Sand and Blood

At seventeen, Rutejìmo wants nothing more than to be the clan's greatest warrior. He dreams of sprinting across the desert faster than a horse and using sunlight as a weapon against the clans of the night. But he doesn't have the talent or drive to succeed-and everyone knows it. His only hopes are the clan's rite of passage and the magic that comes with it. When he and four others are abandoned in the middle of the desert, it is Chimípu who rises up as a natural leader. She can already outrun and outfight him; wielding magic Rutejìmo can't even fathom becomes too much for him to bear. Plagued by jealousy and desperate to prove himself, Rutejìmo abandons her to begin the long trek back home. One selfish choice leads to another, and Rutejìmo's path soon strips away his fantasies to reveal the man he has become. To redeem himself, he must sacrifice his pride for his clan, survive an assassin of the night, and offer his throat to the warrior who stole his dreams.