sister_

we stop? I need to wash my hands . . . and I’d also like to change out of my night­dress.”
This drew a chuckle even from Cap. “You might as well have a swim. This is the last time you’ll see water for a good few weeks. We’ll keep watch from the rocks over there.”
It was enough of an invitation for Leyla. She was already stripping off her clothes. There was an ­angry red welt across one nipple. “Come on, little sister. Let’s wash the filth of that place off us. You lot, b’ off for a few minutes. There are times for looking at the merchandise, and this isn’t one of ’em.” She ruefully felt her breast. “In fact, I think the shops are closed for a while. Go away.”
Soon the girls were back, wet haired, and dressed for riding. As they headed through a familiar melon field, this time with an angry farmer shouting at them, Keilin felt the hot wind coming out of the interior, full of dry dust and emptiness. It was like a welcoming kiss. Without a backward glance at the city or the sea, he urged the camel into an ungainly trot forward, into the barren lands. He’d always thought about going back to the port. To pay off old scores. To show the people what he had become. He realized suddenly that it didn’t actually matter a damn. He wanted the future now, not the past. And he wanted to get the Princess far away from the pain.

CHAPTER 14
Keilin didn’t even admit to himself that he was taking the desert slowly. It was secure. Its bleakness was clean. And here . . . Skyann’s spirit roamed, and Keilin’s spirits rose with it. To be honest, he didn’t even notice the others’ discomfort. Nor did it occur