Chapter 21
An Unexpected Power
Khaidu and Aglaia stood at the edge of the great sea of grass. Ahead of them were rolling, golden mountains, soft like the breasts of mother earth. Beyond them, something sharp and black grazed the heights of the sky—a mountain range too far and too huge to be real. Khaidu had not known there to be anything but the Northern Mountains and the Steppe. Now she stood at the end of her world. To say she was terrified would not do her emotions justice.
The yellow hills ahead were dotted with scrubby trees. They were fragrant, like rosemary. The yellow grass—thicker and shorter than the Steppe-grass—hid short purple flowers that appeared only when a wind blew. Whenever it blew toward Khaidu, the pungent smell of rosemary was sweetened with something she couldn’t
