"We must go," Mansr said, tossing a small pack to her. "The Qatwali have landed their army nearby. We can't evacuate you, but we can hide in the hills."
She went to the window at his words. The attackers were down the road. Startled, she froze, watching the giant warriors fight until Leyon wrenched her forward. Their pace out of the dwelling and toward the hills was brutal, too fast for her to keep up, and Leyon ended up swinging her into his arms like a child to keep the fast pace into the rocky hills. The moons hung well above the horizon, and the desert air was chilly enough for her to see her breath.
Mansr led the column of warriors into the hills, not stopping until they reached the canyon she'd last seen several hours before. To her surprise, moonlight glinted off the water of the newly formed lake that filled the canyon. Leyon set her down after they passed it. They were forced to slow their pace when the trail became covered with slippery shale and the path grew steeper. They stopped in the shadow of a hill, and Mansr barked quiet orders at the dozen warriors with them. She replaced her translator as he approached.
"Listen carefully," he said, gripping her arms. "Is your translator working?"
She nodded.
"We're being followed. You will follow this path that leads around the hill back toward the encampment. You remember the chamber where you were earlier?"
She nodded again.
"Hide there. No one will enter. They're tracking us, and I don't know how. We're going to scatter to see who's followed, and if it's you, we'll kill anyone who follows your path."
"You're sending me alone?" she asked, surprised.
"I must know who among us has a tracking beacon. Leyon will be near you at all times. You'll be in no danger."
She was about to object when he released her to signal one of his other men forward.
"Around the hill," Leyon repeated. "Stick to the path. You'll see the trail to the cave."
He gave her a small push toward the path, and she looked down, squinting in the moonlight to see the darkened trail. The men around her moved silently into every direction, and Mansr lifted his chin in a silent command for her to go. Leyon drew his sword and waited, giving her a head start.
Heart pounding, she trotted down the sloping trail, glancing nervously at the hill to make sure she didn't suddenly fall off her path. The night was quiet aside from her foot falls and the sliding shale. The hill was wide and her blood thrummed as she moved as fast as she could.