Elinor. The Deserted Valley. Book 1

“Well, is it difficult?” Khallan inquired with a grin that resembled a scowl.

How tired I am of this!

“No,” she cut him off, and turned around defiantly.

“I wanted to help,” the warrior spoke to her retreating figure, evidently displeased.

“How?” Jumanna turned her head.

Khallan pondered. The young woman, meanwhile, set off once again to where her students were already taking down the tent.

“Jumanna! Jumanna! I killed a huge scorpion!” Makacash, one of the youngest boys, but incredibly lively and agile, told her joyfully. His favorite toy was the sword. Of course, one big enough only for child’s play, but rather weighty for a boy his age. As soon as he grew up, the sand dragons would face a great threat.

“Have you not tired of your great feats yet?” Jumanna patted his head gently.

“Oh, this isn’t a poisonous scorpion!” the inquisitive Astramed was already squatting beside the scorpion, cut by the sword. The scorpion, it must be noted, was really big, the length of three palms.

Astramed could be distinguished by his scientific, childishly funny, inquisitiveness. Upon encountering a plant or animal in the desert, he would immediately begin discussing it, much more rarely enquiring about it, if he did not know something. Jumanna herself had learned many new and interesting things from him.

Calif, who had employed several younger students to help him, was completing the work on the folding of the tent.

“Do you not wish to help?” Jumanna addressed Mulaf, who was lying in the shade of the barсhan, looking at the sky. He stood up reluctantly and went to Calif.

I say, some people are lazy by nature!

Half an hour later, the long string of hunchbacked animals, set off, burned by the cruel sun of the Great Desert.

Jumanna did not want to mount, and led her camel by the reins. She was caught up to by a mounted astronomer, Umal Al-Dassay. At first, he rode a little further, then easily dismounted his camel and began leading him.

“I see that you do not feel very comfortable here?” the astronomer began with an inquisitive tone.

He was an old man. An old man by years. Wrinkled, with a snow white beard and same colored hair, which peeped out from under his turbot. His purple robe with silver stars sewn onto it fluttered in the wind. It was unlikely this outfit was intended for a journey through the desert.

He’s going there too!

“I feel exceptionally well on this journey!” Jumanna looked into his eyes.

“I’m not talking about this… " the astronomer continued apologetically. “I’m sure that you will easily cross the Great Desert on your own… I’m speaking in regards to the increased attention you are receiving from the men accompanying the caravan… it annoys you!”

“It does annoy me!” agreed Jumanna.

“Understand, you are young and beautiful”

“I’ve been on many different journeys since I was a child!”

“Hear me out and do not interrupt!” the astronomer chastised, raising his voice a little. “You accompany the children. And no one even cares about how they are handling the journey. Certainly, no one was interested in you when you traveled as a child. But you are a caretaker. Do you remember a time when caravans were ever accompanied by women? No, most definitely not. There exist male crafts and there exist female ones, it is not necessary to mix the two. Do agree with me? The world would look ridiculous if men begin to weave carpets, while women hunted scorpio-anglers.”

Do you think your purple robe does not look ridiculous in the sand?

“I do not want to offend you or your age… " Jumanna began cautiously. “You are cheerful and strong in spirit; you sit perfectly in the saddle. But have you seen whom the Academy usually sends as caretakers? These are elderly people who struggle with the journey. Would I not be more useful? I do not want to dragon hunt… It is truly a man’s craft… But why should a woman not be a caretaker? An astronomer?”

“An a-stro-no-mer!” the old man stretched each syllable. “Never have I in my time ever met a woman astronomer!”

“Then look at me carefully!” Jumanna could not restrain herself.

“You?”

“I’ve done more than a dozen voyages as an on-board astronomer!” the young woman appeared to be trying to justify herself.

Al-Dassay only shook his head.

“What do you want from me? For me to turn around and leave the caravan?”

“You have already chosen your path,” the old man said calmly. “You are full of enthusiasm and determination. However, you should be more attentive and understand that this is not accepted. Yes, you are more useful in the journey than the decrepit old men of the Academy, but this cannot be explained to the other members of the caravan who see a woman caretaker for the first time! Since you agreed to this journey, be ready for such unhealthy attention!”

With the same ease, Al-Dassay jumped onto his camel and nudged it on towards the front of the caravan.

The mood for the day was completely ruined, making the walk difficult as the sun scorched them mercilessly.

For some reason, the sun felt gentle in any city, as if it were soothing, sending kindness with its every ray. In the desert, it simply scorched everything in its path, filling its beams with all the anger and malice it had accumulated against people. Now, it punished them.

What did the inhabitants of the deserts do wrong?

In the south of the Djunitian land, there is even a small port – the Bay of the Evil Sun. It was necessary to build a port near Darif, a mining town with fine iron ore, and the shore was completely unsuitable for this. It was decided to lay the settlement on the only somewhat suitable location, a small streamlet near a small cove. During the construction of the port, heat and dehydration killed more than a thousand people. That was how the port got its name. Although the port was a necessity for traders, she wondered, had the merchants ever dwelled on the price paid to create this harbor?

The sand was ready to melt beneath the hooves of the camels. Tangut’s elephant trailed at the back of the caravan and its owner was barely breathing, yet remained in the saddle. Jumanna knew if the caravan arrived a few days late, money would be lost, and Tangut would rather die on the road than lose his profit.

He is not at all fit for camp life, but dares to offer me help! If someone here cannot cope with the hardships of this journey, it is him. I hope he is lonely!

The fleeting thought of Tangut once again being affected by a series of stomach problems, or something else, amused her. Jumanna had never harbored any malice, but desired justice for his treatment of her.

On the way, we saw the skeleton of a huge lizard, probably the size of a camel. Giant lizards were not predators, but they were incredibly dangerous. If frightened, they could knock you down from an elephant or camel and trample you to death. The smaller lizards scurried along the sand in the morning, then in the afternoon, life in the desert simply disappeared. They were only djunas that went to the horizon, and the same blue sky and white sun.

Jumanna rode on, still unable to find a place for her ire. Only by the end of the day did all her anger go away, leaving the desire for a cool drink to quench her thirst in its place.

As the white sun became yellow, and then bright red, and swiftly rolled over the horizon, the whole caravan rejoiced.

The caretaker, together with Lamis, Calif, and tireless Makacash, unloaded the mattresses from the camels and set up the tent. The rest of the students were so exhausted they fell to the ground as if they had been knocked down. While they were putting up the tent, Jumanna felt the gaze of Khallans’ warriors, but pride prevented her from asking them for help.

They ate supper and went to bed. Some did not have the strength for dinner.

Jumanna thought that sleep would instantly come to her because the day had been incredibly tiring. But she could not fall asleep. Overcome with anger and annoyance, thoughts kept creeping into her head. She even thought that she should not have asked to join this trip, that it had not been worth lying to her mother. Then she remembered that if her brother had approved of her decision, she was right to go. She imagined how Khasims’ powerful blow to the jaw would overturn Khallan; how he would come to her to apologize for the indecent behavior on the journey.

And then suddenly her heart seized with fear, filling Jumanna with a familiar emotion. She not only acutely felt magic, but could predict the terrible events of the future. The last time she felt uneasy at night, the next morning a messenger arrived in Kay – Samiluf, announcing the Valley was empty.

What will happen tomorrow?

Jumanna left the tent and looked upward at Jumann Khayat (Pearl Deposit), a star cluster after which she had been named. With her fingers, she felt the chain on her neck that carried her talismans – a big pearl bought by her father at the market of Bandabaze on her memorable birthday, and a golden key that unlocked secret locks in the Amatt Estate.

In the Common Language, Jumanna meant “pearl” and Inaiya meant “golden.”

The big pearl and the golden key were all that remained of her father.

“Help me, oh stars,” whispered Jumanna, looking at the night sky, “Take the troubles away from me. Help me, Father.”

4

A sleepless night was making itself known, as morning turned out torturous and getting up had been a feat. Lamis rose first and went to get some water. When she drew back the canopy, stuffy air swept in as though the tent had been mistakenly put into a giant oven overnight and now burned ferociously. Jumanna quickly realized that today would be even hotter than yesterday.

The rest of the caravan’s population was coming around even slower than the children. The feeling was that there was no need to go anywhere today and a two-hour passage (probably at the peak of heat) would be far enough.

Breakfast passed in silence. Despite the sluggish actions of the caravanners, everyone understood they faced a tedious passage ahead of them. There was not a single person inside the tent who looked pleased at the prospect.

After breakfast was finished, some of the children parted. As usual, Makacash, typically the most energetic, ran away to kill scorpions, Astramed went to explore nature, and Calif took three strong boys with him to teach them fencing.

It is only he that brings me joy!

Looking around the tent, Mulaf collapsed onto the blankets and continued his morning sleep. Another younger pupil, looking at his older and lazier comrade, followed his example. Jumanna didn’t say anything. Several girls whispered quietly in a corner. Lamis took a book and began to read. It was meaningless to send them all out of the tent and pack it up without the command of the caravan.

Jumanna opened her diary. She took a feather and opened a jar of ink. Having dipped the sharp tip, she brought it over the paper and froze.

What should I write about?

She did not wish to talk about the fact that the caravanners, the warriors, and even an astronomer believed that a woman did not belong on such a journey.

What else can I write about? My sleepless night? About the responsible Calif? The lively Makacash? The inquisitive Astramed?

Jumanna was sinking into a reverie when suddenly the earth shook beneath her. A thick drop of ink fell onto the page and spread over it, distracting her thoughts.

What is happening?

The answer came in an instant.

“A scorpio – angler!” The air was filled with a piercing shriek.

Dropping the feather, Jumanna raced out of the tent as chaos ensued the camp. Camels bleated and floundered wildly as the ground shook. Sand flew in different directions, and beneath it the black body of a scorpio – angler had already emerged. It was absolutely enormous!

Once before Jumanna had seen a scorpio – angler, when she was young, and even that was from afar. Father, who would always protect her, had been nearby and quickly led her away. Although Jumanna had not seen the battle with the filthy creature, she knew what a small and a big scorpio – angler could look like from the stories told by her brother and old campaigners. This one was probably the largest that could exist in the world.

I thought scorpio – anglers aren’t found in the north of Kay – Samiluf.

But he appeared before Jumanna’s caravan! Her premonition had not deceived her.

Her brother’s stories hadn’t been told in vain. Jumanna knew that when a scorpio – angler attacked, you had to urgently look for elevation, or even better, a stone ridge. These monsters didn’t have eyes and felt the movements made on the sand. But if you found firm ground, you were saved! She looked around and to her joy, she saw one some two hundred steps away! Everything developed rapidly after that.

“Quick, get out!” She pulled the tent’s canopy aside, but quick-thinking Lamis was already pushing Mulaf, his companion, and the girls towards the exit. “To those stones! Run for all you’re worth!” Jumanna ordered, pointing at the ridge with her finger.

The boys ran fast by themselves, while Lamis literally dragged the girls along with her.

Jumanna’s eyes found Calif, who was driving about a dozen more kids toward the tent. She pointed him towards the stones. The young man understood her from first glance and nodded.

The scorpio – angler was now fully emerged, smashing people and camels with its deadly sting. Its terrible weapon circumscribed the arc and pierced Khatum Tangut. Jumanna immediately felt a lump in her throat as just yesterday she wished for some malicious incident to happen to him. Though she wished for something, she could never have imagined such a thing.

I must pull myself together! I can grieve for Tangut and reproach myself for damnation against him at some other time, not now!

In the chaos of the panic-stricken caravanners, Jumanna saw the young Makacash holding his childish sword forward, frozen in a fighting posture. Her heart sank. She believed he was about to charge at the scorpio – angler with the same rapidness he lashed out at its younger brother – scorpions. But fortunately, at that exact moment, the student turned toward her.

“Run! There, where the stones are!” Jumanna shouted at the top of her voice. Her cry merged with the roar that reigned around her. However, the boy understood his caretaker and with his usual speed, rushed to the other students.

Jumanna looked again at the ridge and quickly counted the people.

Twenty – two with Lamis… one is missing! Who? Astramed! Of course, Astramed!

For a long time, her eyes searched the surroundings where fear and panic triumphed, resting on a pile of white bales. Astramed was bent down under them, his head clasped in his hands. It was impossible to reach him with a cry so Jumanna rushed to the bales with full force. Two strong men, the soldiers of Khallan, fled towards her, nearly knocking her over. The warriors rushed away from imminent death while she ran directly toward it; to where a deadly sting was dissecting the air. Jumanna grabbed the child’s hand as he instantly recovered from his petrifying fear. She pulled him to the grey ridge of rocks with all her might, as an inner voice prompted her to duck. Jumanna pushed the boy forward and then fell to the ground herself. The tail of the scorpio – angler whistled right above her head and met the body of a fat camel. The animal roared with pain and immediately fell silent. The torment didn’t last long. Holding Astramed’s hand, Jumanna rushed forward to the lifesaving stones. She had a stitch in her side, her breathing was uneven, and hot air burned her lungs. Astramed breathed even more heavily as the scorpio-angler was finishing off the caravan amidst the sounds of retreating battle.

Jumanna gave the student a leg up and then climbed onto the rocks herself as Calif’s strong hands grabbed and lifted her without a problem. After that, she fell limply onto her back, inhaling several deep breaths.

She closed her eyes and sank into a trance. Maybe she lost consciousness. But not for long.

The young woman shuddered and woke up. After a while she was able to raise herself on her elbows and see what had become of the caravan. The commotion had subsided, but Jumanna could not see a living thing.

Where are the people who had wanted to escape by fleeing?

No one could be seen… only the corpses of caravanners and camels. The scorpio-angler himself had also fallen to his side. Near his jaws lay the carcass of a desert elephant. Lamis said that the animal had either become mad with fear or, on the contrary, having gained courage, simply took off and rammed itself into the scorpio-angler’s head. The elephant was dead, but whether the scorpio-angler was actually dead was a big question. Jumanna knew that these monsters were incredibly tenacious. Perhaps it was just tired and resting. Perhaps it had decided to postpone its planned meal for the evening.

Silently, they sat on the rocks under the scorching sun and when it seemed safe, moved into the shadow which roamed around the ridge. A malodorous stink whiffed from recent battle scene.

Finally, dusk had fallen. Dew fell on the boulders, which had saved the lives of the Academy’s students. Jumanna showed everyone how to collect moisture from the rocks using one’s lips, just as Father taught her. If it hadn’t been for him, with all probability, Jumanna and her students were destined to have died of thirst that very night.

Darkness fell. The stars were luminous in the sky. Darkness reigned near the gigantic silhouette of the scorpio-angler. The monster did not ignite the deadly light on its tail. This meant only one thing – the scorpio-angler was dead!

Jumanna descended from the rocks and overcoming her fear, went around the terrible place. Her head was spinning, and she felt a lump rising in throat. But she had to hold on. Dead camels… Dead people… And then Jumanna heard a hoarse voice! She rushed to the sound. The astronomer Umal Al-Dassay lay crushed under the corpse of a camel. The young woman tried to get him out, to no avail. She thought of calling Calif and a couple more of the boys, but the old man stopped her.

“Leave it, it is needless… I don’t have long…” Jumanna was silent. She didn’t know what to say.

“Forgive me… Forgive all of us!” Al-Dassay continued. “We were wrong. Experienced caravanners have been killed… Warriors… And you survived and saved the lives of your students. You… You are a wonderful caretaker.”

“What should I do now?” Jumanna asked almost inaudibly. “You are in charge now, so you must decide… " the old man croaked and rolled his eyes upward. “Look!” His tone changed dramatically. “The constellation of the Lion!”

Jumanna lifted her head upward. Indeed, just above her shone the constellation of the Lion.

The constellation of the Lion. The Marawie Star, which pointed the way to the migrants from the north during their dangerous passage from the Valley. But what did the astronomer mean?

And then it dawned on Jumanna! How could she? She was so proud of her knowledge of astronomy, yet she hadn’t noticed the elementary changes in the sky! Even yesterday, when she had been fascinated by Jumann Khayat.

Perhaps the increased attention from the male-caravanners and the reminders that this journey had no place for a woman had confused her and forced her to forget the basics of astronomy for a while.

Of course. After all, there was another astronomer… a real astronomer!

But he had been mistaken!

The month of the Camel has already come and, relative to the road from Kay-Samiluf to Ayno-Suf, the constellation of the Lion should have been significantly more towards to the east!

“Have we gone off the track?” though it sounded like a question, it was actually a statement.

“Forgive me… forgive me once more,” The astronomer’s voice began to weaken again. “Ah, anility… I confused the cards. I killed everyone! On the road to Ayno-Suf there are no scorpio-anglers, and I took you into the depths of the desert…”

Damn it! That’s all there is to life experience! All the wisdom!

Jumanna was no longer worried about the fatal error of the scattered astronomer. She ran her finger along the starry sky, measured the way to the north of the constellation of the Lion, where the Star of the Marawie, the brightest in the constellation, sent its rays.

“But if we go to the northeast we can reach Muo. We’d find ourselves in the Valley by coming out onto the Dalaal path!”

“You are a good astronomer. You will manage to lead a caravan better than I have.” It was the last thing Umal Al-Dassay said.

5

Jumanna returned to her students about half an hour later. Everyone was asleep, even Lamis. Only Calif had waited up for her. Jumanna handed him a few flasks of water and a saber.

She had unbuckled the flasks from the belts of the dead. It was terribly disgusting, but she had to restrain her feelings, for one cannot survive in the rough desert otherwise.

Jumanna had taken the saber from the belt of Khallan. He hadn’t even had time to take the weapon in his hands. A sting had pierced him from the back as he was trying to flee. Even touching his stuff felt nasty! What a truly unworthy person! But the steel of the blade was painfully good, and a weapon was a necessity.

Jumanna’s father hired a fencing master for her in Min-Mirif. Later, while studying at the Observatory, she took lessons herself. But that had been more for the sake of interest. She never imagined that one day she would take the handle of a saber in traveling conditions.

It will be a blessing if on the road to the Valley I won’t need to use Khallan’s blade!

Jumanna counted the corpses. Khallan, ten of his warriors, fifteen caravanners, and seven merchants, including Khatum Tangut and Umal Al-Dassay. No one else had survived. She found the two warriors who fled and nearly knocked her over a little farther from the place of slaughter. They had managed to distance themselves from the deadly sting, but, like the astronomer, were crushed by the body of a camel that collapsed on top of them.

By now she no longer felt any disgust while retrieving their weapons. It is necessary! Jumanna thought, searching the lifeless bodies.

After returning to the rocks, she immediately fell asleep. Surprisingly, this time, dreams struck her in an instant; no nightmares haunted her. Everyone awoke at sunrise. The sun began to bear down, or, to be more precise, burn up the air.

Jumanna, along with Lamis and Calif, returned to the place of slaughter. They began to search the surviving trunks. Calif found a saber for himself and parted with his harmless training weapon. Jumanna decided it was too early for the other children to look at such scenery. However, a few minutes later, Makacash could no longer resist the temptation and rushed to help them. The sight of the corpses of people and animals did not frighten him at all. Nothing was left of their tent. However, on the spot where it had stood, Jumanna found her diary and the only surviving book – the first volume of “Travel to the Skies” by Azir Amunjadee.

They managed to save a solid piece of dense fabric, from which the boys made a canopy on the stones to hide from the sun. Without any superfluous conversations, everyone got busy working; even Mulaf did not shirk. By noon, all the useful belongings were transferred to the stones. Their food supplies would last them a week or two, but their water supply was not sufficient. Jumanna counted the empty flasks and gave the students the task of collecting dew from the stones in the evening, so they could fill everything.

“Try to squeeze the stones, because we need full flasks!” she commanded in such an imperious voice that she surprised even herself.

Of course, she knew that with evening dew, you could hardly fill a sixth of a small wineskin. But to tell the children this would bring them into a state of despair.

It’s better for them to be motivated!

Then there was a short conversation with Lamis. It was necessary to understand where to next lead the group. Not that Lamis was any good at this, but Jumanna needed someone mature to talk to. The fact that the decision had to be made by her alone was unavoidable.