XII
Alcyan Ford twenty years earlier.For the return journey, they preferred to avoid the inns. Deirane didn’t want the ordeal she suffered on the outward journey to be imposed on her again. Festor quite agreed with her. They preferred shelters built at regular intervals. They were normally zones of truce; no brigand would risk violating this law. On this route, which served two-thirds of the civilized kingdoms, patrols were numerous and well organized, although they didn’t come across any. However, with spacing designed for faster troops than theirs, they didn’t find any every night. As on the outward journey, camping on the side of the road was sometimes unavoidable. In the heart of the dry season, a rain of fire was not to be feared. In areas set up for bivouac in the open air or under
