Runa grunted as she sat on the soft slope of the hill they had chosen to camp against. The ground was becoming more finely ground. Runa knew that in the next day or two, the land would turn to soft sandy duneland.

Taking her boot from her foot, she began the nightly ritual of removing dust and pebbles from them.

Antyza crouched nearby, digging a small hole to build a fire in. The wind wasn’t always a problem when they found a good dip in the land, but it would be ...