CHAPTER 2
Penrys took her own look down the trail before the light faded entirely, after the horses and donkeys had been unloaded and fed.
A dead horse lay in its tack at the side of the trail, mummified in the drying winds and well-nibbled. That was bad enough, but it was the scattering of belongings that raised the hackles on her neck. Why were they abandoned there?
Najud was uncharacteristically quiet as they set up the camp at the wide spot, by its spring, overlooked by the presence of the lud on the far side of the trail. Its surface sparkled occasionally, reflecting the flicker of the fire. Their supply of wood was limited, carried all the way up from Jaunor and intended to last for three more days to get them through the pass, so the fire was just large enough to heat water for t
