Deserted (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 4)

Inside the tent, the true size and opulence of it became apparent.

“They do nothing by halves here, do they,” Len said, spinning to take in the sheer expanse of space.

“This is the main living and lounging area,” Reece explained, waving his hand across the round area that was at least eighty feet in diameter. The sands here were covered in large, padded rugs weaved from the pamolsa leaves—one of the only tree-like plants that grew in the Desert Lands. It was a highly tradable commodity, and when used in conjunction with the sands, could be turned into many amazing products.

Atop the rugs were thick cushions weaved from strands of the olive-green leaves of the pamolsa. Inside was a cloudlike stuffing, spun through manipulating the sands of the east lands. There were so many cushions that as we moved through, we had to push them aside to be able to cross the lounging room.

“Everyone has a designated sleeping area at the back here,” Reece said, pointing them out. Each of the sleeping areas had their own closed doorway, giving as much privacy as one could get in a tent.

“Spare clothes and some weapons should be in there as well.”

I generally didn’t bring changes of clothes since I could use my energy to clean mine and, more importantly, call my armor if needed. But for the others, this would be very helpful.

As everyone chose a room, I entered one and was unsurprised to see on the ground a huge version of the cushions outside. The bedding here was nothing like I’d felt in other worlds, and while I might not have slept that much before my rebirth, when I’d been here, I’d always found myself meditating in a supine position.

“Each of your rooms,” Reece called out to us, “has a githna attached… a wash area. You should be able to figure out how to access the liquid, and you won’t need any soaps because our underground aquifers are imbued with natural cleansing.”

We all left the rooms to rejoin him near their entrance. “How does water work here?” Mera asked. “I mean, I know you probably don’t call it water, but you know what I mean. You must have some sort of liquid to drink that hydrates you, right?”

“Right,” Reece confirmed, “but it only exists deep under our sands. You will never find liforina above or see it fall from our sky.”

Before Mera could ask another of the dozen or so questions that were no doubt lingering in her mind, Shadow spoke up. “Let’s get settled in the lounging area, and then Reece can pull out his maps. A geography lesson on the deserts should calm some of the curiosity swishing around”—his deadpan stare turned in Mera’s direction—“everyone’s brains.”

Mera smirked broadly before she clapped her hands in excitement. Through our bond I felt a spike in her adrenaline at the possibility of some new discoveries.

“I need to quickly rehydrate first,” Alistair spoke up. “The dryness of this land and its air is already taking its toll.”

Alistair had been born in the waters of Karn, and his skin was sensitive to heat and temperature. In most worlds there was enough moisture in the air to keep him functioning, but the deserts were not the same. We’d have to keep an eye on him because if his body dried out too much, he could die.

“Plenty of water in your room,” Reece said, falling back on the more general term for liforina. “Take as much as you need.”

Alistair slapped his friend on the arm before he ran a hand through his blue green curls, shaking them out like that would relieve his discomfort. As he disappeared, the rest of us returned to the lounging area to sit among the cushions.

I chose to sit away from Reece since the library incident still felt unresolved, not to mention being here was messing with my memories and ability to compartmentalize them. Of course, no matter how far away I sat, I couldn’t escape his heavy gaze. At least he was distracted while he had to explain the basic layout of this world. His sands brought to him a large map that had been rolled up in a basket near the front door.

“This is the Desert Lands,” he said, unrolling it easily, his sands holding it up higher so we could all see its full-colored glory. “The large land mass in the center with the ochre sands is the Ostealon—neutral territory.” His fingers traced across from there, following the wavy lines. “As you can see, the Ostealon is surrounded by a complete circle of the sand rivers so that everything can flow to and from here as needed. For that reason, much of our bartering takes place here.”

Mera leaned forward on her cushion, cradling her belly between both hands as she examined the map. “So those eight large lands around it are not connected by water but by sand rivers?”

It was clear that she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around that concept.

Reece nodded. “Yes, we don’t have rivers or oceans like you might recognize on Earth. Just imagine depthless sand that you cannot walk across. It has tides and an energy flow, and is filled with many creatures that ‘swim’ through the layers.”

“Like quicksand, only with a current,” Mera said with a nod.

Reece grinned, enjoying the focus on his world. “Close enough.”

“The rivers are their transport links,” Shadow added. “They move fast, the sands sweeping in one direction on the left, and the opposite on the right. Only specially designed vessels can travel on them, and if you use anything else, you run the risk of being crushed by the currents and falling into the depths, never to be found again.”

Mera swallowed hard. “That sounds… scary.”

Reece’s smile faded in a serious stare. “There’s nothing for you to worry about. I have many safe and secure vessels for us to use if we need to travel around. Of course, they’re in Rohami, but if need be, I’ll have one brought here.”

Looked like he still had a fascination with ships… it was nice to know some things hadn’t changed.

“So, the red sands are Rohami?” Mera asked, her eyes on the map.

Reece pointed up to the northeast corner. “Yes, the red is the Rohami dynasty.” His finger then moved across the other lands, working clockwise. “This is the Guardians, which is the closest to the Delfora; both have black sands.” His finger moved again. “This is Shale with dark brown sands, Fret to the west with terracotta, Holinfra with dusky grey. Wanders are from the violet sands filled with the thyreme blossoms. Crani, sands of gold, and Yemin, the smallest land with its light orange sands.”

“Eight dynasties,” Shadow said as we stared at the map. “All controlling vast deserts and powers.”

“Except for the Delfora,” Reece said, tracing to the northernmost part of the map. “No one controls it.”

“Holy fucking fuck,” Mera breathed. “It looks like it’s bigger than all the rest of the lands put together.”

At this point Alistair returned looking refreshed, with damp hair and skin and wearing only a pair of yellow shorts, leaving the rest of his lithe body bare. He settled into a cushion near me, bringing the briny scent of oceans with him.

“The Delfora is massive,” Reece confirmed. “And no Desertlandian lives there. Outside of the first flat section, the rest is completely forbidden to even step foot on. There are layers of security to stop anyone from just wandering through. Those who’ve dared to try without an invitation are generally never heard from again.”

“Who invites you?” Lucien asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. If there was one thing all of these guys had in common, it was that they loved power. And the Delfora was a vastly untapped source.

Reece shrugged, broad shoulders lifting under the thick material of his black shirt. “It’s mostly myth since I’ve never known anyone to make it deep into the lands.”

Outside of his parents, of course, but he didn’t want to tell that story.

“They believe it’s the ancient gods,” I drawled, dancing along the truth. Let that bastard sweat that I might reveal his secrets. “Giving the invitations. They might be buried and sleeping, but their power seeps through the land still.”

Reece shot me a look, and I shut up. “The imbalance I feel didn’t originate with the gods,” he said with obvious reluctance. “But there’s no denying that the Delfora feels different. A darkness lingers there.”

That had my full attention. “What else resides there except the ancients?”

His gaze pinned me to the spot. “It is said that the ancient gods, who are guarded by the valley of the dead, are also the gatekeepers to a darker being.”

An eerie silence descended over the room as we waited for his next words.

“In the deepest recesses,” he continued, “far beyond any exploration, lies the namesake of the ancient lands: Delfora, meaning Death itself.”

My choked gasp echoed through the tent, and with my back ramrod straight as I half got to my knees, I shook my head. “If that’s true,” I managed to say, “we could be facing another extinction level event. Akin to Dannie.”

The ancient gods were one thing, but Death itself…

Reece and I had lived for a long time, and we’d fought many battles together, until the one that tore us apart. Only we knew the true implications of what he was saying right now—not just for this world, but all of them.

“How is this possible?” Shadow rumbled. “I know your land is an original, one of the first that many others evolved from, but are you telling me that Death, the very being who coined the phrase, originated in your Delfora?”

Reece looked grimmer than usual. “I don’t have evidence, but I’ve seen and felt new tendrils of an ancient energy and feel it’s best to warn you now of what we might be dealing with here.” His eyes were hooded as he let out a deep breath. “The calling is stronger than ever from the Delfora, and now that we’re here, I sense that once again someone is working to raise the gods.”

“Every few thousand years this happens,” I said flatly. “A select number of Desertlandians get it in their heads that they can control the ancients. We’ve had to battle over it before, and we lost too many the last time. But Death… that’s an entirely new challenge I did not see coming.”

“It was always a possibility,” Reece said, his focus unwavering as it felt like he was just talking to me. “If Death does reside in the Delfora, then raising the ancient gods would almost inevitably lead to raising it as well. It’s just that most don’t know, or believe in, that fable. I didn’t believe in it until these recent days, but now… I can just feel that there’s more waiting out there.”

Shadow’s chest rumbled as he drew Mera closer, his hands protectively cradling her and their unborn child. He had a lot to lose, much more than the rest of us these days, and I knew that he would do whatever it took to keep the worlds safe. To keep Mera safe.

He wasn’t the only one. “We need to figure out who it is and stop them from putting this into motion,” I said, my energy shooting up as my adrenaline did. “Why are we wasting time in this tent? Or here at all? Shouldn’t we be at the Delfora?”

Reece’s voice was as icy as mine. “Because multiple dynasties called this random meeting, gathering all their power together. Members of those dynasties could be using this as a catalyst to form enough energy to break through the spells holding the ancients.” His expression wasn’t the only grim one at this point.

“So, whoever we’re looking for is here,” I mused, finally understanding his plan.

Shadow was on his feet in that same instant, Mera clutched in his huge hands—in his rage it appeared that he’d forgotten he even held her. “Mera needs to return to the library.” The glare he leveled on Reece would have made a normal male cry. “You should have told us how serious the situation was.”

Reece and Shadow didn’t fight a lot, but when they did, the worlds felt it.

“I didn’t know for sure,” Reece said, almost sounding weary. “And in all honesty, I need your help. Not even I can deal with this alone. I knew Mera would never stay behind, and if this comes to pass and the ancients rise, the worlds will be absorbed by their greed. And if Death is truly a possibility… Nowhere is safe.”

“They will all rage,” I said softly.

Reece nodded. “Yes. I’ve felt their fury at being trapped for my entire existence. Not just their fury, but also the way they see no reason or logic. Nothing will stop them from consuming it all.”

His words hung heavy in the tent, and even though Shadow’s unhappy expression hadn’t lifted, he didn’t protest Mera’s presence here again.

We all understood what Reece was saying: there was no safe place. Not when it came to ancient gods that could walk all the worlds.

Our only shot was to work together and prevent this from even beginning.

For in this case, the beginning could very well be the end.