Desert

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

She allowed the handsome silver-maned stallion to lead her into the surf, but instead of leading the to the familiar embrace of Atlantis' jungle, he turned them to the South, and to Salem. Vanya had never possessed a desire to wander, and so had only seen the Crossing and Atlantis firsthand, but she knew of Salem.

The land of sand, and heat, and misery. The least welcoming of the four main isles, at least from what she'd heard.

Questions built in her mind as they swam, and more than once she considered doubling back for the safety of the Mainland. She had questioned Rougaru's motives while on solid ground, but had opted to trust him; the further they got from safety, the more she doubted her choice. She wanted to go home, not to the Dunes to shelter beneath Rougaru's daughter like a disgraced animal.

But if it came to a fight in the water, Vanya knew that she would lose more than just the fight and so she did not press her luck, and swam a little closer to Rougaru as the sun-drenched island appeared in the horizon.

Her legs trembled with exhaustion as she danced ashore, her gaze cutting away from the handsome figure of her lover to sweep pre-emptively over the empty beach before them. She had known that the possibility of being lied to was high on the mainland, and remained worried that the comet-marked bitch would show her loathsome face again as she had in the Commons. If Rougaru had double-crossed her, she would likely not see tomorrow, as she doubted Titania would hold back again.

Seeing no immediate threat in their vicinity, her gaze cut back to Rougaru with eyes narrowed and lips taut. "What is this?" She gestured to the sandy island as she said it, her tone sharp and suspicious.