There was a metal contraption around Anah's head, but that wasn't what frightened her. It was the restraints and heavy chains around the rest of her body. Although the air was blistering hot, Anah could clearly feel the cold of southern Germany, in the dark basement laboratory, where she was held for over a week by the SS. She could vividly see Augenstein's face as he worked, day in and day out to get information out of her, causing pain and testing her limits on how much she could heal herself. He described, in detail, what he was going to do to Moffitt when he caught him. Awful, horrible things. He wanted to make Moffitt suffer within an inch of his life. Each time, Anah tried to lunge at him, desperate to sink her fangs into his veins and deliver a lethal dose of venom, but she couldn't move in her restraints. Each time, Augenstein would tell her that if she didn't want Moffitt to get hurt, she needed to tell him everything about how her power and the pendant worked.

She could still clearly hear Moffitt's breathless cries of pain whenever the SS officer next to him swung a club into his stomach. She wanted so badly to help, and she couldn't. Much like when he suffered his concussion. He had nightmares about it, and so did she.

Anah wasn't aware of her heavy breathing until a hand grabbed her, and a thickly accented male voice said, "What is your problem? Enough with the noise!"

The restraints prevented Anah from whirling up to bite the hand. She was still able to glare up at the piercing blue eyes. "What have you done?" she asked. "Where is Moffitt?"

"Moffitt is not important. I have what I came for." The man's face was covered by a maroon Arab headdress. Anah could hear the jingling of numerous pendants under his robes, and she sensed they were all to protect him from curses, spells, and psychic prying. She couldn't see into his mind, no matter how hard she tried.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," Anah said. "You will pay when Moffitt and Dietrich find you!"

"I doubt it."

Anah looked around, and realized they were riding the white Akhal-Teke. Her chains held her to the saddle. She glanced back up at her captor. "So, you shot at us, and am I to assume you were following us on board the ship to Egypt?"

"You would be correct."

"Why?"

"You will find out soon enough." The man faced forward, focused on his horse and where he was going.

Anah lowered her head when the weight of the contraption became too much for her. She rested, trying to think of a way out. Occasionally, she looked past the mysterious rider, hoping to see Moffitt and Dietrich approaching. She did that several times over the next hour, then she looked up at the rider. "What did you do to Moffitt and Dietrich?"

"I injected those dates with a heavy sleeping potion, and applied the same potion to some carrots for their horses. It is not lethal. They are probably awake by now, but we are long gone."

"Why not just kill them? Then you would have no chance of them catching up."

The man didn't respond for a few minutes. "You are asking too many questions."

"What did you expect? You kidnapped me for reasons unknown, and you hurt my friends—"

"I did not hurt them, or the horses. Merely put them to sleep. They will be fine." The man glared down at Anah. "See? I can be reasonable. I do not pride myself on cruelty."

"Then why kidnap me?"

"Like I said, you will find out in good time."

Anah rested her head back down on the saddle. The metal chains and restraints heating up in the desert sun were beginning to feel uncomfortable against her scales. She missed Moffitt. He never let her sit in the sun too long. She was free to hide in his shirt. Though the material was thin, it was still better than nothing in terms of shade, and she just felt… safe. Safe, comfortable, happy. It was something so simple, but she loved it.

She had been kept at a distance from people in her previous life. She was never allowed on her witch's shoulders after a certain age—it wasn't nearly as intimidating to others, she was told. With Moffitt, Anah found that riding his shoulders was far more intimidating. His tall stature combined with the fact that Anah was, well, a highly venomous cobra made other people nervous until they got to know both her and Moffitt. She was light, Moffitt found it convenient for her to be on him, and it gave her the perfect perch for her to see everything.

At times, it was difficult to express how she felt about him. When the war was over, it took time for Anah to get used to a much more domestic life, but she found something whimsical and delightful about it, especially after Moffitt bought his home. Chores were much easier with magic, but Moffitt was insistent on doing some things himself so he didn't go mad with boredom. His horses certainly kept him occupied, and Anah was more than happy to clean just so Moffitt could spend extra time out riding.

There was something so strangely special about the three years where it was just her and Moffitt. She would almost never be alone. Things changed when Vanora entered the picture, and even though Anah was happy that Moffitt found someone to love, she allowed her fears of abandonment to rise to the surface of her mind. It seemed so silly, but it kept coming back, especially in dreams. She remembered a dream where she awoke to an empty house. Moffitt was gone. Vanora was gone. The horses were gone. The car in the driveway was gone. All of the pictures on the walls and shelves were gone. Even the tea cabinet was completely empty. Anah called and called, and searched the whole property, but she couldn't find any trace of Moffitt. She even tried calling his parents on the phone. When she didn't get a response, she tried calling both Moffitt's and his father's offices at the university. Nothing.

With her options exhausted, there was nothing left to do but scream.

Anah had that dream again once while she was staying with Troy during Moffitt's honeymoon. She remembered waking up in a panic, and that panic not going away when she realized she wasn't back in her own home. Her heavy breathing stopped when she felt Troy reach over to touch the back of her head, and heard him say, "Bad dreams?"

She nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"About Moffitt?" Troy asked.

Anah hesitated, but nodded again.

"He'll be back. Trust me, I'm not going to let him forget you."

She believed Troy. It was funny after several years of butting heads and arguing over the prophecy, Troy was the one who didn't find her silly for being afraid of abandonment. Anah wished Troy had been able to come with them on this trip. She imagined he wouldn't have shown this mysterious stranger much mercy.

Anah looked past the rider again. She saw nothing. He must have gotten a sizable head start. That is all. Moffitt is not going to just leave you here. He and Dietrich will find you. She lowered her head again, and prayed.


Dietrich kept glancing over at Moffitt as the two continued their ride through the desert. Both horses were on a scent trail of some kind, so the men put their faith in their animals. His Aunt Miriam always said that animals could sense far more than a person could ever hope to. It was what made them special. She welcomed all sorts of animals in her garden, and taught her young nephew how to read them. Dietrich did the same now, with his own garden, but he often found himself wishing his aunt was there. He wished she could see where he was, how he was doing.

He dreaded to think how she would have responded to his suicide attempt. He couldn't imagine the look on her face, but he did imagine that if she was still alive, he probably wouldn't have tried. Unless he felt that he was such a disaster that he wasn't worthy to be in her presence. He recalled having moments, while still living in the apartment in Würzburg, that he failed Miriam. He failed her, his men, his superiors, everyone.

Dietrich released his breath, and felt the fist squeezing his heart let go. Stop thinking about it. You did not fail anyone. He shook his head, and tried to stay focused on helping Moffitt.

It was hard staying focused when he knew that they would be going back to places where he endured horrendous losses, where the abyss took hold over him. It certainly wasn't where his depression started, but that was where it got worse, where it shoved him to the ground, beat him senseless, and refused to let him back up.

"Dietrich? Did you hear what I said?" Moffitt's voice pulled him from his frantic thoughts.

"N-No, I…" Dietrich sighed. "I… was distracted."

"I said we need to give the horses a break."

"Okay…" Dietrich drew in another breath. "Okay."

"Are you alright?"

"I was thinking. That is all."

"About what?" Moffitt brought Snowstripe to a halt, and dismounted.

"About where we are going. About how… this is the place where things went horribly wrong for me. I know we discussed this before, but—"

"The reality is setting in for you." Moffitt opened his canteen. "Believe me, it's been hitting me, too. I'm just more worried about Anah at the moment."

"She was certainly right when she said that this trip is not just about her. We will all be confronting things we would rather forget." Dietrich climbed down from Icepatch's saddle. "And we should. We cannot… keep running."

"No, and we're definitely not running away. Each day, we're getting closer." Moffitt drank graciously from his canteen, then capped it and took his pack off Snowstripe's saddle. "Are you hungry?"

"Not particularly." Dietrich braced himself for Moffitt to order him to eat anyway, but instead, Moffitt nodded and continued getting out food for himself.

"I was so angry and frightened this morning that I barely ate. Now, I'm starving." Moffitt pulled out a bag of the granola Anah made, and let out a heavy sigh. He sat in the sand, staring at the bag and the granola inside. "She took great care in picking everything we like when she made this. Lots of oats and chestnuts for me. Excessive amounts of honey and almonds for you."

Dietrich managed a smirk. "Walnuts, cocoa powder."

"She's very good at making comfort food, I've noticed." Moffitt reached into the bag and pulled out a chunk of the homemade granola. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "You know, I don't understand why anyone would bother kidnapping her. It never works out. She's never going to cave to anyone's demands."

"She is not invincible, though," Dietrich said. "She could cave under the right circumstances. After all, her weakness is extremely easy to figure out."

"Oh?"

"You."

Moffitt went back to eating, looking lost in thought. "You have a point there. She… probably would give in to someone's demands to make sure I'm unharmed. Doesn't mean I'm going to give up and remove myself from the picture. Besides, how often does it situation like this happen? The war's over. We're living a nice, quiet life in Cambridge."

"The university is a good place for some of the more unscrupulous types to appear and try to steal Anah."

"Another fair point. Still, I will never, ever get rid of Anah." Moffitt sighed again. "It did feel weird when I was hiding in Stalag 13, without Anah. That was the first time we had been separated for a long period of time. I had spent the first 31 years of my life without her, but after only about two years with her, I couldn't imagine life without her. The same could be said for Troy, Hitch, and Tully—I couldn't imagine life without any of them after a while."

"They, and Anah, mean that much to you."

Moffitt nodded. "I don't know if Anah can see that. You'd think she would, but… maybe there's something I'm missing in regards to making her feel less afraid of being abandoned."

"Do you do a lot for her?"

"What much can you do for a snake?"

"Well, is there anything you know she really enjoys?" Dietrich got out his own bag of granola and sat across from Moffitt.

"In the wintertime, she likes to curl up around my shoulders whenever I'm wearing a turtleneck, and bury her head in the collar. She really likes scarves. When I go out in a scarf, she likes to be covered by it." A smile crossed Moffitt's face. "There's a rose-scented candle from a shop in Cambridge that she really likes. Oh, you know what she loves most of all, though?"

Dietrich looked at Moffitt, not saying anything as his mouth was full.

"Christmas. You should've seen her on our first Christmas home from the war. I rode with her on Snowstripe along a hill where we could see down into Cambridge one evening when most of the city had their lights up. She said it was one of the prettiest things she had ever seen. Going down into Cambridge was even more lovely. I think she was breathless the whole time, and to be honest, I found the lights reflecting on her scales and eyes to be quite pretty. We do that every year, and she doesn't tire of it."

"That sounds very sweet."

"I hope I can do it with her this year. I know with the baby it'll be—"

"I will be there so you can take Anah on your yearly Christmas walk."

"Are you—"

"Yes, I am sure. If this is what makes Anah happy, you should do it. You will not have to worry about the baby or Vanora."

"Dietrich—"

"I insist."

"You really—"

"I will continue to argue in favor of this, so stop." Dietrich smirked.

Moffitt sighed, looking defeated, yet smiling. "Alright. Thank you."

"Glad I can help."

Moffitt nodded. "I take it you're still insistent on staying to help with the baby for a little while?"

"I am."

"You don't know how to care for babies, though."

"Neither do you."

"Good point. We'll learn together. That's always fun." Moffitt's smile faded. "Do you still think I made the right decision? Becoming a father?"

"Yes. You asked this seven months ago, and I told you 'yes' then. My mind has not changed." Dietrich reached over to squeeze Moffitt's shoulder. "You will be alright. Are you ready to keep going?"

"I suppose." Moffitt stood, and made sure he had everything packed away before climbing back into Snowstripe's saddle.

Dietrich gave Icepatch a quick check before getting into her saddle. He looked over at Moffitt when they started moving again. He couldn't look for very long, though, as Moffitt got Snowstripe into a gallop without much of a warning. Dietrich hunched over and prompted Icepatch to do the same, taking off and leaving clouds of sand and dust in their wake.


Part of Moffitt didn't want to stop until he found Anah, but he couldn't overwork the horses, or wear out Dietrich. He was determined, but not insane, though he did have moments when he wondered if he was insane.

He tried not to let his thoughts wander as he held tight to Snowstripe as the horse ran through the desert. The map showed they were going to be stuck in open desert for quite some time. Days, actually. As tempting as it was to ride through the night, Moffitt couldn't deny his exhaustion. Once the sun was below the western horizon, he slowed Snowstripe, and reluctantly told Dietrich to help him pitch the tent.

His mood had been fluctuating all day. Despite his positive conversation with Dietrich earlier about Anah's favorite things, Moffitt had gone from somewhat reassured, to worried, to frustrated. He struggled in keeping his frustration under control, but was becoming quite snappish as the hours dragged on.

Dietrich watched him pace while tea brewed by a fire. Moffitt couldn't understand how Dietrich was so calm. He envied the skinny German for that.

"Are you feeling alright?" Dietrich asked.

"Not really." It was best to be honest. Moffitt continued trying to put a lid on his frustration. "I… I feel like we're going in circles, even though I know we're not."

"The landscape does look quite similar to where we started this morning," Dietrich replied.

"Indeed. I know how to find landmarks in the desert. I know how it can change over the course of several hours. Nothing has changed. It really does look like we haven't gone anywhere."

"We have gone forward, though. I mean…" Dietrich looked around, "that rock over there was not at the place we started."

"Yes, Dietrich, one bloody rock is going to make me feel better!"

Dietrich remained patient. "I think you need to have your tea and get some rest. You are clearly not in the greatest mood."

Moffitt sighed, admitting that Dietrich was right. He sat down next to his friend and gave his tea a stir. They had brought very little sugar, so Moffitt's usual single spoonful that he would add to his tea was significantly smaller. It resulted in much more bitter tea, and for some reason, he noticed the bitterness more that evening, making it difficult to enjoy. Instead of savoring his tea, Moffitt sought to finish it quickly. Finish it and go to bed. Resume the search for Anah.

There was no conversation between him and Dietrich as they had their tea and a light dinner. The horses stayed close to the tent when the two men went inside. Moffitt lay curled up on his bedroll, listening to the wind and the horses. For a moment, he felt like he was back in the Scots Greys. He almost wished he was back in the Scots Greys, as he found himself missing his former sergeant, McKerras, and his two teammates, Anworth and Colfield. They stayed together when the unit replaced the horses with tanks, but being moved into an M3 Grant tank meant two more people were being added to complete the crew. Moffitt got along well with Corporals Pierpont and Stenham, and kept in contact with them after the war, but McKerras, Anworth, and Colfield would always be special. He knew McKerras wouldn't let him sulk and allow his bad mood to cloud his judgement in this mission.

Part of Moffitt began wondering if he should have asked McKerras to accompany them. Maybe even Aumeier, the German warlock who betrayed the SS while helping Moffitt retrieve the enchanted fox's paw. They were both highly skilled horsemen, and Aumeier was a warlock with an owl familiar. That could have been useful here.

Unfortunately, Moffitt hadn't thought of asking either of them. He hadn't anticipated this to happen.

Dietrich's even breathing had joined the soft sounds of the wind and horses. Moffitt closed his eyes, and made an attempt to get some sleep. He managed to doze off, but his sleep was fraught with nightmares. He found himself searching a dark place for something or someone, then felt a tap on his shoulder. Moffitt turned around, seeing the ghoulish grin of Obersturmbannführer Leitzke.

"Found you." Leitzke held up the carcass of a snake—the corpse of Anah.

Moffitt couldn't breathe. He wanted to do so many things at once—cry, scream, run. He couldn't decide, nor could he move. The SS officer was approaching him, holding the limp body of the cobra.

"Aw, what is the matter, Moffitt?" Leitzke's voice dripped with malice and cruelty. "Do you not want to be reunited with your cobra friend?" He walked forward, slowly, still holding out Anah's body.

Moffitt forced himself to turn and run, but he felt like he was trying to run through deep mud with weights tied to his limbs. Let me out of this, please! He looked over his shoulder once, then stumbled. Instead of getting back up, he tried crawling away. Still, Leitzke kept coming toward him.

A fist grabbed the back of Moffitt's shirt and hauled him up, and he found himself staring into the piercing blue gaze of Janvier. Moffitt wasn't looking in Janvier's eyes for long, as the French commandant was holding up a syringe. Janvier looked past Moffitt at Leitzke. "I was told I could have him first."

"In good time," Leitzke said. He was still moving toward Moffitt with slow, calculated strides.

Janvier's face twisted into an expression of pure rage. He slammed Moffitt against wall, and hissed, "You left! You claimed to care so much, but you LEFT! Left me in their hands!" Janvier forcefully drove the needle into Moffitt's arm. "The sedative will wear off in good time. For now, you are not going anywhere." He pushed Moffitt aside. "You cannot fight. Leitzke can do whatever he pleases to you. It is what you deserve."

The SS officer, grinning, knelt down to grab Moffitt's head. "There are so many mysteries to you. I look forward to learning more." A scalpel in his hand glinted.

"Moffitt, wake up." Dietrich's voice yanked Moffitt from his dream, and he felt the German's hand grasping his shoulder. "Wake up. You are having a bad dream."

The cold of the dark hallway swiftly melted into the heat of the early desert morning. Moffitt realized he had been hugging himself and shivering. His heart was pounding rapidly against his ribs, and he was breathing heavily. Cold sweat ran down the sides of his head. He opened his eyes, taking a moment to slow down his breathing.

"Are you alright?" Dietrich asked. "I awoke to you whimpering and moaning."

"Nightmare. That's all."

"About what?"

"Leitzke… Leitzke was holding Anah's body in front of me. I-I was trying to get away. I couldn't run. I fell, then… Janvier picked me up, started screaming at me about how I left him, and then sedated me so Leitzke could torture me."

"Leitzke is dead. You will never have to worry about him," Dietrich said.

"I know. That hasn't stopped him from appearing in my nightmares." Moffitt let Dietrich help him sit up.

"I will make the tea," Dietrich said. "You, relax."

The two went outside, where Dietrich set to work starting a fire and boiling water for tea. Moffitt sat nearby, still shaking from his nightmare. Snowstripe walked over with his head low, and rested his muzzle on Moffitt's shoulder. Gradually, Moffitt stopped shivering. Snowstripe lay down next to him, keeping his head on his rider's shoulder.

"Thanks," Moffitt said. "I'll be alright. We've got along day ahead of us. Don't get too comfortable."

Snowstripe stayed put.

Moffitt sighed, then looked over at Dietrich. "I don't think I'm allowed to move now."

Dietrich turned from the fire to observe Moffitt's predicament. "Nope. Definitely not allowed to move," he said with a laugh. He picked up one of the cups of tea and handed it to Moffitt.

"Thank you. You can't have this, Snowstripe. Honestly, I'm fine. You don't have to cling to me. That's… Anah's job."

"Drink your tea," Dietrich said. "Try not to dwell on thoughts of Anah."

Moffitt tried, but as it turned out, not thinking about Anah was quite difficult. He knew she was more than capable of defending herself, but he feared what could happen if she had been kidnapped by someone who knew how to fight powerful magical beings such as Anah. Time was of the essence, Moffitt kept telling himself when he and Dietrich started that day's ride.

As expected, the ride was quiet and lonely. They spent much of the day on flat, rocky ground, with little sand to be seen. Within days, they would be crossing over the Great Sand Sea, a dune-filled section of the Sahara that encompassed western Egypt and eastern Libya. Moffitt had been on several expeditions there, and he looked forward to seeing it again in all its glory, rather than through the restricted viewport of a tank as he had done during the war. At the same time, he was more concerned with finding Anah than with experiencing the breathtaking wonder of the massive dunes. She'll always be more important than that. She must be so frightened! No, I'm not abandoning her! I'd never dream of it! I hope she's not worried about that right now. I'll search every corner of the globe until I find her. I'm not giving up on her.


The mysterious rider seemed to make a point of preventing Anah from learning anything about who he was. When he stopped for the night, Anah was placed in a cage, which was covered with a blanket. While in the cage, she tried to connect with Moffitt telepathically, but either they were too far away from each other, or the stranger had something that was preventing any telepathic connection from taking place.

At one point, the stranger spoke. "I read a little into your legend, Anah. You were known to scholars as 'the uraeus queen,' right? A being with the power to command every cobra in the vicinity of the temple of the crystal ball."

"I was. That is not who I am anymore," Anah replied.

"Many tried and failed to acquire the crystal ball."

"Moffitt was always going to be the one to take part in its destruction."

The stranger laughed. "You have so much power at your disposal, but you choose to live like a house-pet for a lowly Cambridge graduate."

"He is so much more than that."

"You can think that all you want, Anah, but forgive me for saying that you are extremely foolish, as is he. Your power is being utterly wasted by Moffitt."

"He is a good man. I chose him for that reason."

"A good man, yes, but he could be a better one. Wielding you, he could rule Britain, and perhaps all of Europe."

"He is a better man because he does not want such power."

"Suit yourself."

Anah turned in the direction of the stranger's voice. "What do you want with me? If taking over Europe is what you seek, you have the wrong being to assist you."

"Oh, no, I do not seek control over Europe, or even one particular country." The man pulled the blanket off the cage, then took off the cloth covering his face.

Anah's body tensed when she recognized the man's face from Moffitt's memory. He was thinner, with sharper features than what she initially saw. "You are Commandant Janvier," she said.

"Do not bother with my former title. I serve no one," Janvier replied. "I want revenge. Everything I own is in these bags here—" he gestured to the saddlebags and knapsacks near the fire he made. "When the war ended in France, my property was confiscated. All my belongings were stolen. My family was arrested. I have been on the run ever since, seeking out something that could allow me to return and take back what is rightfully mine."

"You assisted the SS, and you betrayed Moffitt, after everything he and his family did for you. I will not help you."

"I am not giving you a choice in this, Anah. We will go to the temple. You will strip Moffitt's ownership from this pendant, and give it to me. I want to personally deal with the man who gave the order to take everything that was mine, and if I have to burn down Paris to get to him, so be it."

"Your soul is clearly lost," Anah said. "What good will come out of such destruction? Your life will still be empty. More people will hate you for it. That is not something you want to live with."

"I have made up my mind. You will not talk me out of it."

"I will try. Do you have any idea how much you still mean to Moffitt?"

Janvier stood. "Speak of Moffitt again, and you will spend the night buried in the sand."

"It is not possible to strip his ownership from the pendant without him. I gave it to him. Only he can pass ownership to another, and he will certainly not pass it to you when he learns what you plan on doing with me."

"Then I will do it by force. He and his German friend will find us within the next day."

"I would not underestimate them. Or their horses. For the record—" Anah glared at Janvier, "if you harm either of the horses, I cannot promise that Moffitt will be very merciful with you."

"Do not worry about that, Anah. The German is useless to me and can be shot right off his horse. Moffitt may be a bit trickier to get because I need him alive."

"You cannot shoot Dietrich."

"Why?"

"Dietrich is the subject of a prophecy. One I was given to safeguard and help carry out shortly after I was confined to the temple. Dietrich has a special destiny. I strongly suggest you not kill him."

"Why? What is this 'special destiny' he has?"

"That, I cannot say, only that if he dies, anything you acquire in your little revenge spree will be lost in a few years."

Janvier frowned, looking like he was seriously thinking about what Anah said. "How do I know you are not bluffing?"

"When it comes to this prophecy, I never bluff. You will make a mistake if you proceed with this. Moffitt told me what happened with the fox's paw—"

"Do not—" Janvier picked up the cage, "ever mention the damn fox's paw! Moffitt will die after the pendant is handed over to me for abandoning me when he came to rescue that SS guard! He went on and on about me being able to change, and what does he do? Leave me! He offered a second chance and pulled it away faster than I could blink. All of this could have been avoided if he took me with him."

"I remember that story clear as day. He offered, and you told him to leave."

"All that did was prove he did not care as much as he said he did. If he cared, he would have pressed on to convince me to come with him."

"After how you treated him, I cannot blame him. He loved you like a brother, and you threw that away."

"He has a brother. A real brother."

"Michael is dead."

For a moment, the anger in Janvier's eyes faded. "You cannot be serious."

"He was killed during an air raid in early 1943, and Moffitt is still grieving. He, too, sought revenge for Michael's death after he learned what happened. Two German sentries were murdered during a mission here in North Africa. Unnecessary casualties. He has to live with that, and it tears him apart inside. It is why he struggles to move on. You will have the same problem if you carry out your warpath."

Much to Anah's surprise, Janvier was silent. She wished she could see into his mind, and she doubted that Janvier would take off his anti-magic charms if she asked. Janvier doused his fire, and disappeared into his tent. Anah sensed him laying down and trying to sleep, but it seemed he was having trouble. His horse sniffed around the tent, pacing the little camp. There was nothing blocking her from communicating with the horse.

"Do you worry for your master?" Anah asked, telepathically.

The Akhal-Teke looked at her. "He has not had a happy day in years. Yes, I worry."

"Revenge will not help anyone, especially him."

The horse's mind quieted for a moment. "Why do you care for him when he has not shown the same to you?"

"Moffitt cares for him. They were friends once. I believe we all deserve second chances. Janvier can still turn things around. He does not have to latch onto this idea of revenge for everything he lost."

"Your attitude is admirable. It will take work to get through to Janvier. I can say with certainty that he is not hopeless. He has treated me with great kindness ever since he took me in as a yearling colt."

"What is your name?"

"Janvier named me 'Zahir.' I had no name before that."

"Moffitt cares deeply for his horses. They care deeply for him as well."

"He visited me a few times on board the ship. He is very knowledgeable about horses, and he seemed very happy while caring for his."

"Apart from the desert itself and his wife, there are few other things Moffitt cares for more than horses." Anah paused to think for a moment. "There must be something we can do. I do not want things to end poorly for either of them."

"Perhaps there is. Do not worry. I will not let Janvier injure your friends."

"Do I have your word?"

"Absolutely. I am loyal to Janvier, but that loyalty will be pointless if he continues on this path of self-destruction."

"You are incredibly wise, Zahir. I will put my trust in you." Anah dipped her head in respect, and looked toward the east, past the camp, hoping she would eventually see Moffitt and Dietrich coming over the dunes.