The Wasteland Beyond Oasis (The Heart of Elroi, #2) / The Heart of Elroi (ePub)

The zora of Honar must face invaders coming from the neighouring lands of Gemada and Kalenj, facing them in one battle after another. Their infuriating thief Farr seems to have disappeared and no longer appears in the midst of battle to help. Zora numbers have become badly depleted, and many begin to question their role. Yet even in the midst of war, there are opportunities for quiet reflection. In those moments, the zora Group Leader Senra quietly pursues her own personal exploration of the enigma that is the Rider of Blizzards and Wind. She is a friend, to be sure, but to what end? The question remains unanswered as the tide gradually turns against Honari forces and the zora of Honar are faced with unacceptable choices. Their only safe course of action is to leave the land they love. They seek sanctuary with a gypsy tribe on the edge of the great Thamadi Desert and begin to recuperate.

When a new enemy marches into Honar, an enemy unknown to all, the zora feel compelled to rally once again in defence of their homeland and return to Honar. In the pitched battle that follows, they must fight side-by-side with the conquerors of Honar against strange, unnerving beings with whom they cannot communicate. Worse, an impossible appearance from her past threatens to destroy Senra entirely. Only flight southwards, assisted by a renegade troop of Honari cavalry, saves the zora from incarceration or worse.

In the south they reconnect with their friend, the thief named Linfarr, in the remains of a lost city that once was the capital of a land that has disappeared even from legend. So begins a new, unexpected journey for them all, bringing with it new allies, breeds of man whose existence has been only in the realm of legend - if at all.