Chapter 74
Late-January: 3,389 BC
Earth: Mesopotamian Plain
GITA
Gita glanced over her shoulder at the darkening sky which settled east over Assur. To the people of the river, the western desert was a wasteland, a place where none dared travel except for bandits, mercenaries, and the tent-dwelling Halifians who they considered to be a little bit of both. To Gita, however, the desert was the obstacle between her miserable life now and the sheltered existence she had enjoyed as a little girl. How many times had she traveled out here to this land of the setting sun, as far as her waterskin and meager rations would allow, trying to get back to the paradise of the Temple? Only now that an opportunity had presented itself to shepherd her across, every step she took away from Assur made her f
