I. A lone condor soared abovethe sandy dunes of the Sograt Desert, catching the updraft of the desert sirocco. Up above, the sun mercilessly lanced down its burning rays upon the earth. Down below, a solitary figure wrapped in cloth trudged through the desert.
The man struggled up to the top of a dune, scanned the horizon. He had traveled through the Sograt for days, with no sign of the Temple. His heart sank low as he saw leagues upon leagues of featureless desert stretching out before him.
So...vast.
His hands clutched at his sides, where his water canteen once hung, now discarded many miles behind him after he squeezed the final drops of water from it. He knew he would not last long. Squinting against the shining sands, he began his descent from the dune. And fell face forward onto the burning sand.
The man slid halfway down the dune's slope, dislodging a miniature avalanche. Trembling with effort, he pushed himself up.
"No..." He choked on his weak protest, his mouth too parched for speech. "It can't end here...I can't fail them: Uncle Abd and Spinner...and Venris..." His voice trailed off, unheard save by the uncaring desert. He took a few stumbling steps forward, dragging his feet in the dry dust, and fell again. The heat was too much. The world disappeared but the sun still seemed to dance a permanent pattern etched into his eyelids.
"I can't fail...."
The shadowed sun within his eyes faded away, to be replaced by darkness--cool, soothing oblivion.
Above him, the condor banked, spying a tiny lizard scampering along the hot sands....
Alena: Blogger's commenting system really gets on my nerves, LOL. ANYWAY, hoorah, the beginning of Act 1. And it begins with what looks like impending death. 0_0
