"We should stop."
It's Ramir. I'd figured he'd be the last of us to give up.
"Why?"
"Because we can't go for two days straight, and this is as good a time to rest as any."
He's not wrong. The night air is still. Even without a fire, we could sleep under the stars and not feel too cold.
If it changed, we might not get much sleep.
"I wish I had my stuff," Menir says. "Used to have a cart with all sorts of things, but I sold it after I settled down in Ehram. Could have a tent."
I don't think we'll need it, but I don't say anything. I just keep my eyes open, looking out over the gray waves of the desert. I can hear a faint sound, so I hold up my hand. "You hear that?"
I don't look for the others' reactions, and they don't respond. But I could swear I heard something splash.
Which means water.
And where there's water, there are plants and we can get fuel for a fire.
I hear it again, more clearly this time. Definitely water.
I strike out ahead of the others.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't worry, we'll be able to find our way back."
"That's not what–"
When I crest the dune, I can see it. The plants and the water blend together in a single black blob under the night sky, but I've seen an oasis at night before.
"This way."
The ground grows firmer as we make our way out from the dunes. It's not far, all things considered. "Surprising that they missed this while making the road."
I shrug. "Hard to find things in the desert."
Or it could be that the king didn't want to put a road that would take an invading army so close to the city.
I never understood that. There's nobody but us here, and the seafarers don't come in enough numbers to be a threat. They might cause some trouble up in Aheddin, but they wouldn't go so far inland.
Maybe the king was afraid of us. That's why he'd conscript boys from all over to serve in his guard.
To make going to war against him the same thing as going to war against ourselves.
Hanun. The king killed Hanun.
I shake my head. There's no time for thinking like that. The king's probably dead, along with all the glassmakers.
And good riddance.
"What's at the watering hole this time of night?"
It's a good question. Menir answers before I can. "Nothing we can't take down with a spear."
He's not wrong about that, but he's too excited.
A sand-eagle cries out as it sees us. The dark hardly bothers them, but they don't fly much at night. Just enough to catch fish if they're so inclined.
The eagles aren't the most welcoming of creatures, but they won't bother us.
Ramir jumps back, because he's never met one. I don't want to insult him, so I talk to nobody in particular when I explain it. "Thank Neiro. Sand-eagles. If they weren't hunting, I'd never have heard the splash, and we'd still be wandering down the road."
The priest calms down, and we carry onward. One of the birds watches us from a tree, its claws wrapped around the branch.
"I won't hurt you," I say. It's as if I'm saying it for myself.
Menir chuckles. "It's a bird. It doesn't know what you're saying."
I know that. "Habit. We have sand-eagles out in Odun. They're territorial. Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you."
Ramir's still afraid of them. I don't blame him. They're not large, but they're frightening when they're perched above you. They'd probably stand to my knee, head-to-talon. Something like that coming at you with an axe to grind can still do a lot of damage.
The air is cooler by the water. I sit there, looking out. I can hear Ramir and Menir searching for firewood, but I can't bring myself to help.
I'm tired, and I feel Akkun pulling me away.
And I can't stop thinking about Hanun.
He's always been right with the gods. Even when he wasn't the most devoted, he knew what was required.
Will he answer the right way when he descends to the halls of Akkun?
I know he can. I love him because he us noble.
But if he refuses?
The thought shocks me, but it's there.
No. He wouldn't scorn the gods, not even because they let so many people die.
I let myself fall backward. The stars are bright in the sky. No clouds, no dust in the air. The only sounds come from my companions and the occasional rustling of a bird.
"And you shouldn't either."
I can't tell who spoke–if anyone spoke. Maybe it was Menir and Ramir saying something that they didn't want to slip out.
What had they said?
"I don't think you should talk to her about Hanun."
"And you shouldn't either."
It doesn't feel right. Who would say what?
The reconstruction falls apart, and I feel myself sinking down into the palace of Akkun.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
