Hours

Fulcher looked the man over again, studying the man's form. His face was old and weathered but bore kind eyes. His feet were bare, dark skin speckled with sand.

“Thank you for saving us,” Fulcher began, but the man raised his hand to prevent further praise.

“Why do you wander our deep deserts?” he repeated. Fulcher dusted himself off a bit and stood as tall as he could.

“I'm Prince Fulcher, from the northern lands. We journey for the Librarum, and come seeking aid against my tyrant father,” he explained.

“Northern royalty seeking the Librarum,” the man said, offering the smallest bow. “We have not received an envoy from the northern lands for many years. Many years since The Scribes were culled. Many years since our People were friends. You come now to re-establish this ancient connection?” Fulcher nodded awkwardly as the sounds of combat behind him began to die down.

“Yes,” he said. "I'd like to meet with your leader.” The man looked at him with a bit of caution, but soon joined him at the brim of the trap. Fulcher turned to follow his eyes, looking down upon the still flaming form of Akaj. Whatever had happened since Fulcher was pulled from the trap had clearly been enough to pull the creature further from the sand, part of its longer body exposed. Its centipede-like body bore many cuts and burns along its carapace. Akaj stood atop its body with his sickle raised, still holding the separated mandible of the creature.

“Ha ha! What do you think my Lord?” he asked. “Is this enough guidance for you?” The robed man bowed a second time towards Akaj as he climbed out of the sand trap, this bow about much deeper than the one he had given Fulcher.

“Flameweaver,” he said. “You honor me with your presence. It has been long since you have graced us with your… enthusiasm.” As Akaj approached the air grew hotter, though the fire had since died off his skin. Fulcher noticed that his chest once again looked scaled from the new holes he had gotten in his shirt. It almost looked as if magma ran beneath his hardened skin.

“Ah, you're one of his Chronomancers! Wonderful, wonderful. I didn't think we would see any of you for a couple of days. I'm guiding our little lost Prince here on his way to your city. Could you accompany us for the rest of our journey?” Akaj asked. The robed man looked Akaj over.

“You are aiding this northern Prince?” he asked. “Why?”

“Our interests are temporarily aligned,” Akaj said, clasping his hand on Fulcher's shoulder. The hand felt hot, causing Fulcher to stir under the grasp. “First human in a thousand years to beat me in combat.” The Chronomancer looked at Fulcher now with a new eye of suspicion, then drew his gaze over the curious Arrow and the still recovering Vardia and Schon.

“Very well,” he said. “I will prepare to lead you. Find me on the other side of the dune when you are ready. I must pack my camp.” The robed man began to head back around the sand dune as Akaj waved the bug’s mandible in front of Fulcher.

“You wanna bite?” he asked. Before Fulcher could answer, Akaj cracked the mandible over his thigh, pulling it apart to reveal Pink muscle that had been thoroughly cooked during their fight. Fulcher cringed away from the sight as Akaj bit into his half.

“Mm-MM!” he said “Oh yeah, nothing better than fresh sand lobster.”

“It doesn't even look like a lobster,” Fulcher said as he politely pushed the mandible piece away. “It looks more like an ant lion, but longer.” Akaj looks down at him before glancing back at the creature's corpse. After a moment he shoved the mandible piece into Fulcher’s chest, forcing him to grab it.

“Friend, if you think that thing looks like a lion, then you need this food more than I realized!” he said with a cackle as he strolled back to the wagon. Fulcher rolled his eyes and held the mandible. He was indeed hungry but he was not sure if he was hungry enough to stomach whatever this was. He turned to look back at the rest of his group. Schon had Vardia up on his feet now, the poor man's legs shaking furiously.

“Not a fan of bugs?” Fulcher asked.

“No Sir, not at all,” Vardia said. “I've just read too much about them. They do not bother you, Lady Schon?”

“Not when they're that big,” she said. “I'm only freaked out by the ones I can lose track of because they're so small. Big ones are just sort of gross, I guess.” Vardia huffed, bending over to grab his weapon again.

“Well, I'm not bothered by the little ones,” he said. “It's the ones that can eat me that freak me out.” The boisterous laughter of Akaj ended the conversation as all eyes turned to him.

“This is why you have hired Akaj, no?” he said. “Do not worry about bugs big or small! I will take care of all of them for you.” He crunched into the mandible flesh, getting the bug juice all over the wagon.

“Come on,” Fulcher said. “Let's get our stuff back in the wagon and get it around this dune.” The party followed as they picked up the remnants of their gear, tossing it back in the wagon. They walked on foot as they led the horse through the sand.

“Come on Arrow!” Fulcher called. The wolf dredged up from the sand trap, dragging one of the bug’s dismembered legs behind him in the sand.

“Ah, come on boy, that thing’s huge. We can’t bring that,” Fulcher complained. Arrow ran around the rest of the dune before he stopped in place, dropping the leg and barking. Fulcher stopped pushing the wagon to catch up to him, tugging gently on the cold-water harness that kept the wolf at a decent temperature in the heat.

“Arrow stop that,” he said “Don't bark at this guy’s horse…” His words trailed off as he looked upon the creature Arrow was barking at. It stood thrice as tall as Fulcher, with scaled skin reaching from a billed mouth to the tip of a long tail. Atop its back was a large saddle with multiple barrels hanging off either side, with the robed man sitting on top. As the creature turned to face them, it led out a trumpeting call from the crest along its head that echoed along the dunes. Fulcher could not believe his eyes as he burst into a boyish smile. The creature was a parasaurolophus.

The robed man waved his hand as a spiraling golden energy shot from his fingers, swirling across the air and onto the hooves of the horse and wheels of the wagon as it rounded the sand dune. The horse scrambled on top of the sand, walking along it as if it were a cobbled street. As the rest of the party joined Fulcher around the corner, shocked gasps escaped from Vardia and Schon as all three beheld the dinosaur.

“Come,” the Chronomancer said. “We make for Ubukhazikhazi.”