The journey through the mountains had not been easy.
Each step higher into the jagged ridges felt like a climb through time itself—ancient winds whispered secrets long buried, and the stars above grew distant and strange. Sabir had grown quieter, clutching the scroll they had discovered back in the oasis tomb. Layla's eyes scanned the terrain with caution, and Amira had taken to murmuring prayers beneath her breath—prayers that even Tahir found himself repeating, unsure if they were meant to protect them from the journey or from what lay at the end of it.
But when they reached the summit and saw the valley below, a hush fell over them all.
Carved into the heart of the stone basin was a structure unlike anything they had ever seen. Black columns jutted from the sand like the broken fingers of a fallen god. An obsidian platform rested at the center, encircled by weather-worn statues—some crumbled, others intact. And at the heart of it all stood a throne.
Ancient. Cold. Regal.
Tahir's breath caught in his chest. His steps faltered.
It was everything Om'bara had hinted at. The vision from the dream echoed in his skull. A throne for the heir of forgotten kings. A seat stolen by time, by betrayal, by war.
They descended.
The valley seemed to swallow sound. No birdcall. No whisper of wind. Only the soft crunch of boots in the sand. Layla reached out and held Tahir's arm.
"You feel it too?" she asked.
He nodded, eyes fixed on the throne.
It stood tall, etched with old markings—swirls of power and stories lost. The seat was smooth, polished black stone that pulsed faintly under the twilight. Tahir moved toward it as if in a trance.
"This is it," he whispered. "It has to be."
He reached out and placed a hand on the armrest.
Nothing happened.
No vision. No wind. No heat. Just silence.
Sabir approached cautiously, scanning the inscriptions. "These glyphs," he murmured, "they don't match the old desert dialect. They're… distorted. Someone has tampered with them."
Amira circled the base. "There's no emblem of the sun line… none of the marks of the House of Al-Mansur. Shouldn't there be some trace?"
Tahir ignored them. He stepped back and gazed at the throne again. His chest ached.
"This is what we've been searching for," he said firmly, though doubt had crept into his voice.
Then the wind returned.
A sudden howl roared through the valley. Sand burst into the air, swirling in a storm around them. The statues trembled. The obsidian throne cracked—thin, jagged lines snaking through its base.
And from above, a voice—low and terrible—echoed.
"This is not your throne, Child of Fire."
The storm silenced.
Tahir looked around. "Om'bara?"
Silence. Then a whisper again, right in his ear.
"This is a throne meant to mislead. Built by false kings. Claimed by thieves. The Ember Throne lies beyond shadow and memory. Seek not a crown born of dust."
The cracks in the throne deepened. With a final groan, the obsidian seat collapsed inward, crumbling into black ash.
No one moved. Even Sabir seemed frozen.
"False throne," Amira said quietly. "Then the real one…"
"Still hidden," Tahir said, eyes burning. "Still waiting."
He felt the truth settle in his bones. Om'bara had never promised the journey would be easy. This had been a test—a mirage of destiny to see if he would settle for what was easy… or continue in search of what was real.
He turned to his companions.
"We keep going," he said, voice stronger now. "This wasn't the end."
Layla nodded. "Then where next?"
Sabir opened the scroll again. There—beneath a fold—was a symbol none of them had noticed before. A crescent cradling flame.
A hidden mark.
Amira raised her head. "That symbol… I've seen it before. In the old temple ruins near the cliffs of Varim. The forgotten passageways."
Tahir gripped the hilt of his blade and looked to the horizon.
"The Ember Throne is still out there," he said. "And I will find it. Not just for me—but for my bloodline. For the legacy they tried to erase."
As night fell upon the shattered valley, the four of them stood together, no longer searching for the end—but the truth.
The desert still had many secrets left to give.
[End of Chapter 10]