FORTY
Philemon touched the stone that marked the gates of Tasnim. Twenty men could not move it, but when he laid his hand on it, it rolled aside as though it weighed nothing. Part of the enchantments the door guardian had laid on the place, in the centuries he had watched over the city.
The silence struck him first. The city should be bustling, but it was empty. Of people, of movement, of life. He had done this.
Perhaps he should not show this to Anahita now. He wanted her to see the city at its best, not the empty shell of what it once was.
But without her help...how could he ever bring it back to life?
Reluctantly, he led the way inside.
Anahita's fingers found his, lacing them together as she stood at his side. "So this is the legendary city of Tasnim. It looks like a sandstor
