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Page 30
thirst Arlen, Hunwet, and she shared; their path had been etched over centuries by water that was no longer there. At least the air seemed cooler here in the shadows in the protected wash, and Abby felt she could breathe more easily. She imaginedprayedthat, at the other end of the trail, they would find a green, wet Eden.
After a few minutes, Arlen reminded her of their last conversation, when Abby had found the dead oxen. He asked, "Are you still frightened, Abby?"
She looked up at the cliffs looming over them and shuddered as they seemed to draw menacingly closer. She nodded. "What if I was wrong to suggest this way?"
"Did a vision lead you to this hollow?"
Abby looked at him. She knew Lucy had told him about her special abilities. "Does it matter?"
"No. But do you have any thoughts about whether we'll find water there?" He pointed toward the far end of their path between the mountains.
"There'll be water," she said. "There has to be." But her extra sense was silent, neither confirming nor denying.
Two hours later, when they came out on the other side of the mountains, Abby stared out at the flat, emptyand horrifyingly dryexpanse of desert that stretched before them. "Oh, no," she whispered.
"It's all right, Abby," Arlen consoled her. "We knew there would be desert on the other side. But there still might be water."

 
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