Tales Under a Burning Sun

Having chased off the predator that was harassing their herd, the brothers return to the dying fire to find the old ashik gently snoring. They share a smile and settle down themselves. But just as they are about to lay down the old man snores so loudly that he wakes himself up. A little surprised, he coughs and splutters and then seeing that his audience is still awake he says, “Now where was I?” Everything in this desert is trying to kill me! Well almost everything. Kank looked around at his new family. Thrown together as captured slaves, and then as cell mates, now the freed slaves were the closest thing to a family that he had ever had. Before being captured he had lived on the outskirts of a small village, but he had never been accepted there. They had called him Kank after the domesticated hive beasts and that was the only name he had ever known. But now he had others that were working with him to survive. He wasn’t’ on his own. He had a family. Kank’s thoughts were int...

The old ashik stopped to clear the dust from his throat, and one of the brothers poured a small amount of water into a wooden cup and passed it across the fire to him. The ashik smiled his thanks and wet his voice with the precious liquid. The brothers looked expectantly through the dancing flames and again the old ashik allowed himself a little smile. “I hope that I am not boring you with the tales of an old man?” The brothers both shook their heads and gestured for the ashik to continue... My name is Miloch, and only thirty minutes ago I was the property of the Resherek Merchant House. That was before the Elves arrived. It seems that they have an issue with the slavers capturing members of their tribe and selling them to build a Grand Ziggurat in the city state of Tyr. Before I was a slave I was... well I guess that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the here and now. I look around at more than a dozen slaves looking as stunned as I must look, all except the Thri-Kreen, I...

Having finished tending to his beasts the herder returned to the small fire that had been kindled by his brother beside the poor excuse of an oasis. They had reached this waypoint an hour before the oppressive sun had set beyond the sand dunes, and now the light was gloaming. Out of this half light the brothers were surprised to see a stooped figure emerge. The herders reached for stout clubs, ready to defend themselves and their herd, but relaxed once it became clear that the figure was that of an old man shuffling slowly into the light cast by the merger camp fire. The brothers invited the old ashik to warm himself by the fire and share in their meal, as was the custom of the desert dwellers, the old man nodded his thanks and settled himself down as slowly as the passing of time. Fed and warmed, the old ashik looked from sibling to sibling and said “I have no physical means of payment for your hospitality. I have no possessions of worth, nor can I work your herd, but I have a stor...