Only an Illusion of Peace

Chapter 4

When I entered the desert sector for the first time, after walking for what felt like days through that tunnel, I was brought to an absolutely beautiful view. The tunnel ended on a cliff, but from the cliff, you could see all of the sector. You could see oases scattered around. Just a ways in the distance was Yoterra, the capital city of the desert.

"I wonder how we can get down from here?" Jett pondered.

I looked to the left. "Maybe we go down the path that was paved for people to go down?" I mocked.

"Yeah, yeah. All right, let's go," Jett said, leading me down the dirt path.

I looked down the side of the cliff. Okay...that's a long drop. I thought. I wondered if I would be able to get down quicker if I took a different route down the mountain.

"How long is this going to take?" I asked Jett. "I feel really tired."

"It will take as long as it needs to," Jett answered.

After what felt like another few hours of walking, we made it to the bottom of the slope. Beyond us were just miles and miles of sand, and you could barely make out the city in the distance. And just to our right was a sandstorm building up, so we would have to move fast if we wanted to get to Yoterra before we got caught in the storm.

We ran as fast as we could through the sand. There was no specific path to walk on the way to the city as for what we could see at the moment. The sand started blowing through the wind and it got caught in our eyes, making it harder to see which direction we were walking in.

"Come on. Not long before we get there," Jett said, looking back at me. The sandstorm was now just coming over us. Soon we wouldn't be able to see a thing, and our vision would be obscured by the amount of sand everywhere.

Only minutes later did we find our way a few miles outside of the border of Yoterra. We could see the walls that surrounded it and the watchtowers that looked over the city. There was also a giant light on the middle tower that faced our direction. It turned on and beamed its light toward us. Jett waved as to get their attention, and it worked. Some mechanical sled came racing towards us, and inside was a driver.

"Hurry! Get in before the sandstorm fully covers us!" He yelled over the storm. Jett and I hopped in as fast as we could, and the three of us sped towards the city.

The gate that seemed to be the only entrance and exit opened for us, we sled into the kingdom. The wind blew against us as the gate closed, and all the wind and sand disappeared.

"Thanks for taking us out of that horrific storm," I told the driver.

"No problem! My job is to get travelers inside of the gates as fast as possible. Since, of course, the storms, and also whatever lurks out there. We have to be wary when it comes to the desert."

"Yeah, of course." I looked up at the sky. No sand was coming inside the walls, and there was no wind either. "How is the sand not getting in?" I asked.

"Oh, have you not heard of this? It's the dome that Isaiah created to keep the sand out and to protect Yoterra from the dangers of the outside desert," the driver explained.

I nodded, although I had to idea who this 'Isaiah' was.

As if Jett could read my mind, he told me, "Isaiah is the protector of this side of the mountains. He is in charge of keeping everyone here safe and away from any danger that lurks outside of the walls. If you ever have any concerns or problems, he is the person to go to."

I nodded again, this time understanding everything.

A woman walked up to the side of the driver. "Oh yeah, since I am assuming you guys are new to this sector, this will be your guide to show you around the place!"