At Road's End — Zoe Saadia

Tecpatl was born a warrior, one of the elite class of fighters, defending his great city, capturing vanquished foes to sacrifice for the honor of the gods.

He never wished to follow the ancient road into the Southwestern desert, but he had no choice.

When he rescues a girl from a ransacked village, he thinks nothing of it. He just wishes to make the traders sell their goods in a hurry, so he could return to his homeland.

But the fate had planned differently, for the warrior and for the girl alike.