Never Reach the Sea

Almakai, deposed God-Queen of Maseko, has crossed the Plains of Thirst on foot. Trapped in her enemy's body, she aims to find the place where she achieved her lost immortality centuries ago. But Alma isn't the only wanderer with enough hubris to search out the Temple of Peliggok, deep in the heart of the Kao-Riyah river delta. Her guide is an enigmatic local with a complex relationship with the land and its spirits. Her competitor is a man she left for dead half a continent away. Her goal is an Old One who has slept for a hundred thousand years -- a being far stronger and colder than Alma ever was. Stripped of her magic and her immortality, Alma had only her wits, her spear, and no guarantee of survival. Nor of emerging from Peliggok's temple with her mind and soul intact.

'Never Reach the Sea' is a novella, volume three of the Songs of Esoka, a fantasy series set in a world with African roots.