The Sand Bride

“I thought nothing would go wrong after visiting just one city…….” Esther, accompanying her father who had joined a merchant caravan at a trader’s request, found herself crossing the desert when they were ambushed by a band of thieves. Amid the wails of survivors and the groans of the dying, Esther hid alone in a carriage filled with worthless items and managed to survive. She prayed fervently to God that she wouldn’t be discovered, but all her hopes were shattered by the voice of a man that followed. “There’s always a little rat hiding in a place like this.” God had turned a deaf ear to her prayers.