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Omaera’s gaze skimmed over the deserted area. “Now what?”

“We walk until we can catch a ride,” I said, repeating the mage’s words. We were all bone-tired, but there was really no other option. At least we weren’t going to wind up bisibra food wandering the desert at night. The biggest thing out here was a coyote, and I ate those as a snack. There were rattlesnakes too, but none of those would kill us. We were back to being at the top of the food chain, and I likedit.

After we redressed—pulling sweat-logged clothes back over our grimy skin—and with fatigue in our steps, we wandered down the dusty highway with not a single vehicle stopping for our upturned thumbs. I’m sure we looked like a ragtag crew of highway men out to shiv and steal, particularly with how filthy we all were.

City lights shone up ahead the further toward Reno we trudged, and before we knew it, we were rocking up to the Smiling Lizard Motel.

The front desk clerk, a short guy with rat-like features and a big coffee stain on the front of his plaid shirt, went wide-eyed and slack-jawed when he saw us step into his tired little lobby. “We’d like a room, please,” Maxar said. “Or two, if you have joining ones.”

“I … uh …” the clerk stammered.

“We can pay, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Maxar said, pulling out his wallet and slapping a credit card on the counter.

The clerk’s eyes were mostly focused on me. That’s when I caught a glimpse of myself in the window. I looked rough. My skin was caked in red dust, even my face and beard were red. My eyes shone bright white through the scarlet, and big streak marks from sweat ran terrifying tracks down my cheeks, arms, and chest. I was terrifying looking.

“Don’t mind him,” Maxar said, taking in the clerk’s fear. “We just found him roaming the desert. Need to get him cleaned up and back to the mental hospital.”

Omaera slapped Maxar’s arm. “He’s kidding,” she said. “Zandren is perfectly sane.”

“Why’s he look like that though?” the clerk asked as he processed Maxar’s card. Clearly, he wasn’t so scared of me that he was unwilling to take Maxar’s money. “Why are you all covered in red dust?”

“We were in the desert on a hike when a big windstorm hit us. That’s what happens when you sweat and the wind hits you. Then we got back to our car, only to find it stripped for parts.” Omaera glanced at me and smiled.

Better to be honest than try to contain a lie and keep it straight.

That seemed to satisfy the clerk too, and his hazel eyes turned sympathetic. “That’s becoming a big problem here. People are getting their cars stolen and chopped up more and more.”

“We’ll be looking for a rental in the morning,” Maxar said.

“I can help you with that.” The clerk, whose name tag was flipped over so we couldn’t read it, placed two keycards up on the counter. “You’re in rooms 6A and 7A. They’re upper floor.”

Maxar grabbed them. “Thank you, my good man.”

With a cursory head nod at the clerk, we followed Maxar back out of the lobby and through the parking lot toward the stairs.

“I’m sharing with Omaera,” I said in a tone that left no room for argument, or negotiation for a third person to join us.

Drak certainly didn’t argue, but I caught a mild look of irritation from Maxar before he rolled his eyes and climbed the stairs.

“We should order some food,” Omaera said beside me. “I’m starving.”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you so much, Little One,” I teased as we reached the second floor and counted the doors to 6A.

She smirked. “Let’s order all the things we missed while we were in Hell. Like pizza, burgers, pasta, Indian. Ooh, I could go for some tikka masala. And some Thai food. I’m going to eat until I’m sick.”

Chuckling, I leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “My kind of night.”

“Here we are,” Maxar said, stopping at the door marked 6A. He handed me the corresponding card, and I tried it. The light flashed green and I opened the door, stepping inside to make sure there weren’t any threats—besides the smell of mold and stale urine, which were not in short supply.

“All clear,” I said, flicking on the light and opening the door for Omaera. Maxar let him and Drak into their room, where they checked for threats.

Then the joining door opened. “Howdy, neighbor,” Maxar said with a big, dumb smile.

Omaera was already half naked. “I’m having a shower. One of you, please order us some food.”

“On it,” I said, grabbing the landline phone from the nightstand and opening the drawer to find a phonebook, which spoke of just how dated the motel was.I was about to order a pizza, the shower in the bathroom running, when Drak walked into the bedroom with the phone to his ear, his face ashen.

“Yes, sir,” he murmured into the phone. “Of course, sir. Yes, Your Majesty. I will relay the message to the Queen. Of course. Thank you for your concern. It is appreciated. All right then. Talk soon. Thank you.”