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I may follow him to the
grave.”
    Astrid glanced at Ethen. Ethen nodded, pity
weighing heavy on his brow.
    “We will do it,” she said, her hand
outstretched. Fryx latched onto it, shaking it ferociously.
    “Thank you, thank you! Praise to your names!
I will give you anything for my Alistair to be well again. Gold,
jewels—name your price and it will be yours.”
    “Gold would be much appreciated,” said Ethen,
rubbing his prickly chin.
    Astrid nodded. Gold would do much to help
their family. But it didn’t seem enough.
    “Gold would suffice. However, I have one more
request,” said Astrid.
    “Anything! What do you desire?” Fryx’s eyes
were desperate as he waited for her reply.
    “The beast I saw as we walked through your
great hall, I wish to know more about it,” she said, her arms
folded against her chest.
    “Ah,” said Fryx, “you wish to know about the
Phooka. I will tell you all you wish to know when you return.”
    Astrid opened her mouth to protest but
thought better than to argue with a merchant. “We have ourselves a
deal,” she said, bowing her head. Fryx snatched her hand and gave
it a hearty shake.
    “Yes, indeed we do! Thank you, yet
again!”
     
     
    ***
     
     
    “Do we really have to go inside there?” Ethen
kicked at his glider, folding the sail down with a sharp snap .
    “Yes, we really do. Are you frightened? It’s
just a canyon. What’s the worst that could happen?” Astrid hefted
her glider underneath the cover of the gnarled underbrush. Cutting
a strand from a streak of her clay-reddened hair, she tied it to a
thorny branch. The hair flickered in the desert wind like a small
flame.
    Ethen grunted, sliding his glider next to
Astrid’s. “Of course I’m frightened! You know as well as I do the
kinds of things that live out in places like that. There’s
nowhere safer than open sand, that’s what Ilsie always says,”
he said, rubbing his hands together.
    “Ilsie says a lot of things, Ethen. Like how
I should be a good girl and learn the healing arts and not worry my
head about fighting,” said Astrid. She spat in the dust, disgusted
at the thought of being forced to live such a simple life. “No,
we’re going in there. And when we come out, we will be worthy of
the name Warrior .”
    Ethen gave a weak grin, a ray of hope poking
through his doubtful thoughts. “Oh, all right. After all, I suppose
being ripped to pieces isn’t so bad.” Astrid cuffed him in the ear,
putting him in motion. It was still a hefty walk to the mouth of
the canyon.
    They passed over jagged rocks and tangled
brush, watching the cluttered ground for desert vipers. Rocks were
a favorite hiding place for the smooth red snake.
    After an hour of hobbling along the
treacherous ground, they reached the gaping mouth of the canyon.
Its sides rose up far above their heads, piercing the thick gauzy
clouds that hung low in the sky.
    Astrid didn’t notice any of the usual animal
life that would inhabit a place like that. There were no rock
lizards, no sand sparrows, not even a nest of storm crows. The
belly of the canyon was still with the kind of silence that made
Astrid clutch at her hunting knives with white-knuckled fists.
    Astrid met Ethen’s worried gaze. She could
tell he too could sense the unease. He slid his bow from over his
shoulder and notched an arrow on its string. They positioned
themselves back to back, each waiting for the silence to be
broken.
    Step by step, they crept further into the
canyon. Astrid would lead then slowly revolve to the rear, letting
Ethen take the lead. She remembered when Warrior Vintas taught the
class this tactic, emphasizing how it allowed the company to keep
fresh eyes on their surroundings. Tired eyes often played tricks on
the warrior’s mind.
    After what seemed like hours of their slow
winding dance, they reached the end of the canyon. A large clearing
stretched out before them, its walls curved and peppered with
holes. The ground was littered with pale