He shook Rejah’s shoulder. “Rejah. Wake up.”

  She stirred. “Temon? What is it?”

  “It’s Urdo. He’s gone.”

  Rejah was now awake, so she sat up and looked at the empty bedroll.” Why would he do such a thing?“

  “He's done it again! I warned him not to do it again. He can’t have got far. I’ll find him.”

  “We should all go,” she said.

  “Fine. You get Alina up, and I’ll see to the horses.”

  While Rejah woke Alina, Temon checked the ground around Urdo’s bedroll. The soil was hard and rocky. A single set of footprints heading west, away from the boulders, was visible to him. He showed the tracks to Rejah, and she could follow them. “He went this way,” she said.

  The tracks led them on a path that was not difficult to follow. They cantered their horses, the early morning light casting long shadows from the rocks. The land changed. The flat ground rose into low, rolling hills covered in coarse, yellow grass. “His tracks go on this way," Rejah said, and they rode on.

  The sun climbed higher, and a wind stirred the dust, carrying the scent of the coarse yellow grass that now covered the low rolling hills, a wide and undulating sea of faded gold.

  “He’s playing with us,” Temon grumbled. “Making sure we waste the day chasing his fool’s errand.” Alina flinched at his outburst.

  Rejah shot him a look. “He has been through a lot.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.“

  They cantered on, their horses’ hooves thudding softly against the earth.

  After a while, Rejah pulled her horse to a stop. Temon halted beside her. She pointed at the ground.

  “He’s gone over that hill.”

  “Let’s catch up with him,” Temon said, kicking his horse into a gallop.

  They crested the hill and saw Urdo. He was standing in the middle of a wide, shallow valley and he was not alone. An Ashok rider was looming over Urdo, but it wasn’t Eyeman. The rider was large and broad-shouldered; his face was a mask of grim authority.

  For a moment, they did not know what to do. It could be one of Eyeman’s group or another independent Ashok tribesman. Rejah narrowed her eyes, her hand instinctively moving to shield her eyes as she studied the rider’s attire. “I can see from his neck beads that he’s wearing the black snake and yellow sun colors of Eyeman.”

  Then Rejah saw more riders approaching from the west. “We have company. More of Eyeman’s men.”

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  The riders were a well-armed group of ten warriors.

  “Quick, hide before they see us! “Rejah urged them. Temon did not want to hide. He wanted to fight. Yet he knew she was right because they were too few to win a fight with these odds. “Fine,” he said.

  They guided their horses back behind the hillside, dismounted and tied their reins to a stiff bush. They moved to the crest of the rise, keeping low. The dry grass was itchy against his skin as he lay there, watching.

  “We can’t just leave him,” Rejah whispered. “They’ll take him back to the tower.”

  “What can we do?” Temon asked,“Charge ten of them? They’ll cut us down.”

  Alina put a gentle hand on his arm. “Temon. I can talk to them.”

  “No! They’ll take you prisoner.”

  “They will not. I’m a cleric. I wear the travelling robes of the Church of the Eternal Sun. They will see I am a holy person and no harm will come to me.”

  Before he could protest again, Alina mounted her horse and rode over the crest of the hill and down into the valley. She walked her horse slowly towards the group of riders. The leader, the big warrior, held up a hand, and the others stopped.

  Though Temon couldn’t understand the exchange, he observed the gestures. Alina pointed to herself. She spoke calmly. The leader listened, his face expressing no emotion. He looked at Urdo, who just stood there. Then he looked back at Alina. Another rider approached Alina, a lean man with braids in his hair, and there was an exchange of words between him and the leader. The leader looked toward the place where Temon and Rejah were hiding, and they ducked back to hide. Temon pressed his forehead against the coarse dirt. “They could know about the tribesmen we have killed. They could ask Alina if she knows anything.”

  After a long moment, the leader nodded, gave an order and two of his men took hold of Urdo’s arms. They led him toward Alina’s horse. She said something else, and the leader gestured for her to go. She helped Urdo onto the back of her horse, mounted up and rode away from the hill where Temon and Rejah were hiding.

  The Ashok warriors did not follow her. The leader said a few sharp words to his men, and they gathered in a tight group. They spoke for a moment, their voices unintelligible to Temon. Then they turned their horses and rode north. They moved as one unit, their shapes growing smaller against the vast, empty land until they were gone.

  Temon let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his shirt.

  “She did it!” said Rejah.

  “A fool’s gamble that paid off,” Temon grumbled, but there was no anger in his voice. He was too relieved and too surprised. He had been ready for a fight he wouldn’t win.

  They rode after Alina, their horses quickening to a canter. They met her halfway back to the camp of boulders. Urdo sat behind her, slumped, his eyes closed.

  “Are you all right?” Temon asked as he rode up beside Alina.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “What happened?” Rejah asked.

  “I told them we were pilgrims,” Alina replied. “That my companion was sick in the head and had wandered off. I promised them that we would leave their lands. I offered a prayer for their ancestors.”

  Temon looked at Urdo, who seemed to be half-asleep on the horse. “What has he said?“

  “Nothing. He did not speak a word. “

  Temon rounded on Urdo. “What were you thinking? Do you want to get killed?”

  Urdo looked at him, his eyes wide and confused. “I... I don’t know. I heard a song. It called to me. I had to find it.”

  “A song? What did it sound like?”

  “Like people singing and marching. A marching song.”

  Alina’s head snapped up. “A marching band? You mean the Anthem of Eternity ?”

  Urdo shrugged. “I don’t know. “

  Alina hummed the tune, but Urdo shook his head.

  Temon said, “I’m going to have to tie you up at night, Urdo.“

  “Wait,” Alina replied.“He’s been through a lot. I will look after him, Temon. He is a lost soul. He needs our help, not our punishment.”

  Temon wanted to argue, but he looked at Alina‘s determined face and held his tongue.