Her explanation rivets him; it was ripe with words he does not know amidst circumstances even harder to fathom and farther away than anything he has ever seen or experienced. Maslakhat, having been born upon the sands, had no concept of the world Merwerit described. It felt as though it came from some exotic place known only in stories, like the tales of the gods he knew and had learned about from his elders as a colt. Yet he can tell this was no farfetched tale of fire or fury, nor a lie based in faith alone but a truth proven by the items affixed to her frame. It was simply too elaborate for fiction.

He was silent for perhaps too long, digesting the whole of her words and attempting to understand as much as he could about all she had spoken about.

“You have run to a world anew,” he said finally.

He blinked as she sighed loudly, closing her her eyes, and he looked on with the incredulous reality that he has encountered in this mare something he had been previously ignorant about. It disturbed him, but he does his best to conceal his shock, lest he appear unfit to be her match.

“There is no need for any of that here,” Maslakhat decided. “You won’t need something on your back or in your mouth to drink the wind. You can run as far as you see fit, limited only by your own physical prowess. Sustenance is plentiful if you are clever, and there is protection among the herd if you are vigilant. You can decide whose company suits you and whose does not.”

Maslakhat took a deep breath of his own now, his eyes examining what she had called the bridle on her face and the piece of metal in her mouth with some degree of disdain. He was uncertain if she truly wanted to be free of it, so he does not offer an attempt to release her from its binds—truthfully he wasn’t sure if he could figure out how. In either case, the harshness of the climate would surely rot its hold in due time.

Merwerit had made it this far, and she had the benefit of desert heritage, so he had little doubt she could adapt well enough for her to see the day it fell. However, he would certainly endeavor to keep closer watch on her than perhaps he normally would, lest the perils of this land weigh too heavy.


MASLAKHAT

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