THE PRINCESS OF THE RED SANDS

THE PRINCESS OF THE RED SANDS

I never believed in the stories about her. Not until it was too late.

My name is Kofi, and I’m from a small village near the edge of the desert. We’ve all heard the tales of Princess Adisa, the beautiful but wicked woman who lived in the ruins deep in the red sands. They said she was cursed, that she lured young men with her beauty and then… well, no one ever came back to tell the rest. I thought it was just a story to scare us kids. But last month, I found out the hard way that some stories are real.

It started when I was out hunting. I’d gone farther than usual, chasing a wounded antelope. The sun was setting, and the sky turned blood-red, just like the sand beneath my feet. That’s when I saw her.

She was standing on a dune, her silhouette sharp against the fading light. Her dress was made of fine cloth, shimmering like gold, and her hair was braided with beads that clinked softly in the wind. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. But something about her made my skin crawl.

“Kofi,” she called, her voice smooth and low, like honey. “Come closer.”

I don’t know how she knew my name. I don’t know why I listened. But I did. I walked toward her, my feet dragging in the sand like they weren’t my own. When I got closer, I saw her face clearly. Her eyes were dark, too dark, like two endless pits. Her smile was sweet, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“You’re handsome,” she said, tilting her head. “Strong, too. I’ve been waiting for someone like you.”

I should’ve run. But I couldn’t. Her voice wrapped around me, pulling me in. She reached out and touched my arm, and her hand was cold, even in the desert heat.

“Come with me,” she said. “I’ll show you my home.”

I followed her. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the way she looked at me, like I was the only person in the world. Or maybe it was the curse. They say she has that power, to make you forget everything but her.

We walked for what felt like hours, until we reached a crumbling palace half-buried in the sand. Inside, it was dark and cold, and the air smelled like old bones.

“Stay with me,” she whispered, her lips brushing my ear. “You’ll never want for anything.”

I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream, to run. But I couldn’t. Her eyes held me there, frozen.

I followed her through the winding corridors of the ancient palace, my heartbeat quickening with every step. The woman, draped in regal garments, led me into a grand chamber filled with glistening treasures—golden chalices, bejeweled crowns, and ancient relics that seemed to whisper forgotten stories. My eyes widened in awe, but something in the air felt off—too still, too expectant.

A sense of unease crept over me, and instinct urged me to turn back. As I took a step toward the door, a deafening crash resonated through the room. The door slammed shut with an unnatural force, the sound reverberating like a thousand screams. Darkness engulfed me, thick and impenetrable. I couldn’t even see my own hand.

Then, as suddenly as the darkness fell, it lifted. But I was no longer in the treasure-filled chamber. Instead, I stood in a cavernous, eerie cave, its damp walls covered in strange symbols that glowed faintly. There was no visible exit—just endless rock and an overwhelming sense of confinement.

A fluttering sound echoed above me. I looked up to see dozens of bats swooping chaotically across the cave's ceiling, their piercing screeches sending shivers down my spine. I barely had time to react when a whisper, soft and chilling, slithered through the air. It was a voice—one I recognized. Then, a sound erupted that made my blood run cold. Laughter. The Queen’s laughter.

Panic surged through me as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small knife, my only means of defense. The cave trembled as if in response, and suddenly, unseen objects rained down from above. With horror, I realized what they were—skeletons, their hollow eye sockets staring at me as they clattered onto the ground.

I spun, desperate to escape, and pressed myself into a shadowed corner. But before I could catch my breath, an icy hand brushed my shoulder. I whipped around to find the Queen standing behind me, her lips curled into a wicked smile. Her eyes glowed with an unnatural light as she whispered, “Do you really think you can escape from me?”

Without hesitation, I lunged with my knife. But as the blade touched her, it melted like ice, slipping from my fingers and vanishing into nothingness. My breath hitched in my throat as she began chanting in a strange, arcane language. A dizzying wave of power swept over me, and before I could resist, my body collapsed. The world blurred, and then—nothing.

I awoke to the sound of footsteps—hers. I could feel her presence approaching, slow and deliberate. My mind screamed for me to move, but my limbs were heavy, unresponsive. Then, something flashed in my memory—a gift from my grandmother. The amulet.

With what little strength I had left, I reached for the small charm hanging around my neck and clenched it tightly. A sudden, blinding light erupted from the amulet, casting shadows that danced violently on the cave walls. The Queen's eyes widened in horror as she let out a piercing scream, her body beginning to distort and fade. Her shriek echoed through the cavern as she dissolved into a wisp of dark mist.

The wind howled, swirling dust and debris around me. The cave trembled one last time before the ground beneath me steadied. Then, as if answering an unspoken command, an opening appeared in the cave wall—a way out.

I staggered toward the light, my heart pounding in my chest. The moment I stepped outside, fresh air filled my lungs, and the cave entrance vanished behind me. I turned, half-expecting the Queen to return, but there was nothing. Just silence.

That was all I remembered.

As my breathing slowed, I realized I was standing in an unfamiliar forest. Towering trees stretched toward the sky, their twisted branches casting eerie shadows in the dim light. The wind carried the distant sounds of rustling leaves and far-off whispers. My legs were weak, but I forced myself to move forward, uncertain of where I was or what lay ahead.

The ground beneath me felt uneven, covered in thick roots that seemed to shift as I stepped over them. The atmosphere was heavy, charged with an energy I couldn’t quite place. Then, a voice, barely above a whisper, brushed against my ears.

“You are not free yet.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. The voice was neither near nor far, but it sent a chill down my spine. I turned in every direction, but there was no one in sight. My grip tightened around the amulet as I took another cautious step forward.

Without warning, the ground trembled, and the trees around me shuddered. From the shadows emerged hooded figures, their faces obscured by darkness. They moved in unison, forming a circle around me. The air grew colder, the whispers rising into a murmur that filled the entire forest.

One of the figures stepped forward, lowering their hood. An old man with piercing eyes and deep scars along his face stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

“The Queen’s magic still lingers within you,” the man said, his voice heavy with meaning. “You carry her curse.”

My pulse quickened. I looked down at my hands, expecting to see something—anything—wrong with me. But I felt the same.

The man raised a gnarled finger, pointing directly at my chest. “If you do not rid yourself of it, she will return.”

A sense of dread settled over me. I had barely escaped the Queen’s grasp, and now I was being told that it wasn’t over?

“How do I stop it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The old man exhaled deeply, as if the weight of my question pressed upon him. “You must journey to the Temple of the Forgotten and cleanse yourself before the next full moon,” he said. “If you fail…” He glanced at the other hooded figures, then back at me. “She will reclaim you.”

A gust of wind rushed through the trees, carrying the murmurs away, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake. I swallowed hard and nodded. I didn’t know what awaited me at the Temple of the Forgotten, but one thing was clear—my nightmare was far from over.