They didn't have to wait long. Before the sun had fully set, a rider approached their camp. Navihm had been standing, staring off towards the Nomad’s camp, apparently waiting for their arrival.

“Navihm!” the rider called. The voice sounded absurdly young. Navihm waved a greeting and called out in Nomad. Two voices responded, chattering delightedly over the top of one another. Rose could only make out Navihm’s name, repeated many times amongst the babble.

In the twilight, it had looked like a lone rider approaching, but as the horse came closer to the firelight, Rose could see that is was two young boys seated on the one horse. One of the boys she recognised as the one leading the donkey through camp. Apparently she was correct in thinking that he knew Navihm. That sort of thing had ceased to surprise Rose; Navihm seemed to know someone everywhere they went.

The boys dismounted and bounded delightedly towards Navihm. Hart took hold of their horse before it wandered off into the desert and picketed it with the others. The two little ones had yet to take a breath between their excited talking and were now crawling all over Navihm, who was talking just as animatedly in their language.

He pulled one boy up against his chest, measuring the top of his head against his sternum. He declared something in mock seriousness that made the boy smile and puff out his chest. They other boy, a bit smaller and younger than the first asked something. Navihm responded by picking him up by under the arms and hoisting him up above his head. The boy giggled, thrilled by the attention, and allowed himself to be spun around.

Eventually Navihm silenced them and, kneeling down so he was at their eye level, talked to them seriously for a moment. The boys answered all of his questions, none of which anyone else in the camp had understood, until finally, one of them rushed off back to the horse, talking over his shoulder.

Navihm turned back to the others, tucking the remaining boy under his arm.

“Everyone, this is Silas,” Navihm said. Silas waved shyly when he heard his name. “I stayed with his sister the last time I was with the Nomads. Over there is his friend Byron.” Byron was currently occupied with unstrapping a large bundle from the saddle pack of the horse they came on. He didn’t look to be having much success. He was just tugging on the straps, hoping something would give. When he heard his name amongst the Lowland tongue, he shot a cheeky grin over his shoulder. Hart laughed at the small boy whose feet were dangling in the air as he hung from the side of the uncomplaining horse. He went to help the child. Hart talked to him gently in halting Nomadic, introducing himself.

“They are going to help us get into the camp,” explained Navihm, ruffling Silas’ hair. “Silas’ sister’s husband is one of the Veiled Guards. He has a very prominent position as one of the Sachem’s personal guards. He has agreed to get us in to see the Sachem.”

“How are we going to get into the camp?” asked Hue. “Won't they recognise us and stop us again.” Hart picked that moment to lob a bundle of fabric at Hue’s face. It was a Nomad-style outer robe that he’d taken from the pack attached to the boy’s horse.

“I guess that answers that question,” said Rose. They dressed quickly, making sure to cover their faces and hair. Navihm helped Rose pin her red head scarf so it covered as much of her blonde hair as possible and her face. Hair like hers and her pale skin would attract too much attention. The Nomads were all dark haired and dark eyed with skin so dark it almost looked blue.

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Part Three coming in about an hour