The desert sands whipped across the dunes and settled onto unprotected eyes. The new kid, Helios, a fresh 16 year old finally approved by the elders groaned as the sand pierced his eyes. 

Mylisant watched as Helios tried his best to rub the sand out, but he made no progress. 

She chuckled a bit to herself. She had done the same on her first mission. Mylisant arose from her place on the sands and walked over to the boy and crouched in front of him.

"[color=9e005d]Hey[/color]," she said, placing her hand over his wrist. Her voice was muffled through the cloth she draped over her nose. He squinted at her. She sighed, shaking her head. She pulled out a rag and poured a tiny bit of water over it. "[color=9e005d]Here[/color]," she offered Helios the rag. 

He hesitantly took it, pressing it against his eyes. 

"[color=9e005d]Next time, bring something to cover your face. I think you'd hate the taste of sand worse than this.[/color]" 

She could feel the leader's stare pasted onto her back. 

"Mylisant!" he barked for her presence. Mylisant sighed and turned, meeting eyes with Yumerah. He pulled the cloth from his nose, revealing his rugged beard and beastly face. "Caravan coming. Get to your station." 

Mylisant held back an eye roll and nodded, positioning herself behind a large sand dune that looked over the road leading to Ybella. 

She waited.

A noble caravan peaked over the setting sun. 

Mylisant's heard surged through her chest. No, no, it couldn't be Aezilia. The Adrietts never leave the palace, Aezilia told her that herself. 

It was a mainland style caravan, complete with a fancy wooden carriage, a coach, and actual [i]horses[/i]. It was useless for long term rides within the desert.

As the carriage slowly trotted towards Mylisant, she could see the symbol of one of the houses that supervises magical oppression among the common people. 

[i][color=9e005d]What are they doing in the desert?[/color][/i] Mylisant asked herself. 

She gripped one of her throwing knives tight and peaked over the dune, looking for the signal. 

A flash of light appeared for a brief second to the east. 

Mylisant raced towards the back of the carriage, kicking up sand behind her. Though she saw none of the others on the mission, she kept on until she reached the back and hooked onto it, hanging off the side. 

Slowly, the others crawled from their hiding places with hesitant looks on their faces. 

She saw Yumerah signal for her to incapacitate the coach. 

Mylisant nodded, climbing on top of the carriage. She lightly slinked down behind the driver before pressing a knife against his neck. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist. She could feel him go stiff. "[color=9e005d]Stop the carriage if you wish to live[/color]," she whispered menacingly in his ear. 

With shaking hands, the driver pulled on the reigns, stopping the horses.

[i]"What was that? Why are we stopping?"[/i] Mylisant heard a woman's voice complain on the inside. Mylisant rolled her eyes. Sounded like a pompous powdered-wig noblewoman. 

Mylisant turned her head, checking to see that everyone was in their positions. The others all had cross bows and swords poised at the door. 

[i]"Don't worry, darling. I'll see what's happened."[/i]

Mylisant rolled her eyes. A knight to save the damsel.

"Jameson, why on Munti's earth have you--"

The man stopped in his tracks at the sight of swords and crossbows pointed at his face.

"So glad you could join us," Yumerah said in his sarcastically kind voice. "Why don't you introduce us to your lady friend?"

The man's eyes widened. In an effort to get away, he stumbled back into the door frame and hit the back of his head. He crumbled to the ground, clutching his skull and groaning in agony. 

Yumerah rolled his eyes. "Guess we have to introduce ourselves."

After dragging out the noblewoman kicking and screaming, they tied the trio up and set them in front of the carriage in a line to be questioned. 

Yumerah waved Mylisant over as she watched the noblewoman begin to weep. He leaned down and whispered in her ear: "You handle this one."

Mylisant's eyes widened. Could it be that Yumerah was actually starting to trust her now? Yes, Jergal did help sway the will of the others, but he did little to nothing when it came to Yumerah. 

Mylisant nodded, turning towards their captives. She crouched a safe distance away from them and pulled down the cloth from her nose.

"[color=9e005d]What are pretty little pampered nobles like you doing here?[/color]" She said in her sweet voice. It sounded like she was talking to a child. She might as well have been. 

All three kept their eyes trained down. 

Mylisant waddled a little bit closer.

"[color=9e005d]You can tell me. I'm your [i]friend[/i].[/color]" It was an easy scare tactic. Usually made the peasants wandering around the sand soil their pants. But the nobles had a stoic pride that was not easily broken. 

The nobleman seemed fixated on the sand near Mylisant's feet. Mylisant sighed.

She suddenly kicked the sand into the nobleman's eyes and surged forward while he gasped in pain, taking hold of his collar. 

"[color=9e005d]Tell me [i]now.[/i] Or else we take everything you have and leave you all to turn to dust after weeks of thirst and hunger[/color]," Mylisant snarled.

The man looked up into her eyes. He spat onto her face and then hung his head. 

Mylisant stood, containing her anger. She wiped the spit off her face and ordered, "[color=9e005d]Strip the carriage down and take the horses.[/color]"

The others started moving but the woman cried out. "No! Please, please, ma'am, please hear us out!"

The crew stopped moving with a flick of Mylisant's hand. 

"[color=9e005d]'Ma'am'? I like the sound of that.[/color]" Mylisant crouched in front of the woman. 

"Please, we just came because we heard rumors that Mylisant still roams the desert!" Mylisant stopped breathing. She could feel all eyes turn to her. "We just wanted to see her ghost, please, [i]please[/i], spare us." 

Mylisant's fingers twitched. 

"[color=9e005d]Get out.[/color]"

The woman frowned. 

"[color=9e005d]I said: [i]Get. Out[/i].[/color]"

Mylisant cut the ropes holding them back. 

They sat in stunned silence, staring at Mylisant. 

"[color=9e005d][i]GET OUT![/i][/color]"

Mylisant's orders startled all three into scrambling into the carriage. 

"[color=9e005d][i]I never wanna see your ugly asses in the desert again![/i][/color]"

Mylisant cut the reigns to one of the horses. "[color=9e005d]I'm taking this as an entry fee. Now leave before I take the other horse.[/color]"

The caravan swiftly turned and rode back to Ybella. 

Mylisant turned to Yumerah. They made eye contact, a silent understanding passing between the two.

"Head back home," Yumerah's voice bombed against the dunes. "Mylisant gets the horse."

Mylisant climbed on top of the horse, the others trailing after her as the sun started to sink below the sands.

~~~

The little children all crowded around the horse, their stubby little fingers trying to grasp for it's tail.

Mylisant giggled, but eventually had to shoo them away.

Mylisant guided the horse to a pillar near her tent and tied it's reigns to it. She eventually retired into her tent to sleep. 

She woke to Yumerah's voice asking her to come outside the tent. She groaned, squinting her eyes up at the tent. It was still dark outside. Why would he be waking up her up at this time? They haven't done night raids in a month. 

Mylisant crawled outside the tent and stood before Yumerah. 

"Please, come sit," Yumerah said as he sat near the horse. 

Mylisant hesitantly sat beside him.

They stared at the stars in silence until Yumerah finally gathered up the courage to speak. 

"Why'd you run earlier than signaled?"

Mylisant frowned. "[color=9e005d]I didn't. I saw your flash of light to the east and did as I was ordered.[/color]"

Yumerah sighed. He became silent for what seemed like hours.

"A few nights ago, Jergal came to me in my sleep."

Mylisant tensed up. She hadn't heard from Jergal since the sand stopped growing eyes. 

"He told me that a sign was coming. He didn't say what, or when, just that it was coming." 

Mylisant snorted. "[color=9e005d]So you're telling me that a little flicker of light is a [i]sign?[/i][/color]"

Yumerah nodded his head. 

Mylisant sighed. 

Yumerah untied the reigns tying the horse to the pillar and placed the reigns in her hands. 

"What shall you name it?"

Mylisant paused, looking down at the sands before meeting his stare again. "[color=9e005d]I was thinking Aezil.[/color]" 

Yumerah smiled. "Go follow Fate." 

Mylisant opened her mouth to reply, but Yumerah turned and walked back to his camp before she could say anything. 

Mylisant sighed. She felt like Fate's whore. One minute she's all that matters in the world, the next she's another broken toy in the closet.

She saw something flash in the corner of her eye. Mylisant turned to find a small orb of light floating a distance away. She couldn't be sure but it felt like...like it was [i]staring[/i] at her. 

It glides forward and swirled around her and Aezil, acting as if it wanted to play. 

Mylisant laughed as it continued to circle them in a playful matter. She reached out to touch it, but it coward away.

"[color=9e005d]No, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you[/color]," she assured. 

The ball of light zipped off into the desert before stopping and seemingly turning around. It bounced up and down. It wanted Mylisant to follow it. 

After collecting her weapons and a pig skin to hold water, she mounted Aezil and raced after the orb.