Sabit doubted that many tears had ever watered the foul sativa, but she hoped hers were bitter enough to wither it to dust. Allamu waited on the clearing’s edge in silence. The shadows had grown long. The western sky was painted with blood. “This was Ishum,” Sabit said. “He was prince of Ghabar. Barely a … Read more
Sabit stood tall over the fallen sativa-keeper. His bloody face glowered hatefully at her. With a gurgle, he attempted to command his thralls against her. None could hear. Sabit made quick work of him. “What a terrible and great vegetable this is,” Allamu said, studying the sativa’s tempting blooms from a cautious distance. “All that … Read more
Surrounded, bound, and outnumbered, Sabit took the only course that she could see. She went limp in her bonds. The thralls to her sides struggled with the spear-ends, trying to keep her in place for the swordsman’s blow. The sativa-keeper ducked low to keep hold of her hair. The swordsman raised his blade. With an … Read more
Sabit strained against her captivity, but the ropes were too thick to snap, the knots too tight to squirm free. That coward-prince Allamu was nowhere to be seen. Her gaudy captor had instructed his thralls to yoke Sabit to her own spear, the sharp iron point also bound up in thick leather. Even if she … Read more
“You are Sabit,” the gaudy man muttered. “You are the strong spearwoman. You come from the south.” Sabit lowered her spear point, level to the man’s chest. “You’ve no right to that name. I never it gave it to you. You do not know me.” The man giggled—a blood-curdling sound of wickedness. “You never gave … Read more
Allamu led Sabit on a circuitous route through the camp, keeping them both out of sight of the few wakeful sentries. The boulders near the center were massive, flanking a shaded clearing. A half-dozen men and women dozed in the clearing, their lips and noses marked by the same strange rash of an angry green … Read more
The camp huddled among a field of scattered boulders. The tents, of several different styles, were arrayed in a rough circle around an open area. Sabit saw little movement—not that she expected any, as the afternoon heat was still intense. Sabit move casually from shade to shade, careful not to disturb any of the sandy-robed … Read more
The sun loomed high overhead. The shadows had wasted away to thin slivers of cool respite. Sabit tracked her quarry to a rough trail of hard-packed earth, which she followed, dashing from boulder to boulder, relishing the cool shade. A large boulder ahead offered a shadow broad enough to stretch out in, even at midday. … Read more
Sabit found walking through the night in the vast, open badlands to her liking. The air was cold, but the walking kept her warm. She slept the next day in the shade of a knot of large boulders. Sabit hoped to catch up to the caravan before dawn the next night, but she had only … Read more
A day’s walk along the river—with more attentive step—brought Sabit to a crossroads. Several eastbound travelers filled their skins, amphorae, and jars with as much water as the containers would hold. Westbound travelers tarried in the cool waters, drinking as much as their bellies would hold. A caravan of well-provisioned eastbound merchants—their wagons laden with … Read more