Nimet liked the simplicity of the golden stallion’s words. He wasted no time or breath on beautifying his offer - it was delicious enough laid bare, and he knew it. The glossy black mare smiled, her eyes glittering with satisfaction. ”And so it comes together,” she said, flicking her long, shiny tail against her flanks. ”I followed the stars here, and I knew it was for a reason. Certainly... this” - she swept her head around to gesture at the suffocating green surrounding them - ”is not what I came here for. But your Dunes... sound correct.”

The golden stallion pointed south, but Nimet hardly noticed. Her heart was already tugging her in the direction of golden sands and open skies, and she, too, wasted no time. The black mare’s hindquarters bunched as her front hooves lifted from the earth, her body rising in a graceful rear before flowing forward in the direction Maslakhat had specified.

...

Her hooves met the soft, beloved sand and Nimet’s energy was renewed. Her journey sloughed away as she dug her delicate heels into the dry, shifting earth. It was as though she had always been here, and she trotted away from the surf with her tail flagged high over her hips. Assuming the stallion had journeyed with her, she let out a hearty laugh and turned to face him. ”How could you have left such a place, even for a moment?” she asked, her voice teasing and sultry. ”It is perfect.”