Locke VIII

"It is more of a cryptic warning. The elders rarely tell it; many of them think it a myth anyway." Ziad pondered what followed next. "The story goes that the Akim revel in the fire of the desert. The heat, the burning sands. But it is said that when the pale blue frost spreads over the Akimolm desert, the sands become naught but brittle husks of what they once were." Ziad's face was hard to read.

Locke leaned over, listened intently on his every word. "Ziad, that... that is some story." The Akim laughed heartily.

"You appear so serious Locke! You do not believe this I hope!" Ziad slapped Locke on the back. "It is some old story the elders tell. I tell you, they tell many stories - guess how many come true?" With this, Ziad grinned widely.

"Ziad, what do you think about this ice-wielding creature?" Locke quickly turned the subject back to the mater at hand.

"Oh, yes. Well, we do not know much, and I don't know about you, but I would like to meet this creature in person. What do you say?" Ziad gestured to the door. Locke equally glanced towards Alistair, who was walking down the stairs. He couldn't leave him by himself, but yet, he didn't want to expose him to any danger. Ziad sensed Locke's unease.

"You are worried about the boy, aren't you? Locke, there will come a time when everyone is exposed to the adult world. My, when I was his age, I was already hunting out in the desert."

When I was his age, I was in Lucrecia Castle, eating fine foods and getting an education. Locke thought about it for a while longer. Eventually, he turned to Alistair.

"Hey, we've not even explored much of Lucrecia today have we? How does Kings Square sound? We may also be able to catch the Queen's blessing of the city!" Locke said with a convincingly happy intonation. Inside, he was anything but.

"Kings Square was where it was last seen. We should start there." Ziad said.

Gripping Alistair's hand tightly, Locke, together with Ziad left the inn and began travelling to Kings Square.