The Heart of the Sands

Book excerpt: Now a Benesh'ere slave, every whiteface in the tribe hungers for Morgin's death. But he is Harriok's property, and while Harriok remains in a coma, a victim of the venom of the sand cat's sixth claw, the warriors wait and bide their time. As Morgin accompanies them on the March, an affinity for steel is slowly awakening within him, and he truly fears the truths his growing knowledge may reveal. Rhianne, thinking Morgin is dead, leads a lonely life as a hedge witch in a small village near the Lake of Sorrows. But as she matures, her powers grow far beyond those of a mere village healer. She now has a personal connection to the deadly talismanic sword Morgin brought onto the Mortal Plane, and as she begins to glean its true nature, she fears the fate of all mankind. As summer approaches and the heat of the sands of the Munjarro grows unbearable, the Benesh'ere are in the midst of their annual migration to the Lake of Sorrows. During the two days it takes to cross the Plains of Quam, their column is repeatedly attacked by companies of Kulls, a game of sport for the halfmen. Morgin fights beside the Benesh'ere to protect the column, and he reluctantly develops empathy for the whitefaces and their way of life. Morgin knows he must overcome Jerst and Blesset's hatred of him, and he regrets the heated words he threw at them shortly before the battle at Csairne Glen. But his only recourse may be to fight them in individual, mortal combat. And as he tries to find a resolution to that situation, he has no idea that he must again face Salula. For thrice and thrice must a blade be born.