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The Eastern Deserts

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The Sorcery Within
Book One of
The War of the Dragons
Under the sword lifted high
There is hell making you tremble;
But go ahead
And you have the land of bliss.

Musashi Miyamoto (1582-1645)




I
THE WATER HOLE WAS A TINY POOLvirtually hidden in the rocks, an unexpected blessing in the middle
of tracts of scoured hardpan and powder-dry arroyos. The lichen growing on the stone at the waterтАЩs
edge was the only green growth they had seen for two days. In the far west, barely visible as early
morning sun illuminated their slopes, the Ahrahikte Mountains lay across their rearward trail.

Alemar dipped his fingers into the water and brushed them tentatively against his lips. The feel of liquid
was almost alien, a cool, soft sensation that vanished almost immediately, absorbed into the cracks and
dust on his skin. He took a small sip. It was gone within moments, without ever reaching his throat.

тАЬItтАЩs good,тАЭ he said hoarsely.

Elenya stooped beside her brother, away from her sentry position. Leaning to the waterтАЩs surface, she
relieved her swollen lips. Alemar sprinkled drops on his face and stayed back, as there was no room for
two. Anywhere else, the water would have been brackish and unworthy of consuming. He didnтАЩt
complain. Elenya filled her mouth, held it, and sat back. She pulled the cowl and veil around her face
again, blocking out the glare.

They drank by turns, relearning how to swallow. After a small amount, Alemar felt dizzy, and lay back
against the rock that shadowed the pool. As his head settled onto the rough surface, he felt vibrations.

Hoofbeats.

He rolled to the side. Two daggers landed heavily on the spot he had just vacated. Elenya flipped over
the water hole, already reaching for her rapier. Another knife narrowly missed her.

The attackers were three desert riders, clad in loose white robes and veils much the same as the twinsтАЩ
own, mounted on oeikani. They bore down at a gallop, drawing long, slightly curved blades.