They ran the dune crests, skimming them, drawing thin filaments of displaced sand that bloomed then vanished. Anton felt the horse’s muscles arc under him, felt the creature reading him as much as he read it. The world blurred into bands of gold and heat, and at the lip of one crest the wind hit them so hard Anton worried it might tear them apart. Then the animal leapt sheer and fell into a pocket of shadow; when they burst from it, the city lay behind them like a thought.
Anton’s jaw tightened. He had half a mind to take her by force; the other half knew how those things ended. Instead he set the ledger down on a flat rock and unbuttoned his jacket, exposing the bandolier beneath. He pulled free a small silver token—an old cavalry coin, rim nicked by time—and held it up. sirocco movie horse scene photos top
“I want Surok’s money,” Anton said. He kept his voice level; the sun had a way of amplifying everything. They ran the dune crests, skimming them, drawing
“You know him?” she asked.
Later, when the city slept and the air cooled enough to be kind, he walked to the gate where Yasmina had promised safe passage. She stood there like a shadow wearing a scarf and a grin. Then the animal leapt sheer and fell into
“All right,” he said.