The Map Maker's Journey.

By Michelle Gaffney

Set in a new world made up of desert and large volatile seas, the character and adventure driven story is a 155,000 word sci-fi urban fantasy and is the first of three books. Unpredictable and action packed, the book weaves a tale about exploration, self discovery, complex relationships, friendship, and overcoming the dark forces that try and seduce Rayah into a life of self indulgence and corruption.
Quick-witted, self sufficient, ambitious and extremely curious Rayah Tanney has become a master cartographer and sets out on her maiden voyage into the new world of Illias-Tas to explore the untraveled terrain and its hybrid species and to transcribe her own maps. Having been orphaned at an early age Rayah has a bone to pick with the world. She is determined to prove her worth and is elated to be practicing her trade for the first time in her life. Having always felt different from the other children in her village and being somewhat of a loner she is eager to set herself apart from all the others in her small home town village of Bizantium and prove to them she is more than what they believe her to be. She is keen to travel to places no man would ever dream of travelling and become famous for her expeditions. She has no idea that a chance encounter with the handsome mysterious mancer Zerran Khallray who would save her life more than once, would lead to a series of unusual events that would open Rayah’s eyes once and for all to the art of magic, power, lust and the tragedy of war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michelle Gaffney
• Release date: Oct 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311899989

Michelle Gaffney

Writer/practising artist.Born in Ireland.published and recognised.Find me on twitter as shellyfay1 or join my blog http://thestoneandthescriptbook1.blogspot.ie/

Book preview

Prologue

Quick-witted, self sufficient, ambitious and extremely curious Rayah Tanney has become a master cartographer and sets out on her maiden voyage into the new world of Illias-Tas to explore the untravelled terrain and its hybrid species and to transcribe her own maps. Having been orphaned at an early age Rayah has a bone to pick with the world. She is determined to prove her worth and is elated to be practicing her trade for the first time in her life. Having always felt different from the other children in her village and being somewhat of a loner she is eager to set herself apart from all the others in her small home town village of Bizantium and prove to them she is more than what they believe her to be. She is keen to travel to places no man would ever dream of travelling and become famous for her expeditions. She has no idea that a chance encounter with the handsome mysterious mancer Zerran Khallray who would save her life more than once, would lead to a series of unusual events that would open Rayah's eyes once and for all to the art of magic, power, lust and the tragedy of war.

Rayah discovers within herself a powerful source of magic often referred to by her peers as the art. Alas having no family or friends to turn to about this latest discovery she is frightened and she secrets the discovery of her new found powers, keeping it to her-self. She does not even trust her new acquaintance Zerran with this vital knowledge. However this discovery does not go unnoticed and she soon attracts unwanted attention from many different sources unbeknownst to her.

Soon after these discoveries Rayah decides to travel to the large fortified port city of Barraish-Tan and finds herself in a bit of a tight spot with the city sentries. She is thrown into the dungeons to await her unknown fate. Nevertheless Rayah escapes the filthy dark dungeons and is brought to the attention of the Mighty King Tiberus whilst she is trying to escape. He enthrals her with his riches, rugged good looks and commanding air. Little does Rayah know that the king has other plans for her and he means to manipulate her new found, yet powerful art in order to gain more control over Illias-Tas for himself.

Chapter One

The New World

A cruel heat rose and shimmered forth from the desert sands and made the cerulean horizon skip and turn in a sprightly waltz. A lone figure stood amongst this shimmering heat and waves of sand dunes, lost in the expanse of this unforgiving place. In the distance small sand storms rallied the cobalt horizon and lighting skirted the sky all about her. It was after all the season of sand storms here in Biaula, the desert region and it wouldn't be long now till the biggest of the sand storms would be upon her. She could tell because she could hear the distant shrilling wails that the sand and the wind always made when they capered together. It was a most eerie sound and a sound she hated to hear. She mopped her sweating brow with the back of her hand before raising an ancient pair of binoculars to her eyes. She peered towards the crumbling structures that once made up the outline of a city that in its day would have been a thriving metropolis of vibrancy and commerce. The sand lashed all about her and the lighting struck the ground perilously close to where Rayah stood. The hot air made it laborious to breath. She readjusted the binoculars and she could clearly see that there were a few assorted huts and slums constructed on the outskirts of this decaying metropolis. Now what do we have here," she mumbled to herself as she observed a throng of men roaming the outskirts of the yawing high risers and tarpaulins. She lowered her binoculars slowly and placed them back in their tattered case, fastening the clasp expertly all the while, her eyes never leaving the cityscape. There was a mob of desolates roaming around inside the skeletal scenery of crumbling towers and rubbish heaps and this was not good. When she looked towards her left and towards her right and behind her she could see that the desert went on for a thousand miles. She had no choice this was the shortcut she needed to take in order to get to her next destination. Abandoned cities were not her favourite place to travel through as held hidden threats, dark and shady blind spots and desperate dangerous people. Rayah preferred to keep to herself, she found the more people she had come across in her life the less she had grown to like company. But these sand storms were not going to abate any time soon and she had no food or water left, she must enter the city and try to gather some food and water. She had hoped that she could maybe avoid this task but never the less she readied herself to move on. She crouched down low and moved slowly and cautiously across the burning sand. Her small handgun was bouncing gently off her hip as she stirred. It was quiet possible the people here were hostile. She could not take a chance. She unsheathed her gun as she drew closer to the tumble down make shift dwellings. She could feel drops of sweat cascade from her forehead to her temples and slide down the back of her neck. She could taste the saltiness of her upper lip. Her breathing was laboured and she struggled to remain silent in the stifling heat. She pressed herself against the warm concrete of a fragmented wall and listened to the various blasts of sound emanating from the urban decay. She could tell that people were preparing fires and she could hear them move about in the rubbish tips. She could hear them talk in a language that she had not been schooled in. She peered towards the sun and she understood that from its position in the sky it was seven in the morning, maybe seven thirty. She heard the people in their shacks and tents move about. The sun beat down on her mercilessly and it was a constant reminder that there was no doubt that she was in the Biaula region. She must move into the shade quickly.

The Biaula region was the largest of the deserts situated in the south and it is the largest of deserts ever recorded in the new world and some say the devil roamed its vast lands freely. She shivered slightly at the thought of being here, for this was truly a devastated and haunted land. She was dead center in one of the hottest areas of this hemisphere. She had not intended on coming here but she had found herself here none the less and now she must make the best out of this situation. She must find water and food soon or else she would pass out from dehydration. She skirted swiftly past some more buildings and now she had breached the city walls and she was dead center in this mass of urban decay. She kept moving past the jigsaw of tattered slums and broken down walls, through the winding lanes and past the uninhabited high risers. Eventually she stopped to rest her tired legs and she noticed then that she was standing at a cross roads that seemed to go on for miles and miles. It was very surreal to her to observe the large abandoned street with old traffic lights that were broken and rusted slumped down into cluttered gutters and light posts caked with sand and dust were a ghostly reminder of times gone by. She tried to imagine what life would have being like some few hundred years before, when people walked these streets well attired and well fed, educated people, people with families, people with a purpose. To her it was nigh impossible to reconstruct this image of the bygone days. She heard a noise to her left and she dodged into an old shop and ducked behind a splintered decaying counter top and waited for the people to go by. She stayed clear of the people as much as she could, as it was easier this way. Rayah disliked people immensely for they always wanted something and she believed that most of the time their intentions were not good. When no one passed she slipped out from behind the counter and peeked out unto the concrete sprawl. When the coast was clear she moved on. She found upon some rubbish piles and rooted through them but found nothing except old newspapers rusty cans and broken glass. She cursed in frustration, her head swimming with lightness. Ever more determined and spurred on by her thirst and hunger Rayah continued on searching for she was hopeful that the broken down borough before her would hold some sort of sustenance. It was vital to drink and eat or she would not be able to carry on. Alas having found herself here in the Biaula region she knew that this was going to be a challenge for her.

This was a violent part of the world. Indeed, this was a hapless place for the land was treacherous and distraught by the Great War that happened many moons ago. This war had an irreversible effect on the land and certainly the people also. As she searched the streets an old tattered memory bubbled up from avenues of her mind, it was the story of the Great War her mother and father used to tell her. This chronicle was always told to her and her brother dearest in front of a warm fire with woolen socks slipped upon chubby feet and a cup of hazel milk warming small chubby digits. She could hear her parent's voices now, soft and deep as the words formed effortlessly in her ears and slipped out from the deep set pockets of her brilliant memory. The images as fresh and as clear as if it were happening in the moment. And as always it was Rayah's father, who always started this story first,

This war had happened many years ago, before your mothers time Rayah, or before her mother's time before that.

This bedtime yarn always began with these rehearsed and repeated words.

Two powerful kings once ruled the earth Rayah. And one fatal day they had a disagreement over the land and how the land should be ruled. The king of the north was called Orazlas he was an ill-tempered and spoiled king. He desired all Rayah. His soul was as black as the night. He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He wanted all the wealth in the world. Alas the more he got the more he desired, nothing could please him, he always wanted more, more gold, more oil, more land. The people feared him for he loved only death. War was a sport for him. Yes, he was a callous and envious king. The other was a fair and patient king and much loved by his people. He was the king of the south. King Fardha desired only peace and prosperity among his kingdom. There was no illness in this empire and everyone was equal. It was told that the king would visit his citizens from time to time and bless them with food and coin. He would solve disputes easily so all parties would be satisfied. He was truly a righteous and God fearing King. Inevitably these two kings could not reach a truce and King Fardha fearing what would happen to his people if Orzalas reined, declared war. The south and the north went to the battlefield. Great armies marched the land and their footsteps caused the earth to shake. They fought for many days and many weeks and thousands of innocents died.

Then Rayah could hear her mother speak.

Eventually my child it got so that that the both armies had perished and the two kings faced one another and they fought till their demise. It is heard that when the two kings collided the world lit up as it never had before. A spectacular white light curtained the earth and a great wind came and tore the trees from the soil. It turned the buildings to ash and dust. Factories all over the world exploded causing great devastation. The rivers and seas of the world were poisoned. The soil was poisoned and so therefore the animals that grazed on the land also died of poisoning. Vegetation did not thrive anymore Rayah and when it did it was a mutated species of what it had being once before. People ate these mutated vegetables and became sick and died. Nothing remained the same. All was changed and all was different. This great light and great wind killed millions, both human and animal alike! Great disease spread through the world killing an uncountable amount of the populace. A great evil settled over the world like a blanket. Innocent people died in great pain and in vain my little Rayah and we must never let that happen again my beautiful child.

And then just as quickly as her mother and father had appeared they would disappear from her memory again. Their memory would fade and Rayah was taken back to reality again rooting through rubbish tips like a vagrant. And as she looked around the tall buildings that lay empty and desolate she was reminded of just how the Great War makes the world still suffer and how the people and animals were very much changed. Indeed she presumed that this awful horrible tragedy and its effects that happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago would never be forgotten for generations to come.

Rayah surveyed this sandy dry land and she wished more than anything than instead of dust and desert there were forests and forest all around and that the mountains were filled with sweet brooks and streams. And placid animals such as deer would drink from these brooks and travel the meandering land in peace. And that there was fresh water that flowed from the rivers and within these waters there would be fish. Great big silver fish, plumb and healthy and ready to be caught. And meadows she wished for meadows, like in the picture books her mother had shown her, meadows with splotches of wild flowers here and there and wild herbs too. Rayah sighed, as this wishful thinking would get her nowhere. The destruction of the war was as clear to her now standing in this ravaged desert. And this was no ordinary war, this was a war of great magic and energy, more energy than one could ever imagine. It is said in the lost history, that some warriors and people who stood within twenty miles of the final battle had been burned to their very flesh and the flesh burned from their bones and their bones turned to a fine white dust. No content in this earth was left untouched by the Great War. Rayah rooted through piled of debris in an empty room in one of the abandoned buildings and still she found nothing. She dragged her hands over her tired face. She was only sixteen but she looked a lot older because of all the many days spent in this sun-drenched land, a very bad diet and a lot of sleepless nights. She stood with her back to the blazing sun and in the distance she spied a couple of people milling through some of the broken down buildings. They were scavenging like her also. Her belly lurched painfully with hunger but she would have to grin and bear it, she turned in a different direction, trying to avoid the scavengers.

She was beginning to tire when she found upon a large warehouse and riffled through some old boxes. Every movement she made was a struggle and all she really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and fall asleep here. Suddenly she heard a squeaky voice speak from behind her, Oi, Oi, what do we have here, you ain't one of us is you? Rayah stood up slowly and turned towards the man. He stood in the doorway of where she had just entered. Dust swarmed all around him and she could not make out his features. None-the-less she smiled at him and began to speak but the man had seen enough and began to shout, intruder, intruder and she is armed, intruder. Rayah picked up a dusty brick that lay at her feet and pelted it at the screaming stranger. She never missed and the small skinny man fell backwards as the corner of the brick hit him hard in the side of the head. She made to run away but the entrance had now been blocked by a number of people who were all scowling at her and they were all holding weapons. One man who was exceptionally large in size pushed through the door frame and moved towards her, he was holding a large steel pipe. Rayah licked her parched lips and spoke no need to get aggressive my man, I just want to pass through here quietly. The man grunted and spat on the ground, 'Not so easy to pass through here, he spoke in a strong easterly accent, this our city you pay if want to pass, you pay with that. The man pointed at the azure amulet that hung around Rayah's neck. It was her only possession that was worth anything, an heirloom given to her by her mother. The large man's eyes grew round with greed as he observed it. You beat young Vyarah too I see poor, poor Vyarah, he my brother's boy. That mean you definitely pay with shiny thing or life, I not fussy. He bounced the pipe up and down on his flat palm, a hollow and dangerous sound it made. She studied the man with the thick easterly accent and tried to talk to him. With whom do I speak with? The man laughed out loud. You no need to know my name, I no need to learn yours, no point anyways, might have to kill you if you don't pay you know. She was out numbered surely. A ray of light poured through a large grimy window and landed at her feet. Rayah bowed to the man and smiled as she spoke her next sentence, You will have to catch me first sir. And with that she jumped through the window that was next to her, the glass shattered and speared through the air. She landed on her hands and knees and little nuggets of glass ground painfully into the skin of her palms and knees. She lifted herself up and ran until the shouts of the men gradually became fainter in her ears but they would still try and hunt her and she still had no food.

She hid on a rooftop of a smaller building that was sandwiched between the taller buildings. They provided shade from the scorching sun. To pass the time she picked the glass from her knees and palms and she even found some in her scalp. And when she had finished that she pulled parchments from her silver vile and she began to sketch the few buildings and dwellings onto her silky parchment. She pulled out her compass and ruled out the co-ordinates of this ramshackle place. She counted nine high risers and further fifty or so shacks or dwellings and about seven skyscrapers and several other decrepit buildings. Rayah was a mapmaker. Cartography was her trade and one she loved very much. It allowed her to travel the world with free passage and sanctioned her to experience the new flora and fauna in detail. And as a mapmaker it was her duty to record and trace every last detail of this ruptured landscape. Every last element had to be measured, traced and studied acutely. Rayah was a perfectionist and so each and all of these broken lines that were left behind by the heathen war were dictated to parchment and drawing pads. In this time people were forever curious of how the earth lay since it had changed so much and so she made her currency by doing this. Night came and she moved closer to the edge of the building peering down into the desolate streets There seemed to be no-one about so she crawled quietly over the rooftops making her way to the shacks on the outskirts of the city. She observed the actions of the people below her. If she could not hunt then she would let the vagrants below do the hunting for her. She was an opportunist and sometimes preferred the prospect of food to come to her instead of the other way around. And even though it was night time it was still very hot and she did not feel like exerting herself too much. She waited on the rooftops above the squalled slums listening to the people. Her mouth was as dry as a bone. If she didn't drink in the next hour or two she was finished. She heard the outrage in the people's voices as they spoke of the wretch that got away. She smirked as she listened to the story of how the skinny wretch dived through a window and ran at speeds of a leopard and the blood she left behind her was green, like that of a demons and she had eyes as black of coal, as black as the devil, and no doubt it was the devil one toothless old crone swore. Rayah chuckled to herself as their stories amused her. She heard a sound to her left. It was a man walking alone. She knew this by the heavy fall of his footsteps. She scaled across several rooftops quickly to where the sound was coming from and down below her there was indeed a man walking alone and he had a brown sac bag slung across his shoulders and Rayah could smell flesh on the air. She dare not make a single movement for fear of catching unwanted attention. She wanted this to be easy and precise, concise in its nature, but most of all she wanted to retreat quickly if needs be with a clear path. Her eyes calculated the area around her. She began counting the steps it would take to leave the city and retreat back to the desert. Her breath caught in her chest. She was afraid the sound of her churning stomach would be heard on the still night air. The man moved slowly through the dark streets. Her mouth was filling with saliva. She clenched her stomach muscles tightly to try and silence the sounds it was making. Now was her chance she jumped from the roof silently and landed on top of the man, knocking him to the ground. She unsheathed her gun quickly and efficiently. She bore over him, her gun pointing straight in-between his eyes. The man whimpered and his eyes were bulging with fear. He scurried along the dusty ground on his elbows, pushing himself further away from Rayah as she followed him with her gun. He was not going to get away but Rayah let him have his hope. This poor soul began hyperventilating and crying. Rayah pushed the gun into the thin flesh of his forehead, but did not shoot him right there and then. It was easier just to frighten him this way for she disliked attracting attention and the sound of a gunshot would most definitely draw unwanted interest. No it was better to move swiftly and quietly along. She looked over her shoulder to see if she had been spotted at this time but still she remained unwatched. No faces with peering eyes spied upon her, none she could see anyway. The man was crying and uttering insignificant prayers; tears ran down his face and glimmered in the dull night light. Give me that bag and your water can, and you shall be spared, she hissed urgently. His long arms stretched out and every sinew strained over his tight skin, he shook violently in his fear, clumsily handing her the bag, and then the deal was sealed. She grabbed the squirming bag slung it over her shoulder, turned around swiftly and ran away quietly, eager to put distance between the lone victim. She raced past the buildings and out into the desert sands. She scurried up and over the sand dunes and crouched low. When she was confident she was out of sight she peeked out over the tops of the dunes towards the city and she saw the orange flames of torches swing back and forth in the pool of the night-light. They were looking for her no doubt but they would not find her. She roamed about slowly for a bit putting distance between her-self and the city. She came upon an old broken highway. It had huge potholes and parts of the road had been so dismantle that it rose up in jagged tooth like shards, making it virtually impossible. She was exhausted by the exertion but pleased with her stolen bounty and thankful also that she was safe. She sat at the side of the road and happily ate the meaty morsels for God knows when or where the opportunity for her next meal would arise from.

Regrettably there was no rest for the wicked and Rayah must keep going. She must travel in the night when the desert was cooler. After she had finished her tasty morsel she set off immediately eager to get to her next destination. She had being walking for a few hours when the bleary sun began to rise in the sky. The early morning rays were kissing the sands and already making it hot. She continued along the road for a while with the sun beating down on her head and her thoughts jumped from one thing to another. She must continue on her way. This road would take her a small part of the way at least. What would lie in wait for her in the nights and days that were to follow? Her maps, she must continue with them. She must perceiver. It was her dream to become the best mapmaker ever told of. She had oft heard people talk of the large city north of this savage land. The city she wanted to get to. She took out her compass, she was heading directly north and this pleased her. Yes she must go there. There was money in maps today and maybe she could sell her work and earn some Ruben, after all people were always curious. Rayah stilled her movement because she heard the low distant rumble of a vehicle coming from the south. She smiled cruelly as the opportunity of another steal was presenting itself. After a while the shimmering hazy image of a man riding a large hog slowly came into view. The man, she could see had no teeth, he was sporting a string vest with yellow stains from body odour, he had a bald head that had such a shine to it, it looked like it had being waxed. The robust man leered down on Rayah with a big sleazy smile and pulled over on the side of the sandy road. Rayah turned and gave him an inviting smile. The man looked all around him and then dismounted from his vehicle. She beckoned to him and laughed playfully. She liked what she saw; this man's possession could make her travelling very easy. The easier it was to travel the more ground she covered, which meant the more maps she could detail and subsequently earn more money. The man nodded his head and a goofy smile played on his lips. But there was something sinister lurking behind this man's smile. He was rather rough looking and his appearance did not look very friendly. Rayah smiled warmly even though she had spied the large hunting dagger he had hidden in his boot. The brute spoke, now what is a little girl doing out here all by her lonesome, ain't ya scared little girl? Rayah giggled. The man moved closer, if you are real nice and do as I say little girl maybe now just maybe I will let you live, the man pulled the dagger out from his boot very quickly, ''this here is my old friend, his name is Charlie, pretty soon little girl you and him is gonna be singing a sweet song for me. And with that the man laughed and lunged for Rayah. As quick as lightening she sidestepped him turned and aimed her gun. She placed a bullet in the man's head. Blood splattered across Rayah's face and chest but this girl did not even blink as she performed this action. Her eyes were on the prize and on the prize only. Rayah observed the beautiful vehicle before her, a long sleek silver hog. She stepped over the dead man's body and walked over to this beautiful shiny piece of machinery. This mode of transport was equipped with twin engines, leather saddling and a sheep's skull attached to the front. Rayah traced her fingers against the immaculate finishings of the vehicle. Its silver body glistened in the sun's rays. What a fine morning this was turning out to be indeed! She mounted the vehicle, throwing her legs over it and observing all the different dials and buttons. She traced her hands over them lovingly. But she was aghast to know the mechanisms of what she saw before her, as she had never driven a vehicle in her life. Now how do I get this thing going, she mumbled to herself, how do I work these dials and buttons?" She had never in her wildest dream thought that she would be driving a vehicle like this at any time of her life. She clasped the key in-between her long slender fingers and turned it. It trumpeted to a start surprising Rayah somewhat but she quickly forgot her nervousness. She moved the handlebars to the left and right and understood the front wheel moved in co-ordinates with this. Secondly she discovered she could move the handlebars forward and backwards in a rotating movement and as she did this the engine sputtered and roared. Some of the hands in the dials seemed to slide up and down when Rayah did this. But still the hog would not move. She looked down and discovered that the vehicle was leaning on a small stand she kicked the silver stand back and it clipped into its rightful position. She slipped the vehicle into gear and turned the handles. The hog lurched forward and with it so did Rayah. She fell off the bike twice finding it hard to combine her balance as the vehicle moved, but she persisted and soon it was smooth sailing. She was now driving into the blazing sun without a hitch. She did not give any thought to the man who was dead before he hit the ground.

Chapter Two

Rayah travelled further into the desert along the broken road for the longest of time, enjoying the scenery and she was even enjoying the hot breeze on her face. She noticed that the sky ahead and turned a weak mustard colour and the murky orange horizon had begun to descend slowly into an inky black night sky. It would be dark in less than an hour. She pulled up beside a charred cactus plant and made ready her bed for sleep. All that had taken place within the last twenty-four hours had tired her very much. But still she was happy, she was doing what she wanted to do, travelling make making, she had food in her stomach and a water can that was half full, what more could a girl want. As she lay with the warm sand on her back she stared at the vacant murky sky above her. Rayah's mother had once told her of how a moon used to shine like an angels face in the sky. She also told Rayah of how the moon had stars for its company in the night sky. Rayah had loved hearing these stories once upon a time and she add always marveled at her mother's knowledge about all the planets. Her mother understood how things worked. She told her of how old this planet was, and that some stars and planets could be even older than the earth. She explained how old astrology was and she also taught Rayah about all the different elements and components that the stars were made up of. She showed Rayah with her ancient books how very vast space was believed to be, that one could never possibly travel all of it even if one tried. She closed her eyes to imagine these beautiful clusters glistening and winking at the people below them. Her father had told her that the many stars that bejeweled the night sky were the many pathways leading to heaven. And each falling star represented a soul that has passed through onto the other side. It agonized Rayah that she was ignorant of such a heavenly miracle, for now in this time you could not see the sky in its unearthly beauty at night. Pollution and dust that had risen into the sky from the explosions caused by the Great War had masked the earth like an ozone layer surrounding the world and blotting out the night sky. Rayah wondered where her mother and father were now. She missed her parents greatly and it saddened her that she could never tell them about all that she had seen in her travels or all that she had learned about. She sighed and pushed these painful memories to one side, letting the quietness of the desert and the soft howls of the crying saradom rock her to sleep. Rayah had learned to embrace these quiet nights. She slept fearlessly in the dark danger of the menacing night with her pistol by her side.

A low whisper crept across the face of the desert. In her sleepy state she at first did not recognize the warning sound. She rose slowly and wiped the sleep from her eyes. She cocked her head to one side and concentrated on the eerie sound. The sand storm was upon her at last! She had forgotten about the storms with all that had gone on. She had to get away fast or else the sand would encapsulate her and she would suffocate and be buried by the tumultuous menace that was closing in on her. Gathering her belongings swiftly she leapt to the hog and wasted no time in making a quick start. A few seconds could easily save her life. Before her lay the Oshea-Te Mountains and that would be her refuge. She must reach them with haste. She turned briefly to look at these hurricanes of sand as the danced all around the desert surface. She could tell that it would not be long till there would be upon her. The sky had changed colour and the air pressure had dropped considerably and the low whistling of the winds was beginning to become deafening. The sand closed in all around her and she began to lose sight of the mountains. The swirling whirlwinds of sand danced around her course. There were some that were small in size and there were others that flanked the sky. Some crossed her path and she tried her best to weave in and out of their spiraling forms as best she could. These numerous hurricanes were causing the sand to rise from the desert ground and fly into the air, blocking her view from everything. The grains of sand skipped across her face and left small cuts on her cheeks. Her knuckles were stripped clean of her sallow skin and her eyes were begging to burn from the sand grit. She could barely see where she was going. The desert sand was beginning to impact her nostrils. Her head was spinning from the lack of oxygen and she could feel herself lose her much-needed grip. She was not sure if she was still heading for the mountains because of the low visibility. Her eyes began to close and it was only the sensation of the wheels of her hog bumping over craggy rock that roused her from her sleepy state. She had managed to emerge from the swallowing sand and onto the limestone sheets that formed the foot of these expansive and glorious mountains. She could breathe a sigh of relief for now. She looked all about her and she could see that she had entered a huge rocky gorge. It appeared to her that no light reached this rocky gorge as the air was somewhat cooler and sweeter and the rocks in the gorge still retained a dark grey colour and had not been bleached by the sun. She looked behind her and she could see that the sandstorms still raged. When she felt she was far enough away from them she dismounted her hog and watched in awe as the winds lifted and tossed the sand violently around and several hurricanes swiveled before her, it was a most frightening yet beautiful display that she had ever seen. She rested there for a while not sure what to do next. She had noticed that there was a steep incline carved into the stone by her left hand side and she decided that this was the best route to take for now. She knew that the sandstorms could rage on like this for another couple of days and it made no sense to her to wait them out when she could be doing other things like exploring. Wearily she began an uphill climb into the untravelled terrain of the mountain.

As Rayah climbed the craggy pathways of the mountain she began to remember the tales her map master had told her over and over again. They were stories about huge ferocious animals, unidentifiable creatures that lived here, dangerous unstable pathways and of course she was also aware of the many people who had only travelled so far into the mountain and had never returned home. Legend had it that the mountains become too dangerous and steep to explore after a certain height. She was immediately attentive to any sound or rustle in the scrub for the noises were very alien to her and she became very nervous. She stopped and took a small sip from her precious water can and sat for a while. A mouse ran out from a dried bushel and slipped under some stones. She walked on a bit further and she came across deep whooping noises that frightened the life out of her. Eventually she could see that these noises were coming from weird monkey like creatures climbing the rocks all about her. Some snarled at her and she threw rocks at them and hissed at them to frighten them away. But they did not retreat fully and they watched her with their beady red eyes and blue faces. She took her drawing pads from their silver canticles and began to depict these weird creatures and their habitats. She drew their long colourful faces, the broad shoulders of the male monkey and then she depicted the mothers who held their young so close to their bosom. A large male sauntered down from a craggy shelf and beat his chest shaking his main of white hair at the same time. He curled his lips up and bore his yellow and very sharp canines at her and she decided it was time to move on. The monkey like creatures eventually deteriorated into the background. She took her compass out and took note of her co-ordinates. She was still on track. She sat down and groaned she had not realized how very tired and sore she was. Her limps ached and her body cried out for sleep. She looked at her swollen hands. They were badly cut and in some parts the skin had been stripped completely from her knuckles. But she could not wash her wounds, as that would be a waste of valuable water. Instead she just wrapped her knuckles up with a red rag that she kept around her neck. She looked around at the bare cliff faces and the barren slabs of rocks all around her. She decided that her prospects of leaving the mountains today were not at present logical. It isn't so bad here at least it is somewhat cooler than that blasted desert, she mumbled to herself. The air did smell clearer here and somewhat sweeter on the mountain side after all and she decided to carry on a while to look for shelter for she was so very tired. After a while it became too laborious to push the hog anymore. She decided to leave it behind, I will just travel up this way for a bit just to see if there are any other strange creatures or any small cave that I may rest in, after my rest I will return to my hog, she promised herself. She spoke to herself once more for she felt rather lonely among these huge stony giants. The view was spectacular from this height but it was something that did not interest Rayah for she was born of the desert and had become quiet accustomed to its harsh beauty. She wanted to see something different. She wanted to sketch and draw and collect. But nothing of interest presented itself on this craggy terrain.

She climbed for another half an hour or more and found herself on a large fat slab of stone and a wall of rock surround her but to her delight she saw a large gaping hole in the rock face. And through it she did enter, casting caution to the cool mountain air. She found herself in a very dark cave. Her curiosity getting the better of her she travelled further into the unknown environs. She turned one corner too many and soon she had lost her way. The light had receded from the cave and she became somewhat confused. She cursed and fumbled around in the dark haplessly. By now she was in complete darkness and the cave smelt damp and rotten, it had taken on a sinister atmosphere. She felt panic rise and as she reached about blindly her hands landed on something warm, furry and low and behold it was breathing. She bit her lower lip to stop her-self from screaming and began to back away from whatever it was she had just found upon. This creature began to growl then it began to move. It sniffed the air about it and began to bluster. Rayah turned on her heel and ran with the speed of lightening away from the creature. She did not exactly know where she was running too and she did not care. She just wanted to get away from the thing in the cave. She her relief she saw a dim light in the distance and ran towards it. She could hear the creature move with great speed behind her. She ran as fast as her tired body would allow her towards the opening of the cave. Something was crunching beneath her booted feet and as she looked down she saw that they were bones scattered all over the cave floor. She cursed herself for having not noticed them before. She darted out of the cave and ran down the path she had just travelled up, slipping and sliding along the deep recline. She could hear the creature's heavy footsteps and laboured breathing following close behind her. She swiveled and turned a sharp corner, nearly tipping over the edge of the rock face and plummeting to a must certain death. She scrambled up another path way but her feet kept slipping on the loose shale and she kept falling down. She had a brief moment to look behind her and the moment she did she wished she never had because on her heels was a huge hulk of a Garavade, a humongous bear like creature with large sharp tusk and paws that were equipped with even larger sharper talons. These no doubt, were for the tearing of flesh off of bone without any problems. It bounded towards her angrily. One slap from this vicious huge animals paw would do her in rightly. It stopped suddenly and roared at her and then Rayah could see clearly its large sharp teeth. Its huge head was swinging from side to side slashing the air with its prominent tusks and after this show of dominance it began to lope towards her. Rayah scrambled away from it sliding down a deep ravine and tried to hide behind a large boulder but the creature sniffed the air and caught her scent and still it bounded after her, tossing stone and shale into the air as it ran at a great speed after her once more. There was no way in hell that she would be able to out run this incredible beast. She looked around her in a desperate fashion for she could hear the beast inhale and exhale now that he was so close and she could smell the sweet acrid scent of its foul breath. She forced her trembling legs to move forward. The Garavade was so close upon her now that it lashed out with its huge paw, she could hear its talons slicing through the air. There was a ledge just before her and a deep drop but she had no choice, there was nowhere else for her to go. She knew she had very little energy left and that the beast