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“The wagon is protected from any invasions,” Navin said.

“Even if they can’t attack the wagon,” Maez countered,“how long until they starve us out of it if they know we’re inside?” Navin’s frown deepened. “Exactly. Going straight to Rikesh would be like delivering Sadie directly into the hands of her would-be betrothed.”

“Only if I get caught,” I gritted out. “Which I won’t.”

“If stubbornness were a goddess, Sadie,” Maez snorted, “I would worship you. But you know as well as I, you can never have complete control over your fate. And it doesn’t help that there’s an apparent bounty on your head. If anyone around here knew who you are, they’d be jumping all over each other to drag you to their prince.”

“Which is why leaving me behind is a stupid idea,” I countered. “At least together, I have you, a strong, capable warrior, to defend me.”

“Your flattery is noted.” She rolled her eyes. “As if you’re not also a strong, capable warrior.”

“So we’re agreed then,” I said with a smug smile. “We’re all going to Rikesh.”

“What do you think, Nav?” Maez asked, leaning her elbow out the window. “Should we make Sadie lie low in the wagon when we roll into Rikesh? Or leave her behind?”

“I think neither of us could stop her from doing what she wants,” he said, and the compliment made me sit a little straighter. “And despite many people wishing to cash in on her bounty, Rikeshi people are not known to leave their mountain, which means none of them will know what they’re looking for. Even if rumors that Sadie is here circulate, they’re as likely to grab you, Maez, as they are to grab her. And I doubt Sadie’s family would share that she’s traveling with Galen den’ Mora anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Because not only does it sully their name for her to be riding with humans”—I let out a little snarl at that—“but they will want to get hold of her first and not let that bounty slip out of their hands.”

I grinned mischievously back at Maez, loving how shescowled at Navin’s point. “See?” I chided. “As long as we act human enough, we will be fine.”

“Speaking of,” Navin said. “I recommend you wear Mina and Malou’s clothes for the rest of the journey, too, Maez.” He kept speaking, but I noticed the way his words hitched at the mention of Malou. Her death was still so recent, and I knew he still ached with her loss. I couldn’t imagine losing someone that close to me, the closest kind of family like Maez or Hector. The thought alone made me inch closer to Navin. “While the lighter clothes you brought are suitable, they don’tlookRikeshi. We’re going to want to blend in if we have any hopes of maintaining anonymity.”

“Those clothes barely fit me,” Maez growled. “The trousers hit me mid-shin.”

“Roll them so they sit above the knee,” Navin said. “That is also a common style.”

I could feel Maez’s countenance darkening from behind me that she was being forced to wear the more sparkly, feminine clothing, and I chuckled. I couldn’t wait to tell Briar.

“Esh,” Navin muttered, and I lifted my head to see what he was staring at on the horizon... but I saw nothing.

“What is it?” I tried and failed to see anything of import.

“A sandstorm is coming,” he said.

I squinted into the distance, seeing what looked like just a whirl of sand in the air. It looked harmless and far away. “Won’t we be in Sankai-ed by then?”

“No. Shit.” He shook the reins, spurring the oxen on, but they moved at an only slightly faster pace than before. “It’s going to hit us head-on.”

The dot on the horizon grew, morphing before my eyes into a giant wall that was rushing toward us. The sky darkened and the winds picked up.

“Get inside the wagon!” Navin shouted above the now-roaring wind. “Now!”

The weather shifted so suddenly, the calm sunny day changing into a full-on storm in a matter of seconds. Gritty sand whipped through the air, burning my skin, and I knew it would be nothing compared to the dark cloud rushing toward us. My two long braids flailed wildly behind me, my tunic flying up to my neck, filling like a sail. Navin practically shoved me through the window, Maez dragging me inside by my arms.

“Fucking Moon,” she shouted to be heard above the roar of wind and scratch of sand against the wagon. Still, somehow the oxen kept moving, kept walking their steady, unbothered pace, somehow protected as we all scrambled for our lives.

“Esh,” Navin barked again as he gripped the window ledge, unable to pull himself through with the force of the storm.

He hooked one elbow over the groaning wood, and I grabbed his other wrist. Propping my feet on either side of the wall, I leaned back with all my force, trying to hoist him through the window. I screamed as his legs flew out from behind him.

“Hang on!” I shouted as Maez grabbed his other arm, trying to anchor him.

The winds wailed and whipped, the force of their power not coming in a steady stream but violent stops and starts. One second I thought I’d lose my grip on Navin, the other second another elbow was hooked on the window. A sudden gale blasted into us again, sand pelting directly into my eyes. Maez and I screamed in unison, and I knew she’d been hit by it, too. Tears streamed down my face, my eyes clenched and burning.

“Hang on!” I shouted again, unseeing as the winds picked up even more speed, rocking the wagon onto two wheels.