Embark on an unforgettable journey

"This book I’m reading talks about how hopeless the exiles felt,” Claude said.
"“Why did they feel hopeless?” I asked.
"They felt cut off from their home and what gave their life meaning," he said.
Now I had a name for feeling left out and cut off.
Exile.
     — Claire talks to Claude and Sa'id (Call of the Desert: Exile)

I scanned the horizon for Luke’s sail. 
I paced, scanned, paced, scanned. There—that had to be Luke’s sail. I paced until his sail got bigger. Now I could tell he wasn’t alone. A few minutes later, they were close enough I could see who it was. 
Beatrix.
My face tightened. They glided next to the pier, laughing. Luke looked like he was having fun. Until he saw me.
     — Claire at the Creek, an inlet of the Red Sea (Call of the Desert: Exile)

 Amma Libua turned her face to me. “Dear child, it has become difficult, has it not?”
My smile came out so small and unsure that it was washed away by the tears that followed. I buried my face in Amma Libua’s neck fur, which smelled of pine and cloves.
When I’d had my cry, I straightened up and let go.
Amma Libua’s liquid gold eyes held me. “What is on your heart, child?”
     — Claire with Amma Libua (Call of the Desert: Exile)

     “Honored One, I won’t hurt Claire, and I won’t hurt you. You are both safe and welcome here.”
     The snake seemed to relax. It uncoiled and stretched its full length. Then its edges blurred and wavered, and with a glimmer of light, it became a stick.
          — Mrs. Green meets Malika the snake (Call of the Desert: Crossing)

The desert. My heart reached for it. Or was the desert reaching for me, pulling me into its vast, silent heart? 
          — Claire finds safety in the desert (Call of the Desert: Crossing)

     “Say something in Greek—I want to hear what it sounds like.”
     Was it me, or did the room suddenly become quiet? Because while Luke spoke, it was the only thing I heard. And I heard it not just with my ears, but also with my eyes, my mouth, my hands, and my heart. It surrounded and melted into me, his voice a warm sea splashed with sunlight.
          — Claire gets acquainted with Luke (Call of the Desert: Crossing)

     “Oh my gosh. You weren’t kidding. There really is a snake—wait, what’s she doing . . . hey, stop that! That tickles . . . you sure she’s friendly? Oh my gosh—ha ha, stop! She’s going around my leg now—you’re sure she won’t bite me?”
          — Luke meets Malika the snake (Call of the Desert: Crossing)

A fierce light filled me. It shone into every crevice and hollow, shattering the darkness within. It pierced me with solemn gladness—was this joy? It melted down my very self until it, too, was radiant.
          — Claire in the desert (Call of the Desert: Crossing)

“There comes a time when old ways, old dreams, no longer serve us. They must die to make room for something new.”
          — Mrs. Green speaks about the plagues (Call of the Desert: Crossing)