowdy. If you got angry and slipped up..."

"I wasn't going to slip up!" I snapped.

He raised his hands in surrender and nodded. "I know you weren't, but he's got to be sure, he's got to make sure it doesn't happen. Getting you out of this room will do that."

"He needs to learn to trust me."

"We both know you haven't given him any reason to," Eli whispered.

My eyes narrowed. "That was a low blow, Eli," I snapped, and he even looked apologetic.

I glared at him, then turned away and cast towards the great wall surrounding Bala. Movement caught my eye. On the wall, guards were running in a particular direction. My steps faltered and I swayed as I watched. The sun was setting on the horizon, almost blinding me.

A low hum reached me. A sound I would recognise in my sleep.

"Eli," I breathed, the sound growing. The horizon was suddenly covered in small black dots.

I could hear Eli's footsteps and looked up at him. He was on alert, scanning the horizon.

"What's that?" he muttered, squinting into the setting sun and wiping the sweat from his brow.

The small black spots were getting bigger, moving fast, widening as they came closer.

I leaned over the balcony railing. I could feel Eli tense at my side. The black dots grew larger until it was very obvious that they were motorcycles racing across the desert sand towards our walls.

"Did we have a warband planned to return today?" I whispered.

"No," Eli swallowed loudly.

I could feel my panic rising, tight as a ball in my throat as the realisation washed over me like an icy wave.

We were under attack.

"Sound the alarm," I ordered quickly.

But it was already ringing. The guards formed on the wall, ran this way and that taking up their positions. Bells began to ring in the streets of the city, great gongs warning of the approaching attackers. People below shouted and ran.

"Delia, get to the water chamber now," Eli's eyes met mine as he drew his sword.

I grabbed the hilt of my jewelled dagger, perfectly hidden by my jewelled belt.

"I can help."

"No," Eli grabbed me as I tried to move away. He swung me back around. "No, you need to get into that chamber and lock the doors."

I shook him off. "I can help you! It's my job to keep my people safe."

"It's your job to keep this city safe by keeping yourself safe," he snapped. "Go! Now!" He shoved me towards my room.

His eyes darted back to the guards on the wall, who were getting into position.

The motorcycles had reached the nearest dunes. The roar of their engines grew. Hundreds of them, carrying more than one rider, waving swords, spears and guns in the air. I could see their dark leather clothing, the black helmets, twisted and shaped like long bird beaks. Crows. A murder of crows descended on us.

And now I could hear them. Their voices, shouting a war cry as they raced towards us, dragging a heavy cloud of red sand behind them.

"They won't make it over the wall," I insisted. "Bala hasn't been breached for over a century. The bikes can't get over the wall."

The door to the Council slammed open and I saw my father running around with Nathaniel at his side, the emissaries following.

"Nagini!" the shouts of the guards echoed through the city. "The Nagini are attacking!"

They were moving so fast, it was as if they were flying towards us.

My eyes widened as I realised why. The passengers on the bikes were wind mages, moving their arms in perfect synchronisation, lifting the bikes out of the sand. It was a planned attack. Just when my father and his captain were busy with foreign emissaries.

"Fuck," Eli hissed. "You're coming with me now," he barked, changing tactics.

He grabbed my arm and, without waiting to see if I could keep up, dragged me across the balcony. We raced around the domed palace. Sweat trickled down my face.

Our wind mages quickly counter-attacked, sending gusts of wind towards the attackers.

But the Nagini were now flying, wheels spinning in the air, their air mages battling ours.

A huge sand tornado formed in the middle of the battlefield.

I gasped as I watched the dunes swell and come crashing up against the side of Bala's great walls. Earth mages. They used earthmages in battle, my father had always reserved them for construction.

They built a perfect bridge of sand, straight up our wall. The motorbikes that weren't already flying hurtled up the dune, their engines screaming in protest.

The people below us screamed and ran for their homes. Our guards were struggling to keep up with their wind and earth mages.

I watched in mute horror as a motorbike sailed over the top of the wall and landed in the middle of Bala's streets, its passenger immediately creating a wind formation as a shield.

"Eli!"

I pulled against his grip. His desperate green eyes met mine. Impatience and worry seeped through his taut expression. I knew he wanted to be down there fighting with his men, not here babysitting me.

"They're coming in! I can fight down there, I can defend myself," I shouted over the roar of the engines and the whistling of the wind.

His expression told me exactly what he really thought of my fighting ability. He shook his head fervently.

A gust of searing wind hit the balcony and thousands of hot grains of sand hit me. I fell to my knees, wincing in pain and squeezing my eyes shut.

"Delia!" Eli reached for me and pulled me back to my feet. He pulled my body into his. My palms hit his solid chest. His hand slid up my bare back and cupped the back of my head. His lips were against my ear. I stared at the shiny blade he held in his other hand.

"My first duty, my most important duty, is to protect you," he whispered fiercely. "Please don't make that any harder than it already is."

I could feel his head racing against my hands on his chest. His hand slid forward to cradle my cheek, lifting my face to meet his burning green gaze.

I could hear shouting from below. The sound of more bikes flying over the wall.

I could feel my mouth going dry and my blood running cold.

"I can help you defend..."

"If you get hurt, this town won't survive," he reminded me. "Your duty is to stay safe. You can fight better in th water chamber than anywhere else anyway," he gave me a small smile. "Defend your sister."

His thumb brushed the top of my cheek.

I nodded once. Then we ran again.

The corridor to the water chamber was locked. I threw myself at the lock and punched in the secret code before Eli slammed the doors.

The corridor was dark and considerably cooler as we burst in.

"Zaya!" I called, my voice echoing down the corridor. Eli ran ahead of me. The golden doors of the water chamber glistened.

My footsteps echoed on the compressed clay floor.

A flicker of movement behind me, and I felt a hand grab my shoulder from behind. I yelped, almost stumbling.

The hand clamped over my mouth as a thick arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against a hard frame. My legs kicked frantically in front of me.

"Make one more sound and I'll slaughter every single person in that room," a deep, gruff voice hissed in my ear.

And I realised that the motorbikes speeding towards us were just a distraction, the attackers were already in the city.

They were already in the palace.