“Do you think you can travel?” Raj asked me.
The thought of sitting on a horse wasn’t a pleasant one, but what choice did I have? “I’ll manage.”
Raj took my hand and helped me sit up. I expected the wound to hurt, but with the rosewood oil numbing the pain, I only felt a slight prickling sensation. Raj held my hand a second longer than necessary, still looking at me with that guilty expression.
I let go of him to grab my pack. Lifting it off the ground pulled at my wound, so I carefully bent and maneuvered the strap over my shoulder. The canvas whipped back and forth as the breeze picked it up, and the others worked to dismantle the makeshift tent.
I stepped away from them to take in my new surroundings. The sun was a hazy white dot far on the horizon. I shielded my eyes against the brightness, looking out over the dips and gently curving slopes of white sand dunes. Arid desert air rushed past, brushing my cheeks, holding a slight salty scent.
Our horses lingered nearby, and I made my way toward Sable. Her coat was shiny and covered in sweat, and the distinct scent of wet horse caught my senses. Although I never wanted to confront the guardsman again, I felt grateful that I’d at least saved the horses.
“Hi girl,” I said, stepping to her and patting her velvety nose. Sable looked at me with her wide eyes, snorted, and walked away, seeming oblivious to the fact that I’d saved her life. Animals.
We worked to gather our things and saddle the horses, and soon, we were riding across the vast expanse of desert on an ancient highway. The horses’ hooves clopped over what was left of the cobbled road. Broken stones lay in the dirt, though some places were completely erased by the sand. To think that only a decade ago this had been a major thoroughfare for traders was a sobering thought.
In the distance, white dunes rose and fell against the backdrop of a cloudless blue sky. I kept my cowl pulled over my head to shade my eyes from the sun, which beat down on us relentlessly and burned my cheeks. Sweat drenched my neck and the palms of my hands where I held to the reins.
As the day wore on, we only paused a few times for a sip of water or to tend the horses. I reapplied the rosewood oil whenever I could, and it helped to numb the pain, but the jostling motion of the horse wasn’t helping.
As afternoon turned to evening, with the sun sinking closer toward the horizon, we stopped near a rocky outcropping. I slowly slid from the saddle, gingerly climbing to the ground.
The wolf sniffed the sand as I crossed toward Raj and Drekken, who both sat on rocks. I sat, slowly, trying not to let them see me grimace. Raj’s eyes met mine, and I glanced away, instead busying myself by removing a bit of bread and sausage from my pack.
“How do you feel?” Raj asked me.
“I’m well enough,” I answered.
He only nodded, his expression riddled with guilt. I wished he would’ve stopped acting that way, especially since he had nothing to be ashamed of. It was the guardsman’s fault I had this wound, not his, but how could I make him understand?
I tore off a piece of bread and fed it to the wolf. The air cooled as the sun approached the horizon. Bands of pink and lavender stretched across the sky.
“We’ve got at least another hour before we reach Al-Maar,” Raj said. “Stay watchful. The sand demons will be out once the sun sets.”
Drekken played a few notes on his lute as we rested. I focused on the sun as it descended beyond the hills. Though the desert was dry and desolate, it held a certain beauty. The vast expanse reminded me of how small I was in comparison to the world around me. It made me realize how much existed out there that I didn’t understand or comprehend, how much magic was left to be discovered. I’d only ever seen a small portion of the world. The rest I’d read about in mother’s atlases, and those were mostly speculations of what lay beyond.
“What will Al-Maar be like?” I asked Raj. “Do you think your family will be there?”
“They’ll be there. They have nowhere else to go. The city was once the most beautiful place in all the land. There were hanging gardens, flowers and fruits you would have never seen before. It was a magical, colorful place. Now, there isn’t much left. But it will be good to see my father and mother again, and all my nieces and nephews. They will love you, Gothel.”
Apprehension settled in my chest. What if they didn’t? What if they hated me? How could Raj be so certain they would like me? Better yet, why did it matter?
Suddenly it did matter. It mattered a lot.
No longer hungry, I tossed my last heel of bread to the wolf, who swallowed it whole. Did we have to go to Al-Maar? Wasn’t there a way to pass it by on our journey to the Ice Mountains?
Drekken plucked another tune, a simple melody that made me think of fairies flitting over a pond, helping to calm my worries. Whether Raj’s family liked me didn’t matter. He wanted an Outlander girl, and most likely, they wanted the same thing for him. I had nothing to worry about, because I’d never had a chance with him in the first place.
We finished our meal—if one could call it that—and returned to our horses. Raj came to me as I fed Sable a handful of oats.
“I’ve said something again, haven’t I?” he asked.
“What makes you think that?”
“Just a hunch, I suppose.”
I glanced up at him. “I guess I’m nervous about meeting your family.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have a good reason.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. They’ll love you. Especially my nieces, who’ll
