The dunes had left a mark upon Aiesha. She tread the hallways of Satriya with a new-found purpose, a sense of hope that had been almost snuffed out, and headed not for her own room but that of her father's, who she had been avoiding ever since their last conversation. It was as if she had forgotten about the tumult of that day—trailing sand and carrying the scent of the stranger she had met from a kingdom she had not known about before, the girl sought the place her father kept for himself.

His room was empty, though. No doubt Senmut had found himself an altar at which to pray, or perhaps he had sought out Legend for some time with his wife; but he was not there now, in his simple but well-maintained quarters. Aiesha ducked in with the full intent of telling him all about Layre, and Tianlong, and was bursting at the seams to share—only to be met with an empty room that smelled of her father, and a sinking feeling in her gut she tried to ignore with all of her might.