The rest of the desert trek was no different than the first week. The group laughed and told stories before bed. Anai recited some of her knowledge about the world. Most nights Brecken stared up at the sky and thought of home. He often wondered what happened to their house and their things. It was hard not to think of his father. He did his best to swallow the emptiness that came when the thoughts welled up inside of him late at night. The stars shone bright in the desert though, brighter than anywhere he had ever been. That made him feel closer to his mother than he had in years. Despite the heat, he was beginning to enjoy the uneventful simplicity of the road.
As they crested a great dune, he could see the small city of Simonville in the distance. It was far enough away to shimmer in the midday sun, like a mirage too far to reach. It was a small city, maybe half the size of Blackstone, but the lush green river that flowed behind it made it look like paradise. The shifting sand changed to hardened and cracked earth as they got closer to the city. The hills were replaced by dry fissures winding up and down the landscape. The horses didn't like the change any more than Brecken did, but they pressed on all the same. Sadness came over Brecken as the city passed behind a cracked hill behind them. The desert surrounded them now, filling him with a sense of dread. How did they know where to go? If they got lost, they would die for sure.
Just before the sun fell and the nights chill came, Brecken saw torches glowing in the distance as they made their way down into a small valley. As they got closer, the familiar sight of Orhin's tent came into view, but instead of one, there were hundreds. Men and women walked between the tents in the afternoon hustle of dinner and settling down for the night. A train of nine wagons sat on the edge of the camp, and a smile came to Brecken's face when he recognized them. The train had made it here after all.
As they made it into camp through the spaces between tents, people called out to Anai and Ezra, happy they had returned. Anai gave out hugs, and Ezra gave handshakes as their people welcomed them home. Brecken felt a little out of place, like he was intruding on something special just by being there, and a look to Lucas and Hurin showed him they felt the same.
They eventually came to a large tent that Brecken recognized. They got off their horses, and Brecken reluctantly gave his reigns to a stableman that took Moon to who knows where. The camp was so big that it would be easy to lose yourself in it for days. How had no one from the empire found an uprising this size?
They stepped into the tent, the familiar setting quelling a bit of Brecken's uneasiness. Orhin sat up straight and smiled through his pipe when he noticed them enter, stopping mid-sentence in his conversation with a red-haired man with great burn scars covering his forearms and hands.
"My young friends! You have...," he stopped abruptly and looked at Lucas pocket, suddenly distracted. His face seemed to age for a moment before it went back to normal an instant later. "Come and sit, there is much to discuss. I was just talking here with Cain about our next steps. Years of planning and working towards this goal will soon come to fruition. Come, sit, sit. You brought a new friend I see. I did not see him in any visions, but the more help the better. Your name is?"
"Hurin Remus master Orhin. Thank you for having me, I have heard so much about you. It is an honor to finally meet you." Orhin nodded and smiled, whisps of smoke coming from his pipe and mouth.
Brecken sat on a decorative pillow, and the others followed. The man Orhin referred to as Cain was not much larger of a man than Ezra but was at least two decades older. He had short red hair on the top of his head, but the sides were shaved to the skin. He wore a leather vest over his bare chest, and simple cloth trousers. Without a word he nodded to each of them in turn, serious determination plain. When his eyes got to Lucas his face tightened.
