22: THE DEAD MANS TRAIL, SARANIAN DESERT

Alora eyes opened. Everything was spinning before her. Her vision was blurry and all she could see was a dark figure right in front of her. Her ears were ringing. She tried to get up but she couldn't feel her legs. She tried to move her arms and hands but there was absolutely no feeling in her limbs.

"I see you are awake.", Jade said, "I was hoping I didn't use too much of my power when trying to sedate you. I guess I used just the right amount. "

Alora's world stopped spinning and she could clearly see the dark figure right infront of her. It was Jade, she was sitting in a chair right across her. Alora looked around and there were in a mechanical Vallathian carriage heading somewhere. She looked out of the window but there was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. Alora turned her attention back to Jade.

"My friends?", she asked, "Are they alright?"

"I'm someone of integrity.", she leaned in forward , "As tempting as it was, a trade is a trade."

Alora was relieved. Though she had a bit of doubt In Jade but she had no choice but to take her word for it.

"How long have I been out for?", Alora asked.

"Two days.", she said, "I enjoyed hearing your heartbeat throughout the journey. It slow but very soothing."

She drew closer to Alora. She was right in her face, breathing in the air Alora exhaled. Alora's heart began to race faster. She was scared and Jade could smell her fear.

"It's beating much faster than before.", Jade said, " I like that. I like people who are scared of me."

Jade leaned back into her seat. She had sinister smile across her face. Alora tried moving her arms and the rest of her limbs but it was no use.

"Damn it!", she screamed in frustration.

"Its pointless trying to escape I cast a hex while you were asleep.", she said, "You move at my will."

"Why haven't you killed me yet?", she said, "I've seen you kill someone without hesitation and I will still get blood for that."

Alora tried moving once more. She screamed out in frustration. "Fuck this!", she said, "I've heard stories about you killing people mercilessly just for irritating you. "

Jade began to laugh cynically. She stood up and burst out into laughter. Alora was boiling on the inside. She couldn't move her hands or her legs but her eyes were lit with a burning rage.

"You think this is amusing!", she shouted, "Release me from your hex now and I will give you something to laugh about!"

Jade stopped laughing. She stretched out her hand. A circle of fire formed around her finger tips. She released the flaming circle from her finger tips. The circle hovered over Alora's head. Alora looked up and saw the flame falling closer to her by the moment. She looked at Jade and she didn't have any emotion written on her face.

"Don't take my mercy as weakness.", she said, "I could take your life without hesitation. You aren't special, to me at least. "

"Who then?"

"Emperor Sebastien.", she said, "You are going to tell him what your father couldn't bring himself to tell him."

"And what's that?"

Jade kept quiet. The circle of fire fizzled away. Alora stared at Jade, as the carriage made its way through the desert. They traveled through the cold desert night and into the scorching sun of the morning. They could finally see the mighty nation of Vallath in the distance. It was glorious. Towers touching the sky, green as far as the eye could see and a breath of clean air.

"Welcome to a real nation Princess.", Jade said, "Beautiful isn't it."

"I'm surprised you can see under that thing you put around your eyes.", Alora chuckled.

Jade cold cynical smile graced her face once more. "I cant see actually. Well at least not the way you do.", she said.

They drew closer and closer to Vallath by the moment. Alora saw a blockade nearby. There were armed Imperial enforcers posted and imperial officers dressed in uniform. They reached the blockade and a line of imperial enforcers stood in front of the carriage. An Imperial officer walked up to the carriage. He stared into the carriage all he could see was Alora.

"You!", he shouted. "What are you doing here? Where's your pass?"

"I- I -", Alora was fumbling on her words.

Jade turned her head into the vision of the officer. He was startled. It was like he had seen a ghost.

"My lady-", he said, "I didnt know you were coming back this early. We weren't expecting you for another day."

"What can I say?", she said, "I was eager to come back home."

" We will let you in right away my lady.", he was quaking In his boots, "We will let you in right away."

The officer ran off to the blockade. He ordered the enforcers to clear the path. They did it without hesitation. The carriage continued to move. As the carriage passed them by they all stood in salute. The Vallath nation had become the largest nation on the Western continent from being one of the smallest nations on earth realm. After years of conquering it's neighbours, Vallath had become a titan nation and the capital sat in the heart of this massive nation.

The journey to the Capital was a day's worth of travel. Alora and Jade sat in the carriage without speaking a single word to each other. Alora couldn't help but think about her friends all the way in Sarania. She couldn't help but wonder if Jade was honest about letting them walk free. She thought about Zain and the resistance, if the fight was still being fought or was it lost completely.

They past through the old nation of Perunsia which was now part of the Vallath nation. It was a mighty nation filled with a warrior race of Mages and fairies. They fought alongside all the other nations against the entire Vampire race. Perunsia was rich in magic and sorcery. Their day to day lives emulated that with the use of magic in everything. Perunsia was bright and filled with all sorts of colour from the exotic magical vegetation to the homes they lived in. The once mighty nation had been burnt to ash and built into the spitting industrial vision of the Vallath nation. Most of the fairies were killed and the others migrated and the mages acknowledged the presence of the Vallath nation. The once mighty nation was filled with Vallathians who mostly took part in producing food for the nation as a whole.

They reached the Capital just as the sun was shining on this titan of a city. It stretched far off into the distance with no end in sight. There were many towers even taller than the ones elsewhere in the nation. The air was even cleaner, it was such a marvel. They arrived at the borders of the capital and the imperial officers let them pass.

Alora had never seen such a developed place, Sarania was no where close to the level of advancement to the Vallathian Capital. At the heart of this titan city was a tower just above the clouds, made out of glass and precious stone. The tower was different from the rest not just because it was the tallest or made out of precious stone but the way it radiated much more than a physical presence. It had an aura that Alora couldn't put her finger on.

Alora stared at the glorious city in disbelief. She couldn't stop staring at all the marvelous sights the city had to offer.

"Welcome to the Vallathian Capital Princess." , Jade said, "The emperor awaits you."