The morning crept into the thicket of tamarisk and reeds not with the harsh, blinding violence of the open desert, but with a slow, diffused, golden haze. The mist rising off the muddy waters of the Jordan River caught the early light, turning the world into a soft, glowing cocoon of pale yellows and deep, verdant greens.
Erik woke first. He lay perfectly still on his back beneath the heavy wool blanket, listening to the rushing of the river and the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of Séb’s c