“Then I admire your loyalty, Sister. And I hope I can earn yours too.”

THEY RODE HARD THROUGH THE NIGHT, INTO THE MORNING sun, then veered northwest as instructed by Hunter, whom Karas could not see. No sign of the Horde. Or of pursuit.

Darsal pushed harder.

“If you’re not going to stop and sleep, maybe you should tie yourself in so you don’t fall off the horse,” Karas said.

“I’m fine.”

“I won’t be able to lift you up by myself,” she persisted.

“You don’t think I’ve gone without sleep before? Over three days once, in a contest with Billos.” Her parched lips twisted at the memory of her and Billos waking side by side under a tree, arguing about who’d fallen asleep first.

“Then we should at least bathe in the water, right?”

“She’s right, you know,” Hunter said. “You never know when an arrow will pierce that water bag and drain its contents. Use it while you can.”

So they stripped and bathed quickly.

Darsal withdrew some jerky from the saddlebag and remounted. “Let’s go!”

Karas’s horse was so tall that she had to jump to reach the pommel; then she muscled her way up and swung one leg over the saddle.

Darsal led them through the desert’s blazing afternoon heat, torn between anger at Karas’s persistent questions and the small comfort they provided her. Questions, questions, so many questions.

What do the Forest Dwellers eat and drink at celebrations? What’s this about Thomas of Hunter coming from the Histories? What does a Roush look like? Do you really love Billos so much as to trade all the forests for him?

“Don’t be a squat. It’s unfair to pass judgment cloaked in a deceptively innocent question. Who said anything about trading the forests?”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Hunter muttered.

Karas came back with yet another question. “Is squat a bad word?”

“No. Not necessarily. It refers to someone’s height or lack thereof. It can be used for fun or for slander.”

“Which way are you using the word?”

Darsal frowned. “For fun, of course.”

The two horses plodded on. Midday came and went; afternoon pulled the blazing sun inexorably toward the horizon; distant clouds turned fire red until darkness shut out all but twinkling stars.

Once again Karas fell asleep, using her mount’s neck as a bed. Once again, Hunter snuggled back against Darsal’s belly and started to snore softly.

Alone in the dark morning hours, Darsal finally let her emotions catch up to her. The dread she’d felt at being abandoned by Billos was now swept away by a terrible sorrow. What if she really had lost him forever? She didn’t know how to live without Billos. She was meant to marry him and bear his children one day, wasn’t she?