The aroma of grilling meat awoke Starlex with a start. Beyond the oasis, the sea of pink sand rippled with shadows as the sun rose over a massive dune. The woman crouched over a small fire cooking. The man and boy were some paces away packing up the horses where the shade feathered on the sand. The woman looked up and smiled at Starlex through the smoke and gestured for her to join them.

  Starlex's mouth watered in anticipation of the food. As she slowly got to her feet, she noticed the piece of silk the family had given her the night before was a bright crimson color, a stark contrast to the dull blue linen shroud worn by the woman.

  Trying not to stare too much, Starlex noted the youth and beauty of the woman, whose eyes were a bright amber color set within smooth almond-colored skin. The man’s complexion was darker as if baked by the sun. He had a thick black beard shot with gray and deep creases in his forehead. Starlex wondered if the woman were his daughter, but the way they interacted, particularly her submissive deference to him, convinced Starlex she was his wife. And then there was a child. His round face beamed with intelligence beneath straight black bangs and a striped linen toque on his head.

  Starlet took a moment to tighten the Nazeer belt over the loose silk to give it the appearance of a gown. After making sure she was modestly covered, she moved to the pond, leaned over, and gave her face and hands a quick wash.

  When the family had eaten their fill of whatever was in the pot, along with some flatbread and cheese, the woman passed a stoneware plate to Starlex. Her hunger overcoming whatever trepidation she had about what was in the bowl, Starlex thanked them in Ardelymian, hoping that her tone of voice and expression would convey her meaning.

  Man, woman, and child all gazed at her stone-faced as she took the first bite. The meal, a thick stew made from meat, root vegetables, and rice was spiced to perfection. Starlex finished it in a few bites. She nodded to the young woman her appreciation. Her mouth watered for more.

  Smiling, the woman took the bowl, refilled it, and handed it back to Starlex. The man passed her a piece of bread with a hunk of soft cheese on top of it. She consumed it with relish. Then the man picked up a leather pouch and poured wine into a wooden cup. He drank half of it, then passed it to his wife who took a sip before passing it to Starlex. The wine was sweet with a lemony bite.

  When the meal was over, the man threw sand on the fire, and the woman gathered the dishes to wash them in the pond. As the woman and the child padded off toward the pond, the man gestured for Starlex to stand. She did what he asked, anxiously cutting her eyes to the retreating figures of the woman and young boy.

  Tentatively the man approached her, his eyes narrowed. Starlex had caught her reflection in the wavy surface of the pond when she washed and knew she appeared disheveled. Her pale skin was sunburnt and her white-blond hair hung to her waist in tangled ropes.

  The man eyed her up and down in the same way we had seen Oran farmers inspect their cattle. She squirmed beneath his gaze, hoping the woman and boy would return soon.

  Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  The man pointed at the white mare, and then gestured her toward it. Starlex understood that she wished for her to mount. When they reached the left side of the horse, the man interlocked his fingers, bending over slightly so she could mount.

  As he boosted her into the saddle, she thought, he touched me in the same way he touched the horse. Is that good or bad?

  She arranged the bright crimson silk to cover as much of her legs as possible and draped some of the fabric over her forehead to shield her from eye of fire already peeking over the distant dunes.

  Once the man had the woman and the boy settled on the back of his saddle, he swung himself onto the black gelding.

  They rode silently across the sand, toward the sun. The heat intensified as their shadows shortened then lengthened as the sun rose. The heat was nearly unbearable. Whatever water was left in Starlex’s body had drained from her thighs into the saddle and horse’s girth. The caravan of two rode slow to conserve the horses’ energy. The man sat high in the saddle with a straight back. A white linen shroud shielded his head. The woman sat behind him, wrapped in her drab blue shroud, but the boy faced Starlex with quizzical eyes. At one point in their long, hot journey, he smiled at her shyly. Starlex returned the smile in kind, hoping the boy, in his simple innocence, would convey to his parents that she was friendly, that she meant no harm, and that she was grateful for their generosity.

  They rode further. And Starlex tried to stay alert despite the slow sway of the horse’s girth beneath her and the wobbly lines on the horizon luring her into a trance. The sun pelted her her back through the light silk, and she was about to risk the man’s wrath by calling out that she needed to drink, when they crested a large dune.

  On the other side was such a welcomed sight that Starlex almost cried out. Clusters of vegetation, brown mostly but with subtle shades of green, clung to the white sand in small islands. Starlex stood in the stirrup and shaded her eyes with her hand. Her heartbeat quickened. Here was more vegetation, growing more verdant and thick in the distance. Starlex’s dry mouth rejoiced at the scent of water. When she squinted, she could just make out a blue river snaking through a grove of palm trees. And very far off, its proportions distorted through waves of heat, was a white-towered city. The size of its citadel wall was so expansive it would put Oran to shame.

  Starlex’s heart raced with relief, but also fear.

  Would I, she silently wondered, have fared better entering this strange place alone than with this family?

  Instinctually she trusted the woman, but not the man. For a mad moment, she thought of digging her heels in the horse's sides and making a headlong dash toward the city walls. But for all she knew, the penalty for horse theft would be death, the same as it was in Oran.

  No, she reminded herself, it’s best to stay calm and see what transpires.

  The man made a sharp cry and his horse began a reluctant trot. The boy twisted in the saddle to grip his mother’s waist. The white mare followed suit without any encouragement from Starlex, although she tightened her fingers on the reins. The wild sands gave way to a hardened mud road. The river murmured a greeting as they entered the valley. The air was noticeably cooler, and the sharp scent of mud and grass smelled, to Starlex’s senses, sweeter than Mynimium's finest perfume.

  So far, thought Starlex, the Blue Planet appears very much like Ardelym. She hoped, her fear mounting with each clop of the horses’ hooves, that Illym was God of this world too and perhaps he was watching her now, and that she was under his protection.