Dawn was bright and cold.With every breath, Alex could feel the chill — as if the night before had never happened. The caravan moved on in the first light of morning, slowly dragging itself through the sand. Alex walked like a machine, his steps empty, his mind blank, and his heart still tight with fear.
The guards rode alongside the column on massive, double-humped lizards — creatures whose scales shimmered in the rising sun. From time to time, one of them gave a sharp look or snapped a whip, but besides that, there was silence.
Alex still felt the eyes of the old man with the burned hand. They had only spoken for a short time during the night, but his words stuck deep in Alex's memory. Monsters. Darkness that devoured. Death, waiting just beyond those strange symbols carved into the wall.
He glanced sideways at Lyra. She walked a few steps ahead of him, hunched over, her head down, like she wanted to shut herself off from the world. Her hair, covered in dust and sand, fell over her face, hiding her eyes.
For a moment, Alex wanted to walk faster, to come closer and try to talk to her. But he gave up right away. It wasn't the right moment. The guards were still watching them. Even a small gesture could be taken the wrong way.
The sun kept climbing, and the cold gave way to heat, which began to suck the life from them again. The sand burned their feet. The air shimmered, twisting the image of the desert like the world itself didn't want to show what lay at the end of the road.
At noon, the caravan stopped for a short break. The guards tossed a few water flasks to the slaves.Alex watched as the others threw themselves at the water, fighting for a few precious sips. He didn't have the strength to fight — he was too tired, too sore.
One of the guards — a young, arrogant man — clumsily dismounted his large, scaly mount, and by accident, a flask slipped from his saddle. It landed softly on the sand, not far from where Alex stood.For a moment, no one noticed. The guard was too busy laughing and talking with his companion. The other slaves were still fighting over the rest of the flasks.
Alex felt his pulse speed up. He hesitated only for a second. Then he quickly bent down, grabbed the flask, and held it close to his chest, like something both precious and dangerous.
His heart was pounding. He looked to the side. The guard had already walked away, apparently unaware of what he had dropped.
Without a word, Alex uncorked the flask and took a few fast, greedy gulps. The water was warm, but to Alex, it tasted like life itself. He felt it running down his chin, filling his dry body.
Then his eyes fell on the elf.
Lyra was sitting nearby, unmoving, eyes closed. Her breath was shallow, her forehead covered in sweat. She hadn't rushed to the water like the others. Either she didn't have the strength — or didn't see the point in fighting for a few drops.
For a moment, Alex wrestled with himself.His instincts told him to keep the water, that it was about survival. But something deeper — something he couldn't name — made him move toward her.
She didn't look up, even as he stood right next to her. He hesitated in silence, unsure what to do.Then he took a breath, reached out his hand with the flask, and said quietly:
– Here. You need to drink.
She opened her eyes. The look she gave him was cold. For a second, he thought she would refuse, maybe even push his hand away. But she looked at the flask, then at him — and slowly, carefully, took it from his hand.
She drank calmly, without rushing. A few drops ran down her neck, cutting lines through the sweat and sand.She gave back the empty flask without a word — but after a moment, she gave him a small, faint smile.And in her eyes, Alex saw something new – gratitude.
– Thank you – she said, watching him for a moment.
After some time, the guards returned to their lizard mounts, and the caravan began to move again.
Something had changed in Lyra's eyes.
They returned to their places in silence. No one else noticed what had happened. But in that short moment, something invisible formed between them. A silent bond, so thin a breath of wind could break it.
But it was there.
The caravan moved again. Sand and sun, pain and fear returned. But now, when Alex glanced at Lyra, he didn't feel completely alone.Her eyes were no longer empty — there was a spark of something he hadn't seen before.Maybe respect. Maybe curiosity.Maybe... hope.
He kept walking, step by step, across the endless desert. He didn't know where they were going.He didn't know if he would survive another day.
But he knew one thing — he wasn't alone anymore.Even in this nightmare, in a world that tried to break him with every step... there might be someone to stand beside him.
Even if it was just a look from a girl he barely knew.