Chapter 17
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE of the afternoon, Javes and Tali came over the crest of a hill to find a decent-sized town in the valley before them.
According to Pashtan’s map, which Javes had last pulled out two days ago, the town was called Lekata, and it lay on the northern bank of a seasonally flowing river.
That season was well and truly in, and the river showed in the distance as a huge ribbon of silver that embraced the town in a snake-like curl. The town lay on a low hill and Javes guessed that if the rain got any heavier, there was a good chance that water would cut across the plain on the northern side of the town, turning the town into an island in the middle of a raging torrent.
From a distance, Lekata looked like a regular northern town with blocky houses made from pal
