Chapter 19: The Warrior
After leaving the dismal caves of Punjar, Prince Ahmad and his companions took their bearings from the stars and rode northward through the clear night, ever mindful of the cracked and broken landscape around them. So eager were they to be away from this hateful place that they rode continuously on into the morning. The horses wearied and had to be walked occasionally, but they didn’t cease their progress until the character of the land about them changed. The ground here was fertile; trees, bushes, and grass grew in abundance. While the terrain was still hilly and they saw no farms, the softer nature of the land assured them they were beyond the immediate influence of King Zargov of Punjar.
Finally feeling safe from their enemy’s reprisals and totally exhausted a
