Selene watched her visitor disappearing into the sands and the shadows of the dusk. Would the desert people survive what was coming? They had more chance than anyone, perhaps, although their chances were surely remote.
It had started the same way on Maes Far. A dot of black in the centre of the sun, barely noticed at first. Growing like a skin cancer, always perfect and round. Most likely the authorities had spotted it first and, understanding what was happening, tried to prepare. It made little difference in the end. Before long, the dark circle was visible to everyone, as if some impossible cosmic worm was eating the sun away from inside.
She still lived with her vivid recollections of those days. Oddly, she almost valued them, too – proof, as they were, of her essential humanity. Th
