The remnants of the caravan got underway mere minutes after Msaka's reappearance at the edge of the camp. The survivors had waited for his return, having been unwilling to go on ahead and risk being caught in another attack with such small numbers and lacking the magical backing that he could provide.

The day passed with relative ease. only twice did trouble present itself, each time in the form of a giant scorpion scuttling over the dunes towards the band. Fortunately, both such beasts fell before reaching the group, brought down by a combination of Msaka's spells and arrow fire from one of the guardsmen, who bore with him a bow which was almost too large to be properly fired from saurus-back. Yet the archer's skill was great enough that he seemed to handle the unwieldy thing with little trouble; the accuracy with which his shots struck the monstrosities' carapace each time attested to that.

Once again, the travellers pressed on well into the night, trying to cover as much ground as they could before exhaustion forced them to halt for rest. The night, too, passed swiftly and quietly, and the journey resumed early the next morning.

By midmorning, the sun could be seen glimmering off of the spires of Shapier in the distance, and they eagerly hurried onward, anxious to reach the safety of the city. The golden sand passed quickly beneath their mounts' steady strides, and soon they were approaching the cleft in the mountains which led down to the city gates.

Msaka, however, was hesitant to enter so precipitously. While as eager to escape the desert's scorching heat as the rest of the men, he was uncertain about bringing the water elemental into the city, as it didn't seem a very prudent course of action. After all, it was quite likely that news of the events in Raseir had reached here by now, and if Aziza or anyone else was suspicious enough to have his possessions searched...

Glancing towards the rider next to him, he called, "I must do something before going into the city. Will you lead this saurus in?"

The guard's expression changed to one of mild surprise as he slowed his mount, and Msaka took the opportunity to bring his own to a halt. "Is there a problem?" came the reply.

"There is... something I must do first," Msaka stated, hoping the man wouldn't press for details.

Fortunately, that didn't happen. "As you would have it," the guard responded. "I trust you will not be long?"

Msaka shook his head as he dismounted and handed the reins of his saurus to the man. "No, I will not."

A swift nod and the caravaneer was off, leaving Msaka to himself. He stood silently for a few moments, wondering where he might hide the elemental and still be able to find it again later. Burying it in the sand obviously wasn't an option; it'd be almost impossible to locate again later, and something might step on it in the meantime, and if the waterskin was broken...

Msaka suddenly realized that he wasn't certain just what would happen if the waterskin broke. The elemental might be freed to go on a rampage, but would it have the strength to do so, deprived of any ready source of water? Or it might simply dissipate into the sand. Either event would be disastrous in its own way...

No matter. He'd simply have to find somewhere safe along the base of the mountains to stash it until he was sure there'd be no chance of anyone searching for it. With that in mind, he turned his gaze from the men approaching the gate and started walking westward, below the jagged cliffs.

He had travelled only a short distance when his search was interrupted by a call from off to his left. It was hard to be certain, but it sounded like someone had just shouted, "Four!" from a fair distance away. Msaka glanced in the direction the bellow had come from, but no one was visible amidst the dunes. He paused in his tracks, silently debating whether to go and investiage the strange cry, or ignore it and continue his search. He looked back at the jagged cliffs to his right, then sighed as he decided upon the former. Someone might be in trouble, and if so then coming to the rescue might help divert suspicion from him later...

For the second time in recent days, his thoughts were cut short as something struck him on the head. His vision flashed a brilliant white, then went dark as consciousness fled.