Going to the Sanctum of Sharing required moving southeast from Abstinence. Deneve once again waited until nightfall to continue her journey. It wasn’t long before she realized something was very wrong. The wind had shifted, and it seemed to be getting stronger. She had never dealt with a sandstorm alone before, but Barhan had ensured she would know the signs.

Deneve pulled her veil around her face as she worked to get the tent set up. The storm was coming in really fast, though, and she wasn’t sure she could get the tent up before it hit her fully. She cursed herself, knowing if she had traveled during daylight, she would have seen it sooner.

“Want some help?” A cocky voice asked over the growing roar of the wind as a hand grabbed the tent pole, holding it steady.

Deneve smirked wryly under her veil, knowing that voice. “Why not?” They managed to set up the tent before the worst of the storm hit.

The dust inside was still considerable, and neither of them had uncovered their mouth or nose. Deneve grabbed a towel out of her pack and hung it on one of the ropes going from the central pole of the tent. Lord Red looked at her curiously as she worked. Calling on Tett, she sent static electricity into the towel. Then calling on Garzar, a light wind inside the tent pushed the dust toward the towel. The towel was collecting the dust and clearing the air. So long as they kept the flap shut, they would have cleaner air.

“Clever,” Lord Red said, giving her an impressed nod. “I’d not thought to use a static charge to help clear the air. However, it seems effective in small spaces for a short time.”

“I can repeat it if need be,” Deneve replied. “But more importantly, why are you here?”

“Would you believe me if I told you was following a lead on those creatures you saved me from back at the oasis?” He explained, “They are nocturnal, so I’ve been trying to study them when they appear. You actually passed by me earlier. I saw you as I crested a dune behind and adjacent to you, but apparently, you didn’t see me. So when I realized the storm was coming in, I thought I’d check on you.”

“Thanks for that,” Deneve said honestly. “This is the first sandstorm I’ve weathered outside of Sand Grain.”

“You’re welcome,” He replied.

What? No cocky remark? What was the world coming to? She looked at him curiously for a moment but decided against commenting on it.

“I find myself curious about something Deneve,” Lord Red inquired. “Why did you agree to become Princess of Mediah and then agree to the engagement with Prince Barhan? Do you intend on staying here?”

“I don’t know if I intend to stay,” She said pragmatically. “As far as I know, I could be stuck here. I decided to let King Bareeds make me a princess to help protect him. The agreement with Prince Barhan was to that end as well as there was resistance to giving the King asylum.”

“I see,” He replied thoughtfully. “If I were to find a way for us to go home, would you come with me?”

“I had already told them that I might not be able to stay,” Deneve admitted. “But why are you so worried about it?”

Lord Red sighed before reaching into his pack. “This talk is going to take some time and a lot of wine.”

“It doesn’t seem the storm is letting up anytime soon.” She commented curiously.

“True enough,” He said, popping the cork on the bottle before lifting his scarf to take a gulp.

“Well, I’m sure you remember my fall from grace,” He said, handing Deneve the bottle. Deneve nodded in response. “What the Godr-eyed tier didn’t realize was that when they used the power of consumption magic against Marg and me, it created a vacuum reaction, which sent us to a distorted part of space.”

Deneve furrowed her brow thoughtfully. It made sense pulling magic from one place dimension and forcing it into another could cause a rift in time and space.

“Even though they had saved themselves, Marg was still raging, and I was its only target.” He continued as Deneve passed the bottle back to him. “I fought Marg and won, barely. The fight artificially aged me. That is why my appearance was different then. I don’t know how long I was in that space.” He took a drink and passed the bottle.

“But then one day, I felt a presence approaching my little prison. It was you, Deneve. You were curious, poking at the bars of my cage. Dissecting bits and pieces methodically trying to decipher the code.” His eyes crinkled with a grin. “You reminded me so much of me.”

Deneve nodded for him to continue as she passed the bottle back.

“The consumption magic was still working in waves, and I feared if you got too close, you would be trapped with me. So I sacrificed my Godr Sphera to demolish the barrier of space travel. Unfortunately, it caused a huge explosion, and although I tried, I couldn’t protect you from the blast. That is when we both ended up in this world. It’s my fault you are here.”

Finished with his story, he took a large swallow of the wine before offering it once again. Deneve nodded, taking the bottle and a rather large swig herself before replying.

“Lord Red, you do realize I had been world-hopping before that,” She explained with a bit of amusement in her eyes.

He nodded at her admission but waited for her to continue. “I do remember that much. The black spirit took specific memories, personal memories, and anything having to do with how to travel worlds (probably to ensure I helped it). I know I did it before, but I don’t know-how. I’m sorry I can’t remember. If I could, we could probably go back.” Her voice wavered at those last words. She took a deep breath and taking another draught of the wine to regain her composure before handing him back the bottle.

Lord Red didn’t say a word. Instead, he looked thoughtfully at the ruby red wine as he swirled around the bottle.

“I guess we are a pair,” Deneve laughed self-depreciatingly. “You have been blaming yourself all this time because we are here, and I’ve been blaming myself because I can’t remember how to leave.”

Lord Red chuckled dryly, “you may be right.”