'To the northeast!'
Grainy sand filled Mel's shoes, rubbing against and burning her feet. Her ankle throbbed as she looked at the dunes stretching into the horizon, and Mel felt her home move further away with every step. But even if she turned back now, she would not be able to find it easily- not with that barrier.
Mel let out a sigh, and sand blew into her mouth, sucking out all the moisture. Her water container sloshed at her side, so she quickly grabbed it. With a mouthful of hot water, she sloshed it around and spat out mud.
"Ick!"
The compass wobbled northward; the arrow swayed back and forth slightly. As Mel climbed another dune, she squinted at the setting sun.
A cool breeze blew sand around, sticking to Mel's legs. "I shouldn't have worn shorts."
The rollercoaster seemed to continue for miles as Mel climbed dune after dune, again and again, only to find more to climb. The compass pointed down another slope, and Mel plopped on the ground. "Can I do this? Why are there so many hills in the desert? How did Grandpa Rei get past them so quickly? If only I were better at levitation magic. Should I try it, anyway?" Just the thought of using motion magic on herself made her feel sick.
Shielding her eyes from the harsh sun, Mel did a full three-sixty. There was no end in sight.
That's when she saw it: footprints led along the top of a dune as if a caravan had recently passed by. They seemed to have headed west. The arrow in the compass urged Mel to travel down the hill. Mel looked at the endless ups and downs she would face heading north. Then she looked east to the mostly flat path that lay ahead.
"It can't hurt to go east for a bit."
The sun burned against the back of Mel's neck. There was no longer any reprieve from the heat as she walked across the top of the dune, but it was better than going up and down all those hills.
Time passed quickly, and Mel could hear water sloshing in her container, tempting her to take another drink. The sun was setting over the horizon, yet there was no sight of the mountains at the border of this accursed desert. Step by step, she continued.
Crusty skin peeled from Mel's lips as she smacked them. Her feet dragged across the sand. The desert filled her shoes, leaving no breathing room for her poor feet. Sliding down the dune, mounds of sand dragged her to the bottom. All her strength waned as Mel's magic started to drain.
"What's happening?"
Her hands shook as she took a raspy breath. More sand filtered through her lungs. She pushed herself to her feet, and her knees buckled.
'To the north, you're going the wrong way.'
Mel looked at her compass and began to cry. "Why is this pointing south? How long have I been walking south?"
The moon rose, and Mel crawled up yet another dune. She grasped at the sand, and a mound of dirt piled around her feet. The desert began to bury her with each attempt to move forward.
I can't do it. There's too much dang sand!
You can! Keep moving.
Mel forced her way to the top of the incline, then collapsed onto her face.