Several days had passed since Drad his siblings destroyed the bandit encampment.

  Cir, Michalis, Eleni, Nikoos, Dimitra, Vasileios, and Vasiliki had all somewhat recovered from the shock of what they had experienced.

  The family kept to less-traveled roads and maintained minimal iion with passilements.

  Soon, they had left the region and arrived at the desert biome they o pass to reach Orario.

  "Doesn't seem like there is anyone chasing us," Drauttered out loud, relieved that the assumed anization behind the bandit camp had not been able to identify who had killed their subordinates.

  He had failed to extensively ihe stolen goods, if he had done so, he would have realized that some of them were branded.

  This relude to several troublesome events for his familia iure.

  "Whoa, is this a desert? So much sand! It's almost like the sea," Michalis excimed, his tail wagging iement. It was his first time seeing a desert.

  "Yeah, all I see ahead is sand and even more sand," Nikoos said, scooping up a handful of the fine grains.

  The girls, however, were not quite as thrilled.

  "Ugh, this heat is unbearable," Cir pined, wiping the sweat from her brow.

  "And the dust, it's getting everywhere!" Eleni added, brushing sand off her clothes.

  Dimitra chimed in, "I don't uand how you boys be so excited about this. It's just hot, dry, and unfortable," she said.

  Vasiliki nodded in agreement, "I'd much rather be ba the lush forests we passed through earlier," she added.

  They didn’t know that due to the winter season, the desert average temperature was lower than normal.

  Vasileios, uerred by the girls' pints, turo Nikoos with a grin.

  "Just think of all the adventures we have in this endless sea of sand! We explore the dunes, hunt for possibly hidden treasure, and maybe even find some a ruins," he said.

  Nikoos and Michalis eagerly nodded, "Exactly! And the best part is, we don't have to worry about any pesky monsters with the bck dragon scales proteg us," Nikoos said.

  The girls rolled their eyes, and Cir spoke up, "That's all well and good, but what about the heat, the ck of water, and the possibility of getting lost? The desert doesn't seem like a friendly pce to explore," she said.

  Vasileios faltered slightly, gng at Cir before turning back to Nikoos.

  "Well, I'm sure Draii has a pn to keep us safe and hydrated. And with the map, we won't get lost, right Draii?" he asked, turning to Drabsp;

  Michalis, seeing Cir looking at Draco, subtly switched his stao support her, much to the chagrin of the other boys. It was an attempt to pull her attention to himself.

  "Ahem, we should listen to what Cir is saying. She has a fair point," Michalis interjected.

  "You really think so too?" Cir softly asked. Michalis, uo resist Cir's charm, nodded in agreement.

  Nikoos and Vasileios exged a frustrated gnce, feelirayed by their brother's sudden shift in loyalty.

  "Really, Michalis? You're taking their side?" Nikoos grumbled.

  Vasileios muttered under his breath, "Traitor," earning him a pyful shove from Michalis.

  A pyful scuffle in the sand ensued, with the boys jostling and tussling while the girls watched on, a mix of amusement and exasperation on their faces.

  Draco, unfazed by the sibling antics, brought out his map to ehey were on the right trabsp;

  The desert was a difficult terrain, with no ndmarks to make his primitive map useful.

  If they went in the wrong dire, they could easily bee lost for a long time.

  Fortunately, the bck dragon scales in their possession would protect them from any mohat lurked in the vast expanse.

  However, the terrain itself would be their greatest adversary.

  They also hadn't made any es with the locals, as they had deliberately kept their iions to a minimum to avoid leaving a trail that could lead to them being tracked.

  With no locals to guide them away from the desert hazards, the journey would be all the more difficult.

  ‘Sigh, at least I fly, so we won’t get lost pletely’ he thought.

  Turning to his brothers who were still scuffling in the sand he decided to step in before the boys could escate their scuffle.

  "Alright, that's enough. We o make it through this desert. Save your energy for the challenges ahead." The siblings relutly settled down, and Draco tinued.

  "Make sure to cover your noses and keep hydrated, because we'll be in the desert for a few days. Luckily, we don't have to cross the entire desert, just from here to our destination," he said, raising the map and pointing to their destination.

  Draco then turned his attention to the horses, ensuring they were well-fed and hydrated.

  "We'll be ting on you through the journey," he whispered to the faithful animals.

  Once everyone was settled in the carriage, they ged into their desert attire – lightweight, breathable fabrics that would protect them from the sun's harsh rays.

  As they set out, the terrain quickly shifted from sparse greeo endless dunes of golden sand.

  The heat was relentless, and the dry air seemed to sap the moisture from their very souls.

  The horses struggled to maintain their footing on the shifting terrain, and the siblings had to take turns walking alongside the carriage to lighten the load.

  "It's so hot, I feel like I'm melting," Dimitra groaned, fanning herself with a makeshift fan.

  Eleni nodded in agreement, "And the sand is getting everywhere. I 't eve out of my shoes," she pined.

  Vasileios, being optimistic, chimed in, "But just look at those dunes! Imagihe thrill of sliding dow full speed," he said.

  “True that looks like it would be fun,” Nikoos supported.

  Vasiliki shot them a skeptical look, "And then what? Get buried alive in the sand? No, thank you," she said, materializing some icicles in the carriage.

  It was hard to gather moisture in the desert due to heat, so she had to expend a siderable amount of mind to cast ice spells.

  “Thanks, that was mueeded,” Dimitra said to Vasiliki, pg some ice ed in cloth on her head.

  Michalis, sensing the growing tension, tried to redirect the versation.

  "Hey, Draii, how much longer until we rea oasis? We could use a refreshing dip in some cool water," he asked.

  Draco studied the map, brow furrowed in tration.

  "Based on my calcutions, we should reach the an oasis by nightfall, if we maintain a steady pace. I am a bit worried about the desert quid usually close to those areas; it’s hard to tell it apart from solid ground," Draco replied.

  He was the only one, not really bothered by the heat.

  As if on cue, one of the horses suddenly let out a distressed neigh, and the carriage lurched to the side.

  "What's happening?" Cir cried out, brag herself against the sudden movement.

  Draco quickly jumped out of the carriage, the others following close behind.

  To their horror, they found that one of the horses had fallen into a hidden sand trap, its leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

  "No, Helios!" Nikoos shouted, rushing to the injured animal's side.

  The poor horse whinnied in pain, its eyes wide with fear.

  Dimitra covered her mouth, horrified by the sight. "What do we do? We 't just leave him here!" she said.

  Draco quickly assessed the situation, seeing that the wound was something he could treat, he decided to save the horse.

  Using three horses to pull the carriage just felt odd, additionally he and his siblings had gotten attached to the gentle beasts over the years.

  "We o free the horse, but we 't risk further injury. Michalis, Vasileios, help me carefully pull him out." The three brothers worked together, gently pulling the horse from the sand.

  Cir and Eleni quickly fashioned a makeshift splint for its leg, their faces etched with .

  Ohe horse was safe, Draco turo address the group.

  "We will take a short break with Helios injured like this. It will take a while to heal him,” he said.

  Using his water magic, which sped up natural recovery and carried some healing properties, the horse was healed within an hour.

  ‘Phew, that was close. What if all four horses had gotten injured or worse died,’ Draco thought in relief.

  He dreaded the thought of having to pull a carriage filled with all their luggage’s through the desert by hand.