6
THE CROSSING: SEVEN MONTHS BEFORE THE TRIAL
I let my men recover for a week in Valez’Mui once they were off the ships. The Artisans allowed them to camp along the Great Road on a wide, grassy bank to the north, as long as they agreed to make no attempt to enter the city walls. Just beyond a low, straw-hued ridge a span away to the east, the Yellow Desert began.
As you’ve seen, no roads cross the desert. Steam cars become clogged with sand, rendered irreparable within minutes, and downdrafts from the Black Wall hundreds of spans away drive airships into ground without warning. Sandstorms and quakes change the landscape, and from the Great Road to the Bones, none of the landmarks are permanent except the oases.
I could only pray I could trust the girl named Ginya; that she hadn’t lost
