Yousifs forces had been battered and exhausted after the battle. Getting themselves home had been the most difficult task they could handle.

Fuad added, They would have if anybody had been there to tell them what to do.

Yousifs anger evaporated. He could not sustain it in the face of the truth.

The years had taken their toll. El Aswad was approaching its limit. Yousif had done all he could, but his best had not been enough. From Wadi el Kuf onward he foresaw nothing but a downhill slide. His last hope had been that El Murid and his generals had perished. But Fuads news accounted for the last of the missing leaders. They were all alive. The fury of Wadi el Kuf had consumed none but the expendable.

Megelin, Yousif said, think for the enemy. What will he do now?

I dont know, Wahlig. They say Nassef is vindictive. Well probably get a lot of attention. Beyond that guess, you might as well read sheeps entrails.

Yousif said nothing for several minutes. Then, Im going to concede the initiative again. Well keep up the patrols and ambushes, but avoid contact most of the time. Well stall. Concentrate on surviving. Try to lure them into a debilitating siege of the Eastern Fortress. Aboud is old. Hes got the gout. He cant live forever. I talked to Farid. Hes on our side. Hell be less sedentary. He can see the shape of things. Hed give us what we need if he wore the Crown.

But neither fate nor Nassef would play the game according to Yousifs wishes. In the year after Wadi el Kuf Yousifs men seldom saw their enemies. They could not be found even when hunted. Nassef seemed to have forgotten that el Aswad existed. With the exception of the patrolled zone immediately before the mouth of Sebil el Selib, security and peace reigned in the Wahligate.

The quiet drove Yousif and Fuad to distraction. They worried constantly. What did the silence mean?

Haroun and Radetic went on their first fieldtrip in almost two years. Megelin wanted to look for rare wildflowers. His search took them into a canyon which meandered deep into Jebal al Alf Dhulquarneni.

Haroun worried about offending the Hidden Ones. He tried to mask his nervousness behind uncharacteristic chatter. That generally took the form of trying to get Radetic to illuminate the enemys behavior.

Exasperated, Radetic finally growled, I dont know, Haroun. The Sword rules the Word these days. And Nassef is a big unknown. I cant begin to guess his motives, let alone predict his moves. One minute he looks like El Murids most devoted follower, the next like a bandit looting the desert, and a second after that he seems to be a man quietly finagling himself an empire. All I can say is wait. Hell make everything painfully clear someday.