Book 3, The Sky: Chapter 26 Summary

Chapter 26 begins as Kit wakes up in the desert, cold and slowly remembering what happened the previous day. She sees a caravan of men and goods on camel-back. Without thinking, Kit rushes in front of the caravan with her bag. She insists that they take her along and joins a young man on his mount. They stop after riding all day and eat. She lies on a rug between her young rider, Belqassim, and an older merchant. Belqassim begins touching her, but he is rebuffed by his superior. She falls asleep and is woken later by the older man. She follows him to another rug where Belqassim assails her. She acquiesces, finding herself enjoying it, and the two have sex. Afterward, the older merchant also has sex with her.

They travel for days on end, the two...