It’s a strange yet reassuring feeling, wandering past the borders of his home without the intention of leaving the island. Encantador needs only to make it past this long stretch of barren land, where shimmering waves of heat dance atop the baked earth and no other living thing seems to be around. He is completely alone during this time, and so to distract himself from the monotony and the burdens of his weary, parched body, he lapses into deep thought and lets his striped legs carry him instinctively towards the ocean of undulating golden dunes in the distance.

He thinks of many things: of his fight with Mafioso and the injuries he had sustained (which thankfully now have healed), of the infuriatingly strange mare Phyx, of the struggle with Avalanche and Pierina, of his frustration with Johnny and how he almost wishes they were not allies, of his interest in Sylvia, of his sister Valencia and what she is doing right now, and, of course, of his feverish romps with El Aran. But also, as ever, he thinks of her. My Dany. He has not seen her in so long, yet he can remember her face like he had seen her yesterday. Still her disappearance makes him ache, and still it angers him. I never told her I loved her. She never gave me the chance.

Allowing his mind to wander makes the journey seem mercifully short, and soon enough the dunes are right before him, rolling high into the sky like small mountains, much bigger than the ones in his own home. Encantador is sweating as he struggles up and down their shifting slopes. The sudden appearance of the huge oasis – again, far bigger than any in his own home – is both a surprise and a relief, as if the gods have snapped their fingers and provided him with everything he needs in the blink of an omnibenevolent eye. The dunskin settles in the shade of a cluster of tall palms and thick foliage and lowers his head to sate his ravenous thirst. It’s still swelteringly hot, but the water is pleasantly sweet on his tongue.

He does not call out: not yet. He wants a chance to cool off and collect himself before summoning the man who had brought him here. Of course, he half-expects Badr to come strolling over the crest of the hill at any moment. It would be just my luck.