Ella exchanged glances with Shani, and then looked at the helmsman for reassurance. There was little succour there, his usually blank face was fearful and sweat poured from his forehead.

A sound like wood being dragged through gravel reverberated through the ship. Jehral closed his eyes, and Ella wondered what deity the desert warrior worshipped.

Then they were through.

The sound vanished as swiftly as it had started, and the helmsman broke out in a beaming grin. Jehral rubbed at the desert rose on his sash and smiled, nodding.

"Thanks for inviting us up on deck to witness that," Shani snapped.

Jehral emptied his lungs, breathing out in a slow, steady sigh. "That was even worse on the way in than it was going out."

"This isn't the first time you've done that?" Shani asked.

"Oh no," Jehral said. "My prince commands…"

"And you obey," Shani finished for him. "I understand, man of the desert. You have a wife, don't you?"

"Yes, in Agira Lahsa."

"Well next time, if you're looking for a companion for the delicate enchantress here, why don't you bring her?"

Jehral was pensive for a moment, before he seemed to come to a conclusion. "I was afraid also, Petryan."

Shani glared at Jehral and stormed back below decks.

~

BY THE next day the cliffs had levelled down to rocky sands, and Ella recognised the unbroken expanse of the Hazara Desert. Waves of heat rolled off the ground, and images could be seen in the distance, shifting and changing like the illusions of Raj Hazara's lore.

Two days later, as the ship continued to follow the river deeper into the desert, Ella saw that the light brown of the shoreline had become yellow, and the rocks were fewer in number. To either side dunes rolled like the waves of an endless sea, as unchanging and indomitable but starker, for this ocean was devoid of life. The sand here must be finer, for the gentle wind Ella felt on her cheeks blew the tops off the dunes, spilling the sand into the air like the foam of a breaking wave.

She could see now why the chosen colour of the Hazarans was yellow. It suited them perfectly.

Ella felt Jehral beside her and turned. "I've always found your homeland beautiful."

"My prince and I, we both knew you felt that way. Only some see the true nature of the desert, but I could always see it in your eyes."

"Have you missed it?"

"Yes, Ella, I have missed it. One more day will bring us to Agira Lahsa, and I will again see my wife. It is not just my family though that I miss. I miss the quiet, and the way the stars shine at night. I miss the way water is valued for the precious, life-giving thing it is. I miss the different winds, and the varying textures of the sand. Ah, it is good to be back."