[Stomoxys]

Not much had happened back in the camp and I spent the afternoon writing while keeping an eye on the horizon. Even though it was getting cooler long before Ajaw reached the horizon, Nuur-Karif insisted the horses need rest and the shadows had gotten long by the time we set out. By the danger sign, Nujan and I jumped off the wagon and made our way cross country to take up position behind the building in case anyone tried to escape or signal. However, a hidden cleft in the landscape forced us on a detour and by the time we reached the shack, the wagon was already there. We were not that delayed, so they cannot have waited as long as they should have. As we were approaching, a human appeared from a hatch in the roof and raised a small blue flag that would be hidden from the road and the wagon. Fearing that the flag was a signal for an ambush, Nujan set out to warn the others while I found a position with relatively good overview of the area. Nuur-Karif came out of the building as Nujan approached, but they did not seem surprised or worried by the flag and took Yana with them inside. A short while later, riders appeared on the road and entered the shack, but soon reemerged and rode off. Nuur-Karif and Yana soon followed and they started to turn the wagon, so I moved to intercept it a bit away from the buildings.

The inhabitants in the shack had been soldiers, claiming to be from Aldera and had instructed Nuur-Karif to meet a higher ranking officer by the danger sign. When we reached the sign, a lone rider was waiting on the road, but we could see four others on foot making their way from behind some rocks. They did not appear hostile, but I readied my bow discreetly, just in case. Nuur-Karif descended from the wagon and greeted the leader of the humans. While they did not provide any name or rank, they must have been an officer for Aldera's scouts and wanted to know if we were going to Ur or Mir. The honest answer would be neither, but they must have realized who we were, because they pulled Nuur-Karif close and handed them a paper slip. They also said something about connecting us with a guide, but were very vague and this guide was outside their control. Traveling eastwards should be reasonably safe in the desert and the areas west of Ur were mostly under control of Aldera. However, the eastern part of Ur had fallen to Larma and scouting and raiding parties could be encountered anywhere. When we reached the greener areas surrounding Ur, we should dump the wagon and continue on foot to be less conspicuous.

Once again, the wagon was turned and faced eastwards again. Two of the Aldera scouts rode ahead to clear the barricade and would follow us to the edge of the desert and take care of the wagon. After we passed the shack, Nuur-Karif produced the paper slip from their pouch and read it. It instructed us to enter The Beachside and order a double Dan. This made as little sense as it sounds, and there did not appear to be any code in the notes. However, Yana pointed out that The Beachside is a bar next to a small lake at the edge of the desert. A double Dan would then be a plausible name for an alcoholic beverage. I did not point out the risk of showing secret information to a known agent.

I climbed back into the wagon to inform Wolfram and Grogg about what was going on. Inside, I was greeted with the sight of Grogg poking the cube with the silver needle, as well as all the contents of my backpack dumped on the floor. There was a small flash of star light when the needle touched the cube and I was about to shout at them to stop, but Wolfram jumped on Grogg and they went crashing into the wall. For a second, I was afraid the whole carriage would topple over, but it stabilized and a wrestling match ensued. Wolfram was trying to grab the cube from Grogg, while the troll tried to push and kick the human away. The door of the carriage had swung open and I shouted for Yana to stop the horses, but they were already slowing down. Nuur-Karif, thinking quickly, called out that they saw Lunari, which made Grogg come storming out of the halted wagon and right past me, giving me the opportunity to snatch the cube and run off. Had I not known better, I would have thought that Nuur-Karif was genuinely sorry for tricking Grogg into thinking Lunari was back. They are a great actor.

I remained hidden until things calmed down and Wolfram made Grogg promise to not touch the cube again. For once I agreed with them. Considering the amount of energy stored in that cube, Grogg could have blown up the whole wagon, as well as the riders thirty meters ahead of us. While Grogg had promised to not experiment with the cube again, I figured it was best to remove the temptation and secured it on the roof. While packing it down, I noticed it had dimmed since we charged it. It seemes Pakk and Gromann were not able to seal it as well as they thought. It was already quite dark, so I secured myself with a rope and sat down to study the stars.