Kayan stood up, too, and though she only came up to the middle of his chest, she looked ready to take him on with bare hands at any moment. Oh, yeah? And what was I supposed to do, let him have his filthy way with me just so we could stay with your precious elves? Was I supposed to buy their hospitality with my body? Oh, yeah? And what was I supposed to do, let him have his filthy way with me just so we could stay with your precious elves? Was I supposed to buy their hospitality with my body?

Jedra clenched and unclenched his fists. You could have let him down easy, You could have let him down easy, he said. he said. You didn't have to humiliate him in front of the whole tribe. You didn't have to humiliate him in front of the whole tribe.

I did, too. Kayan turned away and picked up her pack. Kayan turned away and picked up her pack. Of course if you had been more decisive when he first showed up, maybe I wouldn't have, but when he realized you were a pushover, he Of course if you had been more decisive when he first showed up, maybe I wouldn't have, but when he realized you were a pushover, he- Oh, so that's my fault now, too! Jedra grabbed his own pack off the sand and tied it closed, then swung it onto his back. He picked up the spear with its rag tied to the end and slung that over his shoulder, wincing at the sore spot where it had rested during the last march. Jedra grabbed his own pack off the sand and tied it closed, then swung it onto his back. He picked up the spear with its rag tied to the end and slung that over his shoulder, wincing at the sore spot where it had rested during the last march. Well let me tell you something, miss high-and-mighty ex-templar, Well let me tell you something, miss high-and-mighty ex-templar, I I didn't get us into this mess. You did. You and your didn't get us into this mess. You did. You and your- Cloud ray, she said. she said. Cloud ray, cloud ray, cloud ray. That's why we got kicked out of the tribe. Cloud ray, cloud ray, cloud ray. That's why we got kicked out of the tribe. I I had us living in the chief's tent until you pulled that stunt. had us living in the chief's tent until you pulled that stunt.

Arrgghh! Jedra growled, an inarticulate bellow of rage. She'd twisted things around in a circle again. He stomped off with the rag end of the spear bent low in front of him, sweeping for sand cactus. Jedra growled, an inarticulate bellow of rage. She'd twisted things around in a circle again. He stomped off with the rag end of the spear bent low in front of him, sweeping for sand cactus.

Where are you going? Kayan demanded. Kayan demanded.

Jedra stopped. He'd struck out to the north, he realized. Toward Urik, the only place he'd ever called home. But Urik was nearly twice as far away as anyplace else they could go, the entire distance through open desert. He looked toward the east, where the sky was just beginning to show the first glow of approaching dawn. Only hostile elves and the tablelands lay in that direction. The south was no better. Reluctantly, he turned westward and began walking. I guess I'm going to Tyr, I guess I'm going to Tyr, he said. he said.

One good thing about anger, Jedra thought an hour or so later-it completely overrode the exhaustion he'd expected to feel after their convergence. He and Kayan had already walked farther this morning than they'd gone in either of their previous marches, and the sun hadn't even cleared the horizon yet. The last stars were fading before them, though, and it wouldn't be long before the temperature began to rise.

Who would have thought there could be so much change in so barren a landscape? Hot enough to cook meat on a rock during the day, and cold enough to freeze it at night; full of vegetation and lizards and other small animals just a day to the east, but practically empty here. A person couldn't count on anything in the desert.

Not even his companion. Jedra couldn't believe how Kayan had turned on him. She'd kissed him less than half a day ago! She'd been all warmth and friendliness, and then she'd turned right around and accused him of causing all their troubles. What kind of a bondmate was that? Well, once they made it out of the desert, that was the last he would see of her. He didn't care about their psionic powers, or about finding a master to teach them more. He didn't want to share anything more with her anyway, not if she felt that way about him. Indecisive! Pushover! Hah. He'd fought an elf warrior for her, and killed a b'rohg. And even now, who was leading the way, braving the dangers of sand cactus and who-knew-what-else while she plodded along behind, safe from harm?

He increased his pace, eager to get out of the desert.

Hey, Kayan mindsent. Kayan mindsent. You're already going too fast. Your legs are longer than mine. You're already going too fast. Your legs are longer than mine.

I thought you wanted to get to Tyr, he replied without turning his head, but he slowed down. he replied without turning his head, but he slowed down.

The sun had been up for a couple of hours before they spoke again. Your shoulders are going to get sunburned, Your shoulders are going to get sunburned, Kayan sent. Kayan sent.

I know, Jedra responded. His pack covered some of the rips the cactus had made in his robe, but not all of them. Jedra responded. His pack covered some of the rips the cactus had made in his robe, but not all of them. Shouldn't you turn your robe around or something? Shouldn't you turn your robe around or something? They were walking on much rockier ground now, the sand underfoot littered with pebbles and stones. Occasional reddish-yellow boulders dotted the landscape as well. Jedra paused beside one such boulder, letting his danger sense tell him if anything was hiding behind it, and when he was sure it was safe he relaxed a bit and said, They were walking on much rockier ground now, the sand underfoot littered with pebbles and stones. Occasional reddish-yellow boulders dotted the landscape as well. Jedra paused beside one such boulder, letting his danger sense tell him if anything was hiding behind it, and when he was sure it was safe he relaxed a bit and said, I suppose I should. I suppose I should.

He took off his pack and dropped it to the ground, handed Kayan the spear, then pulled his arms through his sleeves and twisted the robe around. When he stuck his arms out again the cloth felt tight across his neck, but most of the holes the cactus had ripped in it were in front. He put his pack on and took back the spear, then started walking again.

Jedra, Kayan sent. Kayan sent.

What?

Couldn't we at least rest for a minute?

Rest. That sounded good. Trouble was, in his depression, would he ever start out again?

He would have to find out sometime. All right, All right, he said, turning around and walking back to the boulder where Kayan still waited. he said, turning around and walking back to the boulder where Kayan still waited.

They sat down in the shade and each took a drink from Kayan's waterskin. Her honeycakes beckoned from within her pack, but neither she nor Jedra took one. They would eat during the hottest part of the day, when they stopped for shelter from the sun.

After a minute or so of awkward silence, Kayan said aloud, "Jedra, I'm sorry I said all those things. I was just frustrated and tired. I don't really think that about you." "You can't lie in a mindlink," Jedra said.

You can too, Kayan sent. She laughed, and when Jedra looked puzzled she said, "Think about it." Kayan sent. She laughed, and when Jedra looked puzzled she said, "Think about it."

He tried to work out the logic of it, and finally he admitted, "All right, maybe you can. But you still said it. You wanted it to be true." "I didn't either. I wanted to hurt you." He looked at her as if she'd just said she planned to stab him in the back. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Of course it is," she said. She shook her head to flip her hair back out of her eyes. "Look, we were mad at each other. When you're mad, you say things to hurt each other. You don't necessarily mean them."

"Oh," Jedra said. He looked at her again, really looked at her for the first time that day. She certainly seemed sincere, with her green eyes open wide and her round face full of concern. Jedra felt himself relax a little. "I supposed that's another thing I don't know much about," he said.

"What, fighting?"

"Yeah." He looked away again, out over the desert. "The whole world seems to thrive on it, but I've never understood why. What good does it do? People hurt each other all the time, usually for the stupidest reasons. They kill each other because of an insult, or sometimes just for something to do. Some people are always looking for fights."

"Like Sahalik," Kayan said.

"Yeah, like Sahalik." Jedra looked back at her. "I don't know. Maybe you didn't have anything to do with that. I'm a half-elf; he probably would have found an excuse to challenge me even if you'd been nicer to him."

"Maybe." Kayan shrugged. "I guess I could have tried anyway."

Jedra wondered how they'd suddenly wound up on the opposite sides of the conversation, but decided not to dig too deeply into it. It might be better to leave things as they stood. "Whatever, the point is I hate fighting. It never solves anything. It just hurts everyone involved."

"You're a pacifist," said Kayan, true wonder in her voice. "That's incredible."

"Why?"

"Because of where you come from. Most people who grow up on the streets just take it as given that they have to fight for survival. For someone like you to figure out that there might be a better way, well, that's pretty unusual."

Jedra wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he decided to take it as one. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," she said. She blushed, then leaned closer to him. "I'm sorry I got you mad. Kiss and make up?"

He wasn't sure if he had gotten completely over his anger yet, but he suddenly realized he was going to have to practice what he'd just preached. He supposed it could have been worse, though.

"All right," he said, and he leaned forward for the second kiss of his life.

Their rest stop lasted a little longer than they'd originally intended, but when they started out again they walked side by side. The ground was too rocky for sand cactus, and besides, it was easier to hold hands that way.

They walked at a steady pace all through the morning, their improved spirits helping even more than anger to keep them going. The harder ground underfoot helped as well. It was difficult to judge how far they'd gone, since they hadn't paid that much attention to the passing miles, so when they stopped for lunch Jedra said, "Why don't we link up and check our progress?"

"You just want to mind-merge again," Kayan said playfully.

"And you don't?"

"Of course I do, but I don't know if it's a good idea. Look what happened last time."

"Hmm."

They had stopped by the biggest boulder they could find, but it wasn't rounded enough to provide much shade with the sun straight overhead. Jedra considered the situation for a moment, then he propped the spear against the rock, took off his robe, and rucked the corners into the holes in the spear haft. Then he stretched the cloth out toward the ground and weighted the bottom corners down with rocks, making a lean-to tent big enough for both of them to fit under.

"All right," Kayan said when he'd finished. "Let's link up and see how far we've come, but that's it. No lingering this time."

"Deal."

They climbed under the makeshift tent, joined hands, and linked. At once their argument that morning seemed petty and foolish. Compared to the sense of well-being they felt now, their little differences of opinion were insignificant. Who cared who got them into trouble? They were invincible now. Once again they rose on powerful roc wings over the desert, and they immediately wheeled around to the west and flew for Tyr.

It was still a long way off. Even at the pace they'd maintained that morning it would take five days to reach it, but they wouldn't be able to keep up that pace after they ran out of food and water. They had maybe three days of good marching left, maximum, and the last one would be without food or water.

There's got to be a better solution than just heading west until we drop, Jedra's part of their mind suggested. Jedra's part of their mind suggested.

We've been over this before, Kayan's practical side replied. Kayan's practical side replied. We knew it was a long way when we decided to go for it. We've done better than we thought we'd do; let's be glad of it and keep going. We knew it was a long way when we decided to go for it. We've done better than we thought we'd do; let's be glad of it and keep going.

Let's at least look for the oasis on our way back, Jedra thought. Jedra thought. We might find it yet, or something else that'll help. We might find it yet, or something else that'll help.

All right. They turned away from the city and flew eastward again, focusing their psionic senses on anything unusual. Water, food, intelligent minds, even animals that might provide a life-sustaining meal. At first they found nothing, but when they had come about two-thirds of the way back to where their bodies waited they spotted something far to the north. A scintillating beacon of some sort, like sunlight reflected off a rippling surface. They turned away from the city and flew eastward again, focusing their psionic senses on anything unusual. Water, food, intelligent minds, even animals that might provide a life-sustaining meal. At first they found nothing, but when they had come about two-thirds of the way back to where their bodies waited they spotted something far to the north. A scintillating beacon of some sort, like sunlight reflected off a rippling surface.

Open water? It couldn't be, not out here. But it might be something else useful, so they veered northward and with a few powerful wingbeats flew toward it. It couldn't be, not out here. But it might be something else useful, so they veered northward and with a few powerful wingbeats flew toward it.

A city slid up from behind the horizon, its buildings taller and straighter-sided than anything either of them had ever seen. Even the modest ones were larger than the pyramid under construction at Tyr, and there were dozens even bigger. What they had seen was sunlight reflecting off the flat sides of the buildings.

There can't be a city here, they thought, but there it stood. The trouble was, in the psionic vision what they saw wasn't necessarily reality. they thought, but there it stood. The trouble was, in the psionic vision what they saw wasn't necessarily reality.

What could it be? Jedra asked, and Kayan answered, Jedra asked, and Kayan answered, An ancient ruin? I've heard the desert is littered with them. An ancient ruin? I've heard the desert is littered with them.

This doesn't look very ruined.

Maybe we're seeing it as it used to be.

They circled around, looking at the buildings from all sides. At their bases grew trees and green grass so thick the dirt couldn't be seen between the blades. In the middle of one open courtyard a fountain sprayed three jets of water high into the air.

And seated on a bench beside the fountain, a six-limbed, mantislike thri-kreen leaned its head back and watched them with its black, multifaceted eyes.

We've found it! Jedra said. Jedra said. This has to be the oasis. This has to be the oasis.

It doesn't have to be anything, Kayan said. Kayan said.

Sure it does. And whatever it is, it's better than nothing. We should come here instead.

No, we should stick with our original course. If we start chasing mirages, we'll never make it anywhere.

This isn't a mirage.

They felt the same rending of their union that they had felt last time they had begun to argue, the same diminishing of their synergy. Kayan said, Let's unlink and talk about it. Let's unlink and talk about it.

Jedra sensed that she was going to break the link anyway, so he readied himself for the shock and said, All right. All right.

It wasn't quite so bad as before. Their roc body and the city below flickered and vanished like a burst soap bubble, and Jedra once again found himself sitting on the hard rock with Kayan by his side. Their makeshift tent flapped softly overhead in a faint breeze.

Neither of them spoke for a minute while they tried to corral their stressed emotions. The letdown was just as intense as always, but they were getting familiar with it, and they simply waited for it to pass.

Jedra spoke first. "I still think we should go for the city. It's only another day and a half away."

"It may not be a city," Kayan said. "And if it is, I bet it's nothing but rubble now, no matter what we saw." "And the thri-kreen?"

"Who knows? Maybe it was the ghost of the king." Jedra leaned back against the rock. They had pitched their lean-to tent on the west side of it, which hadn't received sun yet today and was still a few degrees cooler than the surrounding air. "Maybe it wasn't," he said. "Maybe it was an actual, living thri-kreen. Maybe it lives out there, and the city was its mental image of home."

Kayan picked up a fist-sized rock and turned it over in her hand. "You want want to go into a thri-kreen's home? They eat elves, did you know that?" to go into a thri-kreen's home? They eat elves, did you know that?"

"I'm not an elf," Jedra told her. "I'm a half-elf."

"So it'll only eat half of you."

"We can defend ourselves if necessary," Jedra said, "but I'll bet we won't have to. Thri-kreen and elves get along fine in the city. I'll bet it'll sell us food and water if we offer to buy it. I've still got Dornal's money bag. And maybe the thri-kreen will know a better way across the desert than the way we're going."

"'Maybe' is a pretty unsure thing to hang your hopes on," Kayan said to the rock.

"So is thinking we can walk all the way to Tyr on two half-empty waterskins and ten honeycakes."

Kayan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, but didn't speak.

"This is serious," Jedra said. "We could die out here. We will will die if we make the wrong decision." die if we make the wrong decision."

"I know know that." Kayan flung the rock she'd been holding out into the desert, where it clacked against another rock and bounced to the side. "That's why I don't want to waste our last resources wandering off after a psionic chimera." that." Kayan flung the rock she'd been holding out into the desert, where it clacked against another rock and bounced to the side. "That's why I don't want to waste our last resources wandering off after a psionic chimera."

Since they weren't speaking mind-to-mind Jedra didn't get a definition of "chimera," but he had an idea of what she meant anyway.

"Let's sleep on it," he said. "When we're ready to travel we can see if it's still there. If it's not, I'm willing to try for Tyr, but if it is I think we should go for the city."

"I don't know," Kayan said. "But you're right about one thing: We should sleep." She lay back against her pack and closed her eyes.

Jedra kept watch again, then traded with Kayan for a few hours' rest of his own. When he woke in the late afternoon they shared another honeycake and each had another mouthful of water. Then they joined minds again and looked for the mysterious city.

It was still there, but this time the thri-kreen was roasting an entire erdlu on a spit over a campfire beside the fountain. The smell of the giant, cooked bird rose into the air, haunting Kayan and Jedra even after they had broken the link and returned to their rock in the desert.

"That settles it," Jedra said. "We're going."

Kayan narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I still don't like it. What's that city doing there, anyway? I've never heard of it before. And what's a thri-kreen doing roasting an erdlu in the middle of it? Where'd the erdlu come from? For that matter, where'd the thri-kreen thri-kreen come from? And where's everybody else? Something's not right here." come from? And where's everybody else? Something's not right here."

Jedra dismantled their tent and put on his robe again. "I don't care," he said. "It's better than trying for Tyr." He slung his pack over his shoulders and picked up the spear. "You coming?"

She blinked in surprise. "Jedra, what's gotten into you?"

He shrugged. "I guess I'm just trying to be decisive."

"What? You're rushing off into the unknown because I called you indecisive yesterday?"

"No." He tried to explain, but it was hard to put words around his reasons. "This just feels right. I know this is where we should go."

"It feels right. Oh, great." All the same, she apparently realized he was done arguing about it. She stood up and slowly drew on her pack. "If you're wrong..." She let the rest of the sentence hang.