"They aren't Petryans, then," Ella said. She called out, projecting her voice, "Warriors of Raj Hazara, what tarn are you?"
The copse of trees wavered, and in its place there was suddenly a band of mounted warriors, their black clothing and scimitars betraying their origin. Their leader kicked his horse forward, his men following suit.
They halted some distance away. "I am Ashnar of Tarn Bohta," the leader called. "We know what the woman in red is capable of. Tell her to remove her robe and the red devices at her wrists and surrender herself to us."
Shani bristled. "There is no way I will…"
Ella hushed her before turning back to the desert men. "She is an ally of Raj Hazara, as am I. We have one of your warriors with us. He is wounded and needs the attention of a healer."
"How is it you ride horses?" Ashnar called.
Jehral rose in his saddle and called out; it must have taken him a great effort of will. "Salute, Ashnar. I am Prince Ilathor's man, Jehral of Tarn Teharan. These people are friends. You must take us to him." He slumped back down.
Ashnar conferred quickly with his men. "We will take you to the prince."
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Shani muttered. Ella silenced her with a glare.
With a wary eye on the elementalist, the Hazarans formed up around them, gesturing for them to follow. "Where are you taking us?" Ella asked. "How far is it? Our friend needs help."
"Hush, woman," Ashnar said. "No one asked you to speak."
Shani opened her mouth to say something, but Ella shook her head. "Just answer me," Ella said.
"It is not a long journey," Ashnar said. "Even at the pace you are able to travel. Prince Ilathor is with his men, perhaps a day's ride from here."
"Where?" Shani said in exasperation. "We've just come from the desert."
"Why, Torlac, of course," Ashnar said. "We control almost all of Petrya. The prince has based himself in the town closest to the lake. Soon we will take Tlaxor, the tiered city, and all Petrya will be ours."
"And then?" Ella asked, paying close attention to forestall any rash actions from Shani.
"And then, woman, we will continue fighting until the world is at our feet."
~
THEY encountered more of the prince's patrols as their journey took them closer to the trade town of Torlac.
From her last time in Petrya Ella knew that they were already on the slopes of Mount Halapusa, the mighty mountain that had erupted long ago, leaving behind a sky-blue volcanic lake with an island in the middle.
Up ahead she could see the crater's rim, the opposite side forming a long, curving escarpment, and the near side where the ground dropped away in a steep cliff in front of them. She still wasn't close enough to see the lake at the crater's base.
Torlac had sprouted at a cleft in the rim. It was a town that wagons could pass through on their way to the Halapusa Ferry, or where the goods of far-off merchants could be purchased and taken down to the tiered city by Petryans, allowing the foreign merchants to return home.
Torlac was now in the possession of Raj Hazara.
The signs of the great battle that must have been fought for its possession were everywhere, visible long before the walls of the town itself. The red earth was scorched and blackened by fire, and wooden boards covered ditches that were lined with spikes. The dead had been taken away, either to be burned or buried, but Ella still caught a terrible stench on the wind, the kind of smell that took an eternity to be dispelled.
Overriding the scent of corruption, the burnt odour of blackened wood and smouldering earth came through strongest. Ella looked with concern at Shani; her friend's eyes were red, but whether from emotion or the smoke, Ella wasn't certain.
"What are you thinking?" Ella asked. "Are you all right?"
Shani turned her head. "To be honest? I don't know. I want to see my people freed, not conquered. I am no traitor."
Ashnar looked at Shani curiously.
"We'll speak to the prince," Ella said.
She thought again about the time she'd seen Ilathor lead an attack against a rival tribe, Tarn Fasala. When Ilathor led his men to victory, and his enemy surrendered, he hadn't given them quarter. He'd butchered them to a man.
"I'm sure he wants them to be free also." Ella said, nodding, but inwardly she wondered. How sure was she, really?
The road descended and then levelled out. Desert warriors riding past gazed at their strange party with curiosity. Jehral moaned, and Ella prayed he would get the attention of a healer soon.
The walls of Torlac loomed ahead. As they approached, Ella saw that the once-formidable gate was in splinters, their escort barely giving the gate a glance as the desert men took them through.