We rode Golden Mane for the rest of the day. The dust storm only gradually lessened near sunset, and we finally settled in the empty, bleak desert without a sign of storm, buildings, or humans anywhere nearby.
Neither of us complained. Even Gold flopped down in the sand with a sound of relief.
"Maybe we overflew them," Adon said. "I wasn't paying much attention to the ground."
"Neither was I." I slid off our lovely winged mount and dropped to my knees. "We can look for them again tomorrow."
"Kero, we really should get you back to our people."
"Quiet. Rest."
Gold dropped his chin down onto the soft ground. He snored. Adon stopped arguing. I settled in beside the lion and went to sleep, content to think the two of them would protect me. There were few people besides Adon I would have trusted so much.
Did I trust anyone on the sand buses? Well, not now.
I had odd dreams, each interrupted by coming suddenly awake in the dark night. Adon urged me back to sleep each time, and I didn't argue. My head hurt.
And I didn't understand what was going on. The more my thoughts cleared, the less sense the attack made. If someone had wanted to kill me, he'd had the perfect chance once I was down. Hitting me on the head and leaving me behind only meant that before long someone would come looking for me.
I stared at Adon who was brushing sand from Gold.
"You have had a thought," he said. "I can tell by that blank stare."
"Someone has probably missed me by now. I was never late for food."
"Huh. That so surprises me." He handed over an apple. "What difference does it make?"
"Tell me where they are now."
Adon gave a leisurely lift of his hand.Then he stood and waved his hands in all directions, winning an amused sound from Golden Mane.
"Where are they!"
"I asked you first."
Adon threw himself down on the sand and stared at his cousin. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Plenty of them. None that will help."
Adon didn't complain. He sat down and stared at the sand. "They are either all dead or they have protection."
"Magical protection."
"Was the attack against you a chance, or was someone waiting for you?"
I had to think about that for a moment, and a sudden spike of pain
through my head did not help. For a moment, everything seemed to go black and red -- but my memory of the attack came with clarity at last.
I focused on Adon. "Waiting for me, and worse -- they were hiding, and I didn't even sense them."
The news bothered Adon who stood and scanned the area again. "We need to go."
"Where?" I asked and didn't attempt to stand yet. "We can't find my wayward sheep, and I fear going home to Nerian without them. There could be someone who wants me to do so, you know, and make it look as though I brought the humans there. I have enemies still."
We both sat in the sand. Adon spread a fine net of magic around us, something hardly noticeable.
"We are going to Nerian," Adon said. There was no question in his statement and I knew I was not in any shape to argue with him.
I was not ready to go home.
Worse than that were the people who would not be happy to see me there.
I might not survive after all.
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