Those who Dream of a Silent Desert - Teaser
Here's a small teaser I wrote for a series I am working on. I'm actually very excited about this series, from what I have planned it should be interesting, if nothing else. They'll be violence, sex, and even a laugh here or there. All laced within a plot, of course. Overall I think it'll be a very fulfilling series to write. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I'll enjoy writing it.
For now, here's the teaser that describes the very basic premise through the eyes of a minor character.
There is a beautiful land by the name of Shaamasa. It is a place blessed by a Goddess of the same name, a land filled with the shimmering sands of the vast Hethiir Desert, ruled by a Queen bearing a heart as enduring and lasting as her people's will and resolve.
This place, Shaamasa, is my home. I am one of her guardians, a Shai'kir. Her first and last defense, her arms and eyes, her heart and mind. Wielding both blade and spell, gifted a life without the perils of age, we live in service. Service not to the Queen or her people, though by her word we do die. Neither do we serve the land itself. Not even our religion and Goddess bind us in any manner. No, only the sands themselves act as our guide. But only guides, for the mind and heart of we Shai'kir are as free as the desert winds.
Should we deem a soul unworthy, that very soul is ours to judge. Should the Queen fail her people, it is our blades from which her blood will drip. And should Shaamasa ever fall, it is we who are given charge of her history to protect even while we are sworn to her restoration.
Reverence and awe are rewards given for our deeds, though gifted also is fear when required by our work. At times of extreme exception, however, we are gifted with the greatest reward that can be bestowed upon a Shai'kir: A Daughter of Shaamasa, a Jahara. A female sworn to our cause in servitude, though servitude chosen freely and honorably. The tales of how the greatest Shai'kir came across their Jahara are countless and grand, perhaps too grand for the title of truth, though one truth does remain in the history of our kind: A Jahara has always been earned, not given or taken.
A Jahara serves loyally, removing the nuisances of mortality from their Shai'kir masters so that that they may be granted the name of Immortal. These females, the Jahara, will feed a Shai'kir when he is hungry. When he is overcome with weariness, she will offer her lap. Should he feel the ripples of lust, she will offer her own body. When he tires of satisfying himself with her, she will find a female suited to his taste. If a Shai'kir becomes wounded in battle, she will tend to him until he is well again. So powerful is this servitude that should a Shai'kir ever fall in battle, she will join him in death. One does not need the mind of a scholar to know that the Jahara are rarer than even the Shai'kir, and for great reason. It is an incredible honor to be served in such a manner, a sign of an incredible deed, but also a terrible loss of freedom for the Jahara. Becoming one is not often the dream of young girls.
This, more than anything, brings me to the greatest oddity of my long life as a Shai'kir. Though as young as I had been during my ascension, my ears and tail sag with weariness brought by years of wisdom and experience. Even bearing these, weapons greater than sorcery or steel, I can not help but be confused at what stands before me.
The source of my incredible amusement lays within Lupil, newest brother to the Shair'kir. Young and inexperienced as he is, I can tell he is destined for a life that is...interesting, if nothing else. Already he has captured the attention of many from our order during the stir that was his ascension. All the more puzzling was the fact that he received an offer from one who would be his Jahara but moments after his already unusual Ceremony of Ascension. What joy it was to see his surprise, as clear and as powerful as all of our own! It was, as one can assume, unheard of. The young lass, a girl about Lupil's age by the name of Evel, declined our questions and refused to clarify. Flustered and unsure of himself, the boy rightly decided against the offer.
But he had yet to learn of the determination of Shaamasa's females, especially those from Kaen. She follows him in his travels, playing the role of Jahara, and driving the poor lad nearly insane. Many frown down upon her, at times even Lupil himself, but I think they make quite a match. His rigid determination and motivation to succeed as a Shai'kir is contrasted by her incredible sense of humor and openly honest, yet carefree personality.
While others swat their tails at the boy and give him less respect than he deserves, I rather fancy that his near future will be an interesting experience. The winds of destiny gather sand about his feet, whispering a dramatic tale laced with the comedy of his youth and dripping with the rigors of a warrior's profession...
Perhaps my mind has finally fallen to the desert heat, but I do believe it would make for quite the interesting tale. Quite the interesting tale, indeed...