“The desert, when the sun comes up...I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began.”  

Tom Hank

 

 

 

 

    The blistering sun was reigning high in the cloudless sky, nurturing the heavy atmosphere with it unremitting sunbeams. Some parched cadavers of unidentifiable animals were scattered on the barren floor. Once in a while, a dust devil was breaking the relentless silence. And it is in the middle of the scarce oasis, that we resume the tale of our odyssey. 

 

Indeed, a nomad camp, attuned to these extreme weather conditions, was set up in the endless desert somewhere near the frontier with the Mountain Kingdom. Or rather with the formerly Mountain Kingdom should I say because now, all that remained were only ashes and mountainous reliefs. However, unlike the Snow Kingdom’s disappearance, there were more than just one survivor. Umji and Yuju have in fact, fortunately and successfully managed to escape the flames. After having walked for hours without stopping, something different from sand dune finally came into sight. It them as a mirage at first since it was too good to be true. However, the nomad camp wasn’t fictitious but very real indeed. At the sight of the camp’s herd, Umji spared a thought for the old shepherd couple who had found her in the forest and since then treated her as their own daughter until their death. She was only seven years old when they passed away but their philanthropy was such that they left an indelible mark in Umji’s memory. 

The nomads didn’t appear to be surprised by the sudden appearance of two errant human beings. On the contrary, Umji swore she even caught a glimpse of lassitude in their eyes. And what intriguing eyes ! They were bloodshot and the usual white area around the iris was grey umber. What was strange was that they all had that same distinctive feature from the youngest to the oldest. Umji noticed Yuju’s insecurity too when she suddenly felt Yuju grab her hand and subconsciously squeezed it strongly. Or maybe was Yuju trying to reassure her ? Anyway, Umji quickly disregarded her worries by ascribing that genetic mutation to the recurrent sandstorms. That same reason would also explain why the nomads’ mouths were hidden under a scarf. Furthermore, Umji caught the eyes of a little boy looking at her and when their eyes met, the smile drawing on his face made her break the ice. Yuju was somehow surprised that Umji was the first one to break the silence but her open mouth quickly turned into a proud smile. 

 

Hello everyone, I am Umji and this is Yuju. We were looking for the nearest village but I think we get lost. So, could you give us shelter in the mean time please ? We promise you that we will leave tomorrow. 

 

Umji didn't reveal everything because on one hand she wasn't sure they would believe her and on the other hand she wasn't sure of the reaction they would have towards people from another kingdom. Who knows ? Maybe they hated citizens of the Mountain Kingdom for the war they waged on the Snow Kingdom. The position of the Sun Kingdom regarding the war was still unknown to them. Therefore, even if the Sun kingdom was surely unbiased, Umji found it better not to give it a try. 

 

Which village were you heading to ? - One of the man asked without warning. 

 

Umji knew nothing - except the name - about the Sun Kingdom. Hopefully, Yuju came to her aid: 

 

We were heading to Shamash Polis. - Yuju recalled.

 

Yuju has indeed heard her parents speaking about it several time as they were storekeepers and that Shamash Polis was an important place of business. Even though she had never seen her parents again since they left for another business trip several years ago, she got all the information about the Sun Kingdom from them. 

 

Shamash Polis ? - the befuddle man reacted and Yuju thought that she has misspoken the name but then he resumed: It is not any village, it is the capital ! 

 

All the nomads seemed flabbergasted but they kept quiet. 

 

Yes I know. I don’t know why I used the term village. Anyway that’s where we were heading. We have some stuff to do there.

 

Now they were all confound. Hopefully, the man broke the awkward silence: 

 

Well, Umji and Yuju we are gladly