For all his years of tracking, Kade would have missed the caravan if the woman hadn’t directly pointed it out. Even then, the shimmering heat and the sun reflecting off the golden sand made it almost impossible to make out.
“It’s really your first time?” the woman laughed.
She was tall and sun-browned with her hair wrapped in layers of pale linen. Most of her sun-bronzed skin was covered by loose, practical clothing to protect her from the sun above. The woman’s eyes were sharp and assessing, but they weren’t unkind.
“Does it ever stop feeling wrong?” Kade asked, looking back at the divide over his shoulder as they walked away from it.
“No,” she said with a laugh. “Just stop thinking about it. Understanding magic at that level is beyond us mere mortals.”
She led him down a shallow
