14 Saedran District, Olabar

When Olabar came into view over the low hills, the skyline looked so beautiful that Imir thought the caravan had taken a wrong turn and found the way to mystical Terravitae.

He had been away for half a year, but it seemed like ages. The Nunghals were not a particularly cultured people, and their women were not the most attractive in the world. (Sometimes, in fact, Imir had trouble telling the difference between one of the old wives and one of the shaggy buffaloes from their herds.) He couldn't wait to see his people, his city… and Sen Sherufa.

After the four-day trek from Desert Harbor, the officials at the palace would want to receive him with a flurry of celebrations and social gatherings, but the first thing Imir wanted to do was visit Sherufa before he got caught up in all that nonsense. He had his priorities.

At the moment, though, he smelled of horse and dust and sweat, and that wouldn't do for the Saedran woman. He had to make himself presentable first. As the caravan dispersed into the merchants' quarter, Imir slipped off his borrowed mount. He paid a young boy three cuars to procure new clothing for him while he went to the crowded public baths. By the time the boy returned, Imir was cleansed, freshly shaved, his cheeks, scalp, and skin oiled with a touch of perfume (but not too much). His new clothes fit him rather well, and he realized that he had become leaner during the months of traveling—leaner and more handsome, he hoped.

Walking through the Saedran District, he passed apothecaries, bookshops, and candle makers, until he arrived at the familiar door of Sherufa's home. Tucked under his arm, he carried packets of documents and annotated sketches from the land of the Nunghals; he knew she would consider them finer gifts than any jewelry he might have brought her.

Answering his knock, she pulled open the door, taken aback at first, then surprised and delighted. “Imir! I must have lost track of the days. Are you early, or late?”

He would have preferred a hug and a kiss, an excited exclamation of how much she'd missed him while he was away… but that was not, and had never been, in Sherufa's nature. He kissed her on the cheek, though, and couldn't stop grinning as he entered her dwelling. “I was on the first sand coracle to arrive, and I hurried directly here.”

Imir placed his packet of papers on the main table that served as both her desk and dining surface. “For you, my dear, I had Khan Jikaris send out riders in all directions. The men kept notes of the terrain, sketching any particular cartographic points of interest.”

When Sherufa spread out the brown-edged sheets and bent over to look at the lines and landscape markings, her shoulder brushed against his. Imir intentionally pressed a bit closer; she was too preoccupied to notice… or maybe not.

He continued, “Also, at the clan gathering on the seacoast, I purchased copies of Nunghal-Su charts so you could compare all the details.”

Sherufa slid one map aside, stared at the next, then the next. The notations were in the Nunghal language, crude letters with a variety of spellings. “This is the most complete information on the southern continent that any Uraban eyes have ever seen. Thank you, Imir!”

It had been such a long time since he'd talked with her. “After I looked at these charts and spoke to the mapmakers, many of them talked about your idea that the coastlines connect. If a ship sailed far enough, it would eventually find Lahjar.”

“Might find Lahjar. And remember, that was Saan's idea as well,” Sherufa reminded him.

“Oh, the boy doesn't care about the credit.”

“And you think I do? Do I appear to be a vain person?”

He lifted his chin. “You're a person who should be honored, among both your people and mine.” Sherufa snorted and gazed back down at the charts, but he could see that her lips quirked in a smile.

“In fact,” Imir continued, “when I left the clan gathering, our friend Asaddan had convinced Ruad to attempt the voyage.”

“Asaddan always loved to tell stories.”

“I don't think it was a story, my dear. If they had the determination, they certainly had the wherewithal. Who knows, someday they may show up on our doorstep.”

Sherufa noted a few small inconsistencies among the documents. “I'll read the written descriptions in detail later.” She leaned over to kiss him on his newly shaven cheek. “Thank you, Imir. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“I always think of you. Whenever I see something you may not know, I collect it and bring it back to you.” He spread his hands to indicate the maps, then gathered his courage. “You see, I have given you the entire world. Now will you consent to be my wife?”

Sherufa was not surprised by the question, since he had asked her repeatedly before. “The entire world is not yet mapped, Imir. Ask me later, when it is.”