Amaya PoV
The heat of the midday sun pressed down, the wagon creaking over the soft sand. The rhythmic clatter of the unicorn's hooves was a constant, hypnotic sound. I looked at the endless dunes, their crests sharp against the bleached sky. It was a world of gold and blue, vast and empty. I could see why the Taahid spoke of their version of the Sky Father with such fearful reverence. Out here, you felt small, vulnerable to the elements and to whatever ancient secrets lay buried. It was similar back home and in Raiyama. The desert made you feel small, but it also made you feel the mercy of the divine, especially when a cool breeze would come through.
"Djinn back home are rare and tied to ancient battlefields," Raiki blurted out, breaking the silence. "Papa said they are echoes of great pain. So is this land one of even more pain than the battlefields of our war?"
