Chapter 20: The Army of the Dead
After the leader of the soldiers agreed to let Prince Ahmad’s party have an audience with the king of Buryan, the travelers hastily packed up their camp, mounted their horses, and followed their military escort northward through the dismal countryside. The soldiers rode hard, hoping to reach their destination before nightfall, which gave the travelers little chance to admire the Buryani scenery. They passed some scattered farms, where hardy peasants toiled to make what living they could from the stingy land that lay between the Bitter Sea and the Gobrani Desert.
There was little talking between the two groups. Prince Ahmad may have won the soldiers’ respect with his show of prowess on the field of combat, but he still had not proved how friendly he was or
