“Are you deaf too, you—” the guard began, but the blunt end of the Blind Man’s staff took him in the throat. He collapsed to the ground, gasping, and the Blind Man finished him with a blow to the head. Asilah let out a shrill ululation as her camel sprang forward, charging down the dune and into the valley. She wielded a new, makeshift whip that she’d fashioned out of Bango’s leather straps. Funme was just a step behind her, gripping the reins with her remaining hand. Tutu
