Still more annoyed at the old man’s smugness, Akar said, “Why is Sarafiq so deserted? Have oases become so common in the Kholaj that people can abandon one at will?”
“I sent the people away,” Muhmad explained quietly. “This spot will soon be worthless, but I guided the people to a new location where they’ll prosper even more than they did here. The major caravans and Badawi tribes have all been informed of the move.”
“But what of the shrine, of the religious power invested here?” Akar asked.
“Shrines are but buildings, and the power is within the believer, not in some stone walls. My power comes from Oromasd, and he can find me wherever I am.”
“That was always the difference between us,” Akar said. “I make my own power.”
But the prophet shook his head, a gesture Akar couldn’t see. “Yo
