We were flying, flying across the clear skies of The Sands and it was beautiful. The wide span of golden brown dunes and massive buildings was amazing. It looked like something out of a fantasy world! Who knew something this beautiful could exist under the reign of a king so vile?

“Entle. Beautiful isn’t it?” Daniel said, closing his eyes and letting the wind whip across his face, blurring his vision and tangling his hair but not restricting him from the beauty that lay beneath us. Who knew there was beauty in the reign of a vile leader? For indeed, the hand of God was still very much holding The Sands together and He was jealous of the people.

I smiled, looking at Daniel. “What is your real name?” I shouted, just loud enough for Daniel to hear me through all the wind.

Themba hadn’t pulled us onto the airship, I was still holding onto Daniel’s hand and we were still hanging from the airship, the rope fastened to Daniel’s belt was the only thing preventing us from plummeting to certain death. I guessed that was all part of Daniel’s smart idea and I appreciated it. The dangling from an airship was intense but the scenery, the scenery it was beautiful. Themba stood at the open doors of the airship with her spear; watching for danger.

“You seem so fixated on finding out who I am. I saved your life, that should have won some level of your trust, shouldn’t it?” Daniel said, smiling at me and enjoying the scene.

“I need answers, Daniel…” I said.

“Make up your mind Tamari. Cinga phambi kokuba uthethe! ~ Think before you speak! You asked for answers in the holding cell and I gave you answers Nkosazana ~ Princess. So what is it that you truly seek, Tamari of The Gates?” Daniel spoke, his eyes closed, his peaceful expression never wavering.

“I want to know your name and what you are and how you are able to blast a wall to pieces! I want the truth, Daniel! If that is even your name,” I said with a raised brow, the wind whipping my face.

Daniel let out a little chuckle. “Unomdla. Curious. You are a curious one Tamari. Well, I would give you your answers.”  Daniel said, finally opening his eyes and tugging at the rope that dangled us from the airship. “Themba! Nceda usitsalele phezulu! ~ Themba! Pull us up, please!”

Themba replied with a grunt before walking into the airship and we were being pulled up.

“Thandaza – Pray, that or your sake, she likes you.” Daniel said, nodding his head in my direction as we were being pulled aboard the airship.

Raising my brows in shock. “And if she doesn’t like me?”  I asked Daniel.

“Well then, you would get to see how skilled she is with that spear of hers.” Daniel smiled, letting out a deep chuckle.

I didn’t find the idea of being impaled by a six-foot warrior funny in any way but as I have come to learn, Daniel’s version of funny was never going to be acceptable to me.

“You think too much Tamari, for someone who had a very clear vision, you don’t seem to have the faith that He who sent you would see things through. Learn faith, for lack of faith is what killed our queen.” Daniel said solemnly.

He wasn’t wrong. From the moment I stepped out of the gates of my kingdom, I was not sure if I would even make it to The Sands but here I was, in an airship with a weird man.

“Yabona, that is my name. It means ‘see’ and I am a prophet of The Most High. Is that good enough for you Nkosazana?”  Daniel stared into my eyes, never breaking his gaze while waiting politely for me to walk through the doors before sliding them shut.

In the airship, there wasn’t anything in it apart from six seats, and three wooden crates with the word ‘ammunition’ printed on them. A few spears, swords, shields, and whips. Themba sat beside the man that was Piloting the airship, she didn’t speak a word nor blink an eye.

“Yabona.” I whispered the name and it had a strange effect on my tongue. If Daniel indeed did serve God, then what was the evil I saw in his eyes, the demonic presence that filled my prison cell the moment he came in?

“You get used to the feeling when you understand what is going on in The Sands. We are going to meet the person that would explain all this to you. She would give you the answers you seek, Nkosozana – Princess.” Daniel said, shutting the door behind me and throwing himself into the seat behind the pilot.

Daniel had a certain regality to him and as he sat there, with the rays of sunlight dancing across his face, Daniel didn’t look as old as he did in the prison. He looked young; too young to be a prophet. The pilot passed Themba a wooden staff with leaves sprouting at the top and Themba passed it to Daniel who whispered a 'thank you' in Xhosa. He placed the tree-branch-looking object beside him with so much care one would have thought it could destroy the airship.

“I would take a seat if I were you. The ride gets bumpy along the way and Diurnal doesn’t know when to slow down.” Daniel said, not glancing back at me for a second. They all seemed to ignore my presence with them.

“Sidlulile uAsani, Diurnal? – Are we past Asani’s reach?” Themba asked the pilot. I was afraid she could only grunt so it was shocking that she could speak.

“Themba only speaks when she deems necessary.” Daniel said.

“Can you also read my mind? Is that another one of your prophetic gifts?” My sarcasm surprised me.

“As well put together as you may be Princess Tamari, royalty can be broken by those who serve a higher power.” Daniel laughed, not glancing at me for even a second.

“UAsani ushiyeke eluthulini wethu. Musa ukoyika Themba. – Asani is in our dust. Do not be afraid Themba.”  Diurnal nudged Themba with his elbow in a playful manner but the warrior did not smile.

“UThemba akanaloyiko. – Themba has no fears.” Themba kept her eyes forward and gripped her spear a little bit tighter.

“Ukuba utsho, UThemba. – If you say so, Themba.” The pilot snickered and kept his concentration on his path.

These people had risked their lives and mine just to get me out of a prison cell, even though they did not know me and now, when they had me in their presence, they ignored my existence. Something was not adding up but I had already asked too many questions and asking more would only reveal how stupid and lost I was.

“I assure you, you would get all the answers you seek once we reach our destination Nkosozana - Princess. Just sit down before Diurnal takes a sharp turn and kills you because of your stubbornness.  Daniel said, folding his legs on his seat and picking up his staff from the floor.

“Yintombazana encinci enenkani. – She is a stubborn little girl.”  Tamari said but my Xhosa wasn’t that good and I thought she told Daniel that ‘he’ was stubborn.

“Ewe unjalo. Kodwa le ntombazana inenkani iyinxalenye elahlekileyo yomsebenzi wethu, UThemba. – Yes, she is. But this stubborn girl is the missing piece of our work, Themba.” Daniel looked at me with hope in his eyes and I decided it wouldn’t kill me if I sat and waited till we got to our destination.

Themba grunted in agreement. I didn’t know how I knew her grunt meant agreement, it just sounded like an agreement and the rest of the flight was silent, except for the mutterings that Daniel was doing every five minutes.  Truth be told, the flight became bumpy and Diurnal took some sharp turns and I was grateful we had seatbelts and I had chosen to be obedient and sit down. And before another sharp bend, there was a flash in the sky.

“Siyahlaselwa! – We are under attack!” Themba said. Undoing her seatbelt and moving towards the door with her spear in hand but Daniel stopped her.

“Iyintoni intsingiselo yalo Daniyeli? Ufuna asibulale uAsani? – What is the meaning of this Daniel? Do you want Asani to kill us?”  Themba raised her spear to Daniel’s throat. And even though my heart began to beat faster, Daniel remained unflinching. I guess he was used to being threatened by a warrior.

“Yiba nokholo olumcinane, uThemba. – Have a little faith, Themba.” Daniel smiled at the warrior and she lowered her spear.

Themba glanced at Daniel  with a threatening glare before she sat back in her seat. She didn’t look back and she didn’t grip her spear tighter like she did before, Themba looked at peace with what Daniel had said, it looked like she trusted him.

Diurnal slowed down and waited for Daniel’s next instruction. The prophet simply tapped the back of Diurnal’s seat and the pilot continued on his way with increased speed. The flashes of light around us increased and I could hear the sounds of the explosives and guns. We were under heavy attack and not doing anything.

I wasn’t going to die for the reason of faith when we had ammunition onboard so I stood up to start defending us.

“Sit down Tamari.” Daniel’s voice was clear and commanding and it made my blood freeze. Without a single thought or question, I returned to my seat and the light around us got brighter and the sounds were deafening.

Themba didn’t waver, Diurnal didn’t stop moving and Daniel was still muttering. We were going to let Asani kill us all after all the work it took to get out of that prison! I couldn’t do anything to save us because my body had received a direct command not to move from my seat. And so, I did the only thing I knew how to do when I was in the valley of the shadow of death. I decided to pray and ask God to accept me when I walk through those pearly gates up above.

I prayed and prayed and the flashes of lights and sounds remained. We were going to die but then, I couldn’t see the flashes anymore. There was a sandstorm separating us from the airships that had wanted to end us so badly. I could hear the screams of their pilots and the crashing of their ships and slowly, those sounds replaced the flashing lights and the sound of guns.

Daniel had a smug smile on his face and Diurnal was giggling under his breath. This wasn’t the first time these people had seen death and survived, there was more to them and I was going to get my answers one way or another.

The prophet, the warrior, and the pilot had witnessed nature defend them and I felt sorry that I didn’t have enough faith that God could defend us and so I repented and when I opened my eyes, we were before two high mountains.