Chapter 1: Two Bounty Hunters

  They reined in their horses at a stream and let their mounts drink. Their two horses were lathered with sweat and panting after a long canter.

  "Eyeman's hoofprints," Rejah pointed at a line of hoofprints in the orange dust.

  "Yes! Eyeman came this way! Come on! We can't let him get away!"

  They galloped across a flat orange plateau with their horses hooves kicking up dust behind them. Shrubs and pale grass dotted the land, and a tall cliff of red rock rose up like an immense wall in the distance.

  "I see a path up the cliff," Rejah said. "We can leave the horses and go up on foot."

  Temon grumbled at the thought of the ascent. "I don't like heights!"

  They dismounted at the base of the huge cliff that touched the blue sky. Tall bushes grew there and they tethered their horses to them. A steep narrow path went up, hugging the curtain wall of red rock.

  "Just don't look down," Rejah advised.

  "Not helpful!"

  They shouldered their packs.

  Temon took the lead so he could keep an eye out for trouble. He also hoped that doing this would take his mind off the worry he felt at the drop on his right. He walked up the path with as much confidence as he could muster.

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  After a while, they reached a rock platform with a view across the orange tableland. From there they could see beyond the border into Ashok territory. Temon stood back from the edge and wiped the sweat from his brow. He had some knowledge of the geography from colonial reports, but he had never traveled into the Ashok lands. Heat rose in shimmering waves, making distant rock formations appear to wobble like water mirages.

  "You could lose yourself out there."

  He turned and looked up at the cliff side path. It seemed to get narrower as .the height grew.

  "Come on Temon, don't worry."

  "Ack!"

  The path seemed to crumbled under his boots. He kept his eyes fixed on the path ahead to avoid the sight of the dizzying drop that yawned on his right. Rejah was breathing steadily behind him, despite the steep incline.

  "Wait. Temon." she said. She pointed at a carving on the cliff. It was an inscription of a coiled serpent encircling the sun.

  "Ashok," she said.

  "Yes."

  The cliff path curved around a massive outcrop and he cautiously walked around it, holding on to the cliff in places. Once around it he saw the entrance to a cave.

  "There's a cave ahead!"

  Rejah nodded and pressed a finger to her lips to indicate silence between them.

  He took out a pair of torches from his pack, lit them, and gave one to her. He was worried that that Eyeman could be waiting in there with a nasty surprise. His pulse rate grew faster and he tried to steady his nerves.

  He pointed into the cave and Rejah nodded. He entered with his torch before him. Their torch lights illuminated rock walls on each side of a flat floored and high-ceiling space. There were pieces of fabric scattered on the ground and Temon picked up part of a man's tunic.

  Rejah whispered, "Something is moving at the back. Look!"

  Yes. A shadow moved! It should be Eyeman!

  He drew his sword and advanced with its tip pointing at the shadow figure. He was ready to jab if there was any sign of trouble.

  "Show yourself!"