He did not mention the shapes, words and signs to Lulah. She was too busy protecting them from more worldly threats: poisonous insects, beasts that kept their distance, and the enduring idea that they were being followed. He thought perhaps she was paranoid, but at least it kept her away from the trail he was following.

THE TENTH NIGHT they spent in the great forest, Beko came to her. Rhiana was sleeping in her tent on the other side of the fire, and Noon and Ramin were out in the forest on watch. The night noises were different here, the fauna quieter and more restrained, and Rhiana had suggested it was due to the proximity of the huge river they could hear in the distance. None of them had seen it yet, but that afternoon they had crested a rise and been able to look through the trees at a wide valley ahead of them. Much of it was obscured by mist, and they had headed down the gentle gradient with a keen sense of anticipation. Nomi swore she could feel the ground shaking from its power.

It was the sound of unknown Noreela, waiting to swallow them up.

“Tomorrow could be a real test,” Beko said, settling down beside her. “Have you heard tales of this river?”

Nomi shook her head. “I know of few Voyagers who have come this far.”

“Hmm.” Beko was sitting beside her, staring into the fire, his shoulder touching hers. The contact had shocked her initially, and she was sure it was the first time he had touched her in days. They'd ridden close, yes, and talked often, but this was what she craved. Superficially, it was Beko's acceptance of her again, after the startling revelations that had driven Ramus away. She'd hate to be thought of as a jinx on the voyage. But beneath that was something more complex, deeper than Nomi could really bear to look. With Timal, she had used the word “love” many times, bandying it around like an accessory while he rode her, lived in her house, spent her money. Now she could barely think of the word when she considered Beko, and it felt as though she would curse the very idea by doing so. But his closeness warmed her, in her mind and elsewhere.

“What does ‘hmm’ mean?” she asked.

“It just seems strange,” Beko said. “Maybe when Voyagers do make it this far, they don't come back because they've found somewhere better.”

“Voyagers are driven by discovery, and most of them want to share. To flaunt what they've found. But that's a nice belief.”

He laughed quietly, his voice merging with the river's distant roar. “A hope more than a belief. If they didn't return because they were hurt or killed, then we have a rough ride ahead of us.”