Temon's opened his eyes to see Rejah lit by the embers of the dying fire. "It's your turn to go on watch."

  "Fine. Did you see any Ashok?"

  "No. "

  "Good"

  She passed him the Ashok map. "I had a look. It describes landmarks, maybe sacred sites?"

  "I'll give it another look in daylight."

  Temon looked past the embers of the fire and noticed that Urdo’s spot was empty.

  "Where's Urdo?"

  "I don't know, I thought he was here with you?" She sounded surprised.

  "We risk our necks to save him and he wanders off into the night!"

  "He could be hurt. Or worse."

  "Ahck!"

  "He doesn't know this place. He could've walked off a cliff in the dark."

  Temon groaned. "He's probably gone for a walk and got lost. I'll find him. Gods! As if we don't have enough problems!"

  "I'll look for him," Rejah insisted."You can take watch."

  "You sure?"

  "Yes, I'll find him."

  It was a shame that she would miss out on her rest to go have to go looking for their charge.

  "Good luck."

  He went and took up the watch position.

  As the sun rose on the horizon Rejah returned with Urdo. The colonist looked disheveled and his eyes avoided contact with Temon's.

  "I needed to relieve myself," Urdo said, his face streaked with dust. "I turned around and couldn't find my way back."

  The urge to unleash his frustration was strong but he caught Rejah's eye and saw her exhaustion, which tempered his anger. Harsh words would have solved nothing.

  "Don't do that again."

  "I won't."

  "If you do, I'll make you regret it. "

  "I'm sorry, Temon, I didn't mean to get lost."

  They ate trail biscuits and drank from their dwindling water supplies. Then they mounted up and rode out again in search of Eyeman.

  The dry plateau offered no respite from the relentless sun. Heat radiated off the cracked earth, and dust kicked up by their horses hung in the air. Temon wiped sweat from his brow, his patience thinning as time passed

  They stopped to check their route. Rejah studied the ground with the intensity of a hawk.

  Urdo looked around with a furrowed brow, his expression one of deep uncertainty.

  Rejah glanced at the befuddled man. "We need to be careful about Urdo's condition."

  Before he could reply, she pointed towards something shimmering in the distance.

  "It's a rider. It could be him!"

  "Let's go. "

  They kicked their heels and forced their horses into a gallop, leaving Urdo behind.

  Ahead, a cloud of dust hung in the air, revealing the rider’s position. They pushed their horses, eating up the distance until the animals began to flag from fatigue. Yet the gap had closed. The rider was clearly visible now, steering his mount into the mouth of a canyon.

  They rode into the canyon in pursuit. Its pink and purple crags looked formidable, a landscape riddled with ambush points.

  Towers of rock rose up around them. The canyon floor was an obstacle course of boulders and loose stones.

  Ahead, the rider disappeared behind a massive boulder.

  "We have to get closer!"

  It would get dark soon. If they didn't catch Eyeman before the it would be easy for him to evade them.

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  "I see him!" Rejah pointed the way.

  "He's not going to get away!" Temon drove his heels into his horse's flanks. The beast responded with a burst of speed, hooves pounding against the loose stones, sending them skittering.

  The ground became increasingly treacherous. Large boulders blocked the path, forcing them to weave around and slowing down their advance.

  The canyon was narrowing. The rocky terrain was closing in on their target. The fugitive glanced back. Temon saw the man’s eyes go wide as he realized he was being trapped.

  They closed the final distance. Their horses skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust. Temon sat tall in his saddle, feeling a surge of grim satisfaction.

  Eyeman was trapped, his horse backed up against a towering crag.

  There was nowhere left for him to go.

  "You're a hard man to catch," Temon shouted.

  Eyeman gave no indication he understood. His expression was defiant. On his forehead, the distinctive eye tattoo could be seen.

  Eyeman held a red rock in his hand and moved it in a circular motion.

  The ground beneath them began to shake.

  A violent blast of sand and stones erupted from the floor of the canyon. It slammed up into them like a whirlwind, with dust and debris flying.

  Temon raised his hands to shield his eyes and face. He felt himself being lifted from the saddle, the world spinning into chaos, as he was thrown off his horse into the swirling dust and stones.

  His world went dark.

  After a time he came around to find himself lying flat on the ground, with a sharp pain in his back.

  A silver moon hung in the night sky, casting long, cold shadows.

  He raised his head, fighting the dizziness that had overcome him, and looked around for Rejah. She was lying nearby, completely still. Was she dead?

  Eyeman was nowhere to be seen.

  He groaned, sat up, rubbed his back and tested his sore shoulder. Pain!

  "I should have expected this," he muttered, "I've underestimated him."

  He got to his feet and went over to Rejah. Crouching down beside her and gently took her hand. "Rejah, are you alright? Wake up!"

  To his relief Rejah coughed opened her eyes and blinked, She looked about, clearly disoriented, before finally focusing on him.

  "Eyeman's gone," he said.

  "We weren't ready for him."

  "He was ready for us! We're lucky to be alive."

  "Yes we are."

  They retrieved their horses that had wandered a short distance away. Luckily they were unharmed.

  Moonlight guided their path as they checked their surroundings, retracing their route back to where they had last seen Urdo.

  "We've left him behind," Temon said, scanning the dark horizon.

  They spotted the colonist in the distance. He was riding aimlessly.

  Rejah called to Urdo, her voice carrying through the quiet. When they reached him, she reassured him that we were both fine.

  They made camp by a large boulder that offered shelter from the wind that was blowing. The sticks of their small fire crackled, providing warmth as they sat beside it.

  Temon leaned in close to the flames, warming his hands.

  "We'll pick up the trail once the sun comes up," she said.

  "He's a hard man to stop," Temon replied, staring into the embers. "Powerful."

  The sound of Urdo’s teeth chattering in the cold night air broke the silence. Temon grabbed a blanket and handed it to the colonist, who wrapped it tightly around himself. He nodded his thanks.

  "Keep warm, Urdo," Rejah said. "Eat these beans, then get some rest."

  She served the food, handing them a bowl of beans and salted meat.

  Temon enjoyed the simple act of eating.

  Urdo finished his plate and stretched out on his bedroll. In no time, the man was asleep, snoring loudly.

  They looked at each other across the fire.

  "He's struggling," Temon said.

  "So are we. If he gets some sleep he may feel better. "

  "We need some luck."

  They divided the watch into two shifts.

  Temon woke before dawn. The sky was beginning to glow pink on the horizon, though the stars still shone bright overhead. He went over to Rejah to take over the watch. " I've been thinking."

  "What about?"

  "The agreement between the colonists and the Ashok," he said. "It means we should be able to cross this land without any trouble."

  "While the agreement allows for free passage, the influence of Colonial law is missing here, Temon. As bounty hunters we'll probably be unwelcome. We need to be careful to respect their customs."

  "Eyeman is a wanted man. We have to pursue him!"

  Rejah shook her head. "We're outsiders."

  "Eyeman could strike again!" Temon insisted, his pride bristling at the thought of letting the fugitive go. "We can't let anything stand in the way of bringing him to justice."

  "We're a long way from home now."

  "Justice matters everywhere doesn't it? "

  She didn't answer and went to bed.

  Temon passed the last of the night on watch and saw a few wild animals, but no Ashok.

  At dawn, Rejah got up and gave the horses some water.

  Urdo woke with a yawn.

  "Urdo, you look a bit better today," she said as she passed him some trail biscuits.

  The colonist took them and nodded his thanks. "I'm feeling a bit stronger, though I still have no memory of anything before yesterday. "

  "Let us know if you remember anything."

  They mounted their horses and rode on to try and catch up with Eyeman.

  Rock formations jutted out of the landscape, their weathered faces rising toward the sky like ancient sentinels. Time and wind on had carved these cliffs and buttes into fantastic shapes, ranging from towering spires to delicate sculptures.

  The route was sandy, rocky, and uneven, making for a challenging ride.

  The air was cool this early in the morning, but it would soon heat up.

  He realized how easily they could become disoriented in this strange landscape. Distant rock formations blended together, the spires and buttes merging into one dizzying vista that made his head swim.

  An animal skeleton, bleached white by the sun, jutted out from the earth, its skull split.

  "Soon it'll all be over," Temon muttered to himself, focusing on the goal to steady his nerves. "Eyeman will be caught and we'll get the reward."

  They returned to the place where Eyeman had beaten them yesterday. There were no obvious tracks to be seen through the layer of dust and sand that covered the ground, scattered by the blast.

  Here are his horse tracks," Rejah said, pointing at the ground. "We can keep up our pursuit."

  Rejah's horse snorted and stamped its hooves. "Our horses are thirsty. I say we go find a water hole."

  "There's possibly water over there," and Temon pointed to a towering rock formation that stood over a shadowed depression.

  Luckily he was right.

  They dismounted and led the horses down to a small pool. The animals eagerly drank the precious liquid. Urdo leaned against a boulder, his eyes closed, looking drained.

  They replenished their water supplies.

  "We have to keep moving," Temon insisted.

  They rode on, following the hoofprints across a sandy plateau that was surrounded by bleached hills. Urdo lagged far behind and was slumped forwards in his saddle.

  "He won't be able to go on much longer," Rejah said. "What are we going to do with him?"