Chapter 5

The wonderful wizard of oz...

Reading it, visualizing it, even thinking about it and at times even dreaming about it, just ain't the same as walking into it. IT'S FUCKING HOT HERE!!!

As I slid down the wall to sit and rest I felt as if half my life and soul had been sucked out of me. Ellen and Chris even looked a bit disheveled. Each of us pulled back the hoods on our cloaks. They looked very much like the ones worn in the Star Wars movies. They kept the sun off and that was what was important, otherwise your brain would fry like an egg very quickly. We had been here about three hours and still hadn't found the start of the Adventure. Every time we asked someone about an expedition to a city the individual would look or glance at Ellen and or Chris and mumble something about not knowing anything then turn away. It seemed to me that they would almost run from us. Obviously, something is not right. Why are they running and why are they almost fearful of Chris and Ellen? It doesn't make any sense. Not yet anyway.

"Ladies? What do you make of this? They don't seem to give me a second glance but they damn sure are aware of both of you."

Ellen looked to Chris, who shook her head in the negative, then looked back to me, and said. "We have no idea what is going on either. I am not sure why they are afraid of us. It is as if they have been warned away from us. Valerian's have not been seen here in close to two hundred years. According to the records it has been almost that long since one of us has been to Sandstorm. The records didn't mention anything being wrong or that something bad had happened, their just was not any adventures being taken here." After looking around and wiping her brow on her shirt sleeve she continued. "Let us face it, it is rather warm here, and I'm a little uncomfortable."

Chris and I started laughing as did Ellen herself. I simply nodded then and said, "Yea, it is just a tad uncomfortable." As we sat in the shade contemplating our next move we passed a canteen around between us. As the canteen was returned to me I detected movement out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't anyone move fast, just slowly if at all." After saying that they slowly turned toward where I was looking.

"I didn't think they were real, just myths." Ellen whispered.

We all looked at the Griffin seeming to be hiding in the shade looking at us. Or was it looking at me? Its coloring almost exactly matched the color of the sandstone wall that was behind it. If it hadn't been for the movement I probably wouldn't have seen it at all.

"Dallan, why is it looking at you so intently? It seems to follow your every move."

As I started to answer her, we heard a squawk from nearly behind us and I quickly turned to see a young boy staring at the Griffin as he covered his mouth. I turned to look back at the Griffin but it was gone.

How did it disappear so quickly? As I turned back to look at the boy he was staring back at me. Now what? First the griffin and now this boy "In answer to your question a moment ago Chris, I haven't the faintest idea why it was staring at me, anymore than I know why the boy is doing the same." With that comment both ladies looked at the boy.

Chris said, "Now that you mention it he sure is staring at you, and what is really unusual, at least for us here, is that he isn't paying Ellen nor I a bit of attention. Considering what we have been through over the last few hours it just doesn't seem normal at all, nothing does. The locals attitude toward us, the boy and the griffin staring at you, nothing."

I saw Ellen just nodding in agreement. As I sat listening to Chris, I was watching the boy, he seemed to be trying to decide what he should do. He looked at me and then at where the griffin had been standing and back to looking at me. Finally he seemed to make a decision and walked toward me slowly at first but then a little more quickly and with more confidence.

His pants were threadbare in a couple of places and the shirt was a bit baggy and not the cleanest I'd ever seen. Dirt smudges across his forehead and cheeks only added to the overall effect of being unkempt. He stopped and bowed toward me and barely glancing at the ladies returned his attention to me.

"Lord, please allow me to take you to my master. I saw the protector watching you. Please allow me to show you to my master."

"Why would your master want to see us? He doesn't know us."

I stood as did the ladies and we recovered our head with the hood. I looked closer at the boy. "Tell me why a young woman would present herself as an even younger boy?"

Her eyes got big as she quickly looked around, "Please Lord, please don't ever say that!" She quickly took another look around.

I looked to my ladies and they both nodded, "Alright, I'm sorry for making such a mistake young Mr., hmmm, I don't seem to know your name."

"I'm sorry Lord, my name is Salis."

"Well then young Mr. Salis why would your master wish to see us?"

Salis replied, "The protector Lord, he would want to see anyone that a protector watched. We must hurry Lord, he was getting ready to depart on a mission to the 'Lost City'."

Ahhh, this could be our ticket to the adventure. I looked to the ladies and they only shrugged as if to say, my choice. Okay, my choice, "lets go then, Mr. Salis, lead the way."

Salis seemed to lead us the back way, we didn't see anyone walking around. I heard a few window shutters close as we passed them but that was all. I didn't feel nervous or unsettled but both Ellen and Chris seemed a little jumpy as we walked. Salis kept us pretty much in the shade with only an occasional foray into the direct sun. All of which I was very grateful for. Finally we approached the courtyard of a rather large building that could have passed as a small fortress during earlier times back on Earth. As we went through an open gate two guards stepped into our path, stopped us from continuing. Here we go, I just knew it couldn't last.

"You are not allowed entry, go back." Came from the biggest of the two.

Salis replied, "They must see the master, he would want to talk to them. Let us enter."

The large guard turned his head to Salis and laughed as he said, "What would the master want to see you for boy? As for these vagabonds, we are to be his personal guards on this trip. He has no need for more. Especially the likes of these." he said as he looked from one to the other of us. I flipped my hood back as I looked him up and down, yep he was a big boy and if he was a professional as I'm sure he was if he was to be the personal guard of their master then he was way out of my league.

"Ellen, would you like to take care of this, this person?

Ellen started laughing from under her hood, "Oh yes Dallan, I would very much like to take care of this person. How many pieces would you like him in?"

With that the guard pulled his blade from it's sheath, and when his partner started to pull his I told him.

"No, no, no. It's not nice to cheat two on one. At least not until he asks for the help. Just wait a moment until he asks."

Ellen flipped her hood back and as she did she pulled the blade from within the cloak and between her shoulder blades.

I watched the guard, his eyes seemed to get big as he saw the blade emerge. He started toward Ellen when she started to remove the blade. She had the blade free and in a position to protect herself as he reached her and brought his blade around in a sweeping attempt to cut her in half. Which she easily stopped.