"And now you're here," Re-l said. He sounded like he believed in the dreams, but she couldn't be sure. Better to give away nothing.

She held out her arm to him, shifting around, and looked away. The desert swallowed them up, expanding to meet the distant horizon. There might be anything here: more beasts, other monster, perhaps even people. She couldn't be sure. A wave of strangeness hit her, the first since the pilgrimage had begun. She was here and Vincent was far away, and she felt terribly uncertain.

She squashed the emotion down inside her and looked at the soldier for a distraction.

"I didn't have time to ask your name," she said.