An uneventful flight that took forever, Donna felt, but by now, she was so used to it that she never even felt sick. Idly, she wondered how the animals found any guideposts – the desert never changed.

“We are near the palace,” said Camellia, as if reading Donna’s thoughts. “Look, here are some refugees.” A small band of people, wearing gray and black tattered robes and shouldering small bundles of belongings, marched toward something that looked like a mountain. As they grew nearer, though, Donna realized her mistake. The mountain-like structure was an enormous building constructed from sand-colored, rough stones. It loomed so high that clouds hid part of the roof. Around it stood ramshackle, rickety little gray huts, dry as bones, and black tents. A few withered trees and thorny de...

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