“Do your jobs,” Marak said to Bosginde, who stood staring. “He won’t give you orders.” Meaning Tofi. “You’re in charge. Prove what you’ve got.”

Bosginde went and with Mogar did his ordinary duty, and saw the girths were tight, then helped Memnanan’s wife and mother up. Tofi became cognizant enough to join them, with looks back at Patya the while, the look of a young man with only one thing on his mind.

Bosginde elbowed Mogar, with a grin and a knowing look on his face, before they helped Norit up and both got to the saddle… as if it were any day, as if nothing in the world was unusual. The Keran, meanwhile, were setting themselves into motion, the Ila’s servants were attempting to get her mounted, and Memnanan and his men were up. The Haga began to flow out around the edges of the lump that was the city-dwellers in their midst. Marak saw it all, the amusement of the slaves, Tofi and Patya with eyes for one another, and Hati’s amusement, and all of a sudden there was a commotion in the Ila’s camp, the Ila’s white besha having escaped out through the camp, and two more followed it.

Everyone began to laugh, he laughed, and then the earth shook them all to sobriety: that was what had startled the beshti, and the Keran quickly caught the fugitives. The Ila, veiled and angry, allowed herself to be helped up.

They could still laugh, the ex-slaves at the ex-master, the tribesmen at the city folk—all of them had laughed except Norit, who sat expressionless and staring blankly at the commotion. She would go where the besha went. Whether she herself got her baby down the descent safely—she had no particular care—but Luz would see Norit survived, if anyone did.

“Here.” Marak made his decision and handed Lelie up to her mother, live or die, the best he could do: then he went and mounted up, the same. He turned Osan to follow the Keran, and Hati went with him, and Norit did, and Tofi and Patya, and the whole camp and the whole caravan began to set out.

The wind fell. The afternoon grew hot, and the air utterly still as they traveled. The edge of the world was in front of them, a horizon unnaturally clear now that the wind had let the air clear.

“Talk to me,” he said to Hati. “Distract me.”

Marak, Marak, his voices said to him, and he saw a vision, the fall of a great star, as it seemed, and the earth splitting, and fire running in the cracks.

“I think it’s coming,” Hati said, offering no comfort. “Something much bigger than the rest.”

“It’s coming,” Norit confirmed, catching a breath. She hugged Lelie close. “In the bitter water. Not yet, but soon.”