Sand

Easy does it

Rio carefully retrieved a small golden amulet that sat atop a short pedestal made of sand, like everything else in the ruined temple. Attributing his findings to pure luck, the circe marvelled at the tiny relic, no bigger than his palm; it weighed next to nothing in his grip. The torn down temple was among the many that had been ransacked and later torn down during the years Seth rose to power. A sad reminder of the peace that now escaped them; Diaval's rule. This particular temple had been a water temple, judging from the many spouts shaped by clay that protruded from many different heights in the clay walls.

Blinking, he took a few steps back as he felt the ground beneath his feet rumble; had he set off some sort of trap? Old as it may be, he knew better than to underestimate Etherian temples. True to his instincts, the rumbling began to grow louder and the entire room began to shake, threatening to collapse with him still inside. Struggling to maintain his footing, he bolted for the exit where a stone slab began to slowly lower itself in an effort to seal Rio inside along with its treasure he attempted to steal. A deafening bang resounded in the corridor behind him as Rio ran past the moving stone slab with a desperate burst of speed, it slammed shut behind him, missing him by inches. Gasping for breath, he crawled his way to the temple opening,

‘Hang all Circes’ he muttered as he fell out on the red hot sand.

With a yelp of pain, he was on his feet. Goddess of the sun, bah! He had almost lost his head trying to find that abominable amulet she once owned.

‘When will this end??!’

Rio practically screeched at the cloudless sky above him; the sun scorched his brow, wetting it with sweat. He had nothing to wipe it of with, it bothered him that he had to get used to such a filthy way of life while on this meaningless quest. If only he hadn’t shot his mouth off at the council meeting, elder Ethaneal didn’t take very kindly to her authority being questioned. His proposal to send someone looking for the so-called saviour of the Desecration was meant to be taken as a jest, it had however backfired. She instructed him to go look for the goddess of the sun and not bother returning if she could not be found.

He found himself walking in the direction of the village Kar-Kuzlam. As he walked, he busied himself thinking of a happier time, where Seth’s dominion had finally reached its end, the Lovaks who roamed the sphere of sand consuming anything they fancied, vanquished once and for all. His satchel felt heavier as it dawned on him; what if the Lovak got their talons on the amulet? He’d surely have to wipe them out, but how many could he take at once? What of his cover? Could he risk unveiling his existence as a Circe to the prying eyes of the empire?

Only time could tell, he thought, walking on, preparing himself for the worst. If he’d been found out, he risked being executed in public as nothing but a lunatic claiming to have magical powers. Shoving the dreary thoughts aside, he quickened his strides; he wanted nothing more than to be rid of the sand that scorched beneath his leather sandals, the rays of the sun above that seemed to bore a hole in his skull. It was not until an hour or so past midday that Rio heaved a sigh of relief. The shape of a cluster of huts came into view towards the west. After uttering a prayer under his breath that it better not be a mirage, he made his way across the last of the sand that gave way to a gravel road leading to the little village that lay ahead of him.

Little did the disgruntled Rio realize he was not alone; a pair of slit eyes followed his lithe form from a healthy distance. His exit from the ruined temple had awoken an old guardian, who was anything but pleased at the realization of its temple treasure being stolen. Unable to manifest its true form due to its long slumber, the reptilian spirit settled for watching its little thief from afar. He would have his fun with this creature soon.

Hello everyone! Author here - this is my first time publishing on Inkitt and I would love to hear what you think of my work - please don't hesitate to leave comments or even pm me regarding areas I can improve in! That being said, I hope you enjoy the story!

--- Trigger warning for the next chapter guys - it contains themes of violence ---