Daniel

Daniel has been traveling in the desrt in search of Ancient Ruins from a lost civilization.

DANIEL

 

 

        It was August and the hot summer air was beating down on Daniel Ashland’s face. Sweat began to form at the top of his forehead and made it’s way down to his back causing his dirty white shirt to stick to his skin. He had been traveling for months now and still he felt like had made no real progress in his search for the ancient ruins that were rumored to lie in the vast, dry, and hot patch of desert known as Lava Fields.

 

        Lava Fields stretched from the edge of the Salt Mountains that bordered the eastern most city of Elshor, all the way to the Olympus mountains near the city of Indale on the west coast. The name name from the constant barrage of sun that beats down upon the land causing the sands to turn a deep reddish brown color. Where the land was extremely dry cracks spread as far as they eye could sea and in the distance the white snow capped mountains served as a teaser for travelers, coaxing them forward in search for cooler lands and cold, refreshing water.

 

       Daniel pulled out a cloth towel and wiped his forehead with it, adding another dark splotch of brown sweat and dead skin to the once white towel. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and placed the dirty rag into the front most pocket and slung the bag onto the ground.

 

       He knelt down on one knee and began to unzip the top most zipper. Inside was a mess of empty water bottles, left over slices of bread and meat that he had taken from home. In the bottom of the bag was a small black case that held a .22 and sitting next to that was a box of bullets wrapped up in what appeared to be a map. Daniel took the box out of the bag and began to unwrap it. Once the box was unwrapped he place it safely into the bottom of his backpack and unfolded the map on the sandy earth. He then reached into the bag and pulled out ancient looking compass. It was a small gold cylinder about 2 inches high with a clear glass cover. The numbers and letters inside were beginning to wear off but they were still visible. Daniel put the compass down on the map and proceeded to get his bearings. He had left his hometown of Indale about two months ago and headed northeast. According to the map he was a few hundred miles inside of the Lava Fields and if he was to find the ancient ruins he would now have start heading north a few miles more, that is if he believed the rumors and stories he had heard since he was a child were true.

 

      He could remember his father telling him stories of ancient magic that existed long long ago. It was said that the first civilization that came to the lands of Elshor discovered the power running through all living things. It was only a matter of time before they had gained the ability to harness that magic and soon all the people of the land had these abilities. Although no-one really knows what powers they were believed to have some say they could control the world. They could conjure up great storms in the seas to drown any enemies that try to strike at their costal fortresses. They could summon fire to rain down from the heavens and burn all those that opposed the kings rule. Some even believed that if powerful enough they had the ability to dish out life and death.

 

     Daniel loved these stories, he often times found himself just dozing off during the day and travel back in time just to learn these abilities. As a kid he thought of all the wonderful things he would do with it from making himself an unlimited stash of candy, to possibly controlling the world with limitless amounts of money and power. As he grew older his curiosity about the old ways grew with him. Every moment he could find he would make his way down to the local library to read some new book on the findings of these ancient peoples.

 

      It was amazing to him to think that at one point all anyone knew was magic but for some reason it all just disappeared. As if in one fell swoop the entire civilization was wiped of the face of the planet and with it their secrets on controlling the universe. He was determined to find out all he could about these people and when rumors started floating around a long lost temple deep within the Lava Fields he couldn’t resist not going.

 

So he packed up as much as he could in a single backpack and set out for the fields. That was two months ago, and now here he is standing in the middle of the desert, sweat dripping down his face and stinging the sides of his eyes. He only had a a couple more days of waking he could feel it. All his life he had longed to see one of the anicent ruins for himself, however, he could also feel that perhaps he might not make it at all. The fields were a dangerous place and that’s before you begin running out of water and food supplies. He kept telling himself that he couldn’t give up, that perhaps there would be water in the temple or at least a cool place to relax for a while. He knew that he couldn’t turn back for that would certainly send him to his death.

 

     Daniel picked up the map and once again wrapped it around the black box and placed it back into the backpack. He got to his feet and oriented himself towards the north. When he was certain he would be going in the right direction he put the compass back in the bag as well and slung the backpack over his shoulder and headed off into the mid-day sun.

 

II

 

 

     That night brought cool winds to the desert. Daniel had made a fire out of scraps of wood he had kept in his bag. He had set his backpack on the ground and used as pillow just like he had all the days before. Sleep seemed to never come quickly for Daniel it had been like that for most of his life, so, for the first part of the night he’d just lay on his back and stare up at the endless space of stars and worlds that floated in the blackness above him.

 

     He imagined himself standing at the foot of the temple and thinking of the last person that had seen it. What the must of have saw was amazing perhaps a giant spire that shot up into the heavens and great golden bells that would ring it’s song to all the followers that gathered at it’s marble steps below.

 

     Slowly his eyes grew heavier and heavier and within a few moments sleep took him. That night he dreamt. He found himself standing in a thick jungle, mist seeping through the spaces between the braches and leaves of the trees that towered above him. The sounds of the jungle were amplified to the point where he could hear even the tiniest of ants crawling about the forest floor gathering leaves and other things it could manage to take back to it’s hill. Deep inside his mind however, he could hear the sound of heavy machinery and distant cries in the night. As he continued to make his way through the dense foliage he came upon a giant clearing would have stretched almost as far as the eye could see if it wasn’t for the four giant towers that made up the perimeter of a black stoned castle that stood in the middle of the forest floor. Just behind the castle rose a giant mountain of black rock and white snow at the peaks. It was taller than any mountain he had ever seen and the clouds that swirled around the tops were dark and ominous.

 

      As he walked closer to the castle his vision began to blur and the sound of laughter filled his brain. Not the kind of laughter that filled the playgrounds and parks of Elshor but a laughter that was full of hate. As it grew louder and louder Daniel feared that head might explode and just when he though he couldn’t handle it anymore Daniel jerked out of his sleep and the forest was replaced by blinding white light and an endless ocean of red and brown.

 

      Sun had just barely passed over the Olympus mountains and was making it’s way towards the center of the sky. Daniel got up and dusted of his clothes as best he could. The fire that was roaring through the night hand dwindled down to nothing more than a few crackles and pops that shout flames in all directions. Daniel opened his bag and grabbed one of the three remaining water bottles and took a small sip. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed north once again.

 

      The dream of the forest and the castle was still fresh in his mind but he could feel it slipping with each passing minute. He tried as hard as he could to remember the details and the voice, that evil laughter, just thinking of it cause the hair on his skin to rise and bumps to form on his arms and legs.

 

      It was a little after 12:00 O’ clock when Daniel notices something in the distance. At first he thought that perhaps it was just a mirage, a trick of the mind, due to lack of water and food but as he drew nearer and nearer he could see that what was at first just a tiny speck that sparkled in the distance was growing bigger and soon he could make out the tip of what looked like a steeple. At that moment his heart began to pump at full speed, he forgot about the heat, his thirst or his hunger all he could think of was what lie beneath the sands and deep within the temple. Was it treasure, were there perhaps important people entombed inside, or perhaps the secret to their power was locked within just waiting for the right person to find it and let it rule once more.

Author's Note

This only a little of the first chapter the rest is coming soon.