Page 31 of Nansar
The blood drained from her face, leaving her skin pale in the fading light, but she didn't look away. Didn't flinch. "And we're riding straight through their territory."
"We don't have a choice. The route around the mountains would add weeks to the journey." I shifted my grip on the reins,feeling the leather bite into my palms. "Which means we move smart. We move quiet." I didn't mention that any other route would expose us to Persico and the other prisoners. She had enough fear to carry without adding to the burden.
Her hand drifted toward the blade at her side—an instinctive gesture that told me her survival instincts were sharp.
I brought Starfield to a halt and activated the tracking unit strapped to my wrist. The device was a cobbled-together piece of salvaged parts that looked ready to disintegrate at any moment, but it had never failed me yet. The screen flickered, then steadied, displaying the topographical map my father had transmitted.
"Look." I angled the screen toward her, tracing the route with my finger. "If we stick to this path and keep our presence minimal, we should be able to slip past their settlements. The Welati migrate to the higher elevations this time of year—hunting grounds."
"Should be able to?" The tightness in her voice betrayed her worry.
I met her eyes, wishing I could erase the anxiety I saw there, and promise her absolute safety. But I wouldn't lie to her. "It's dangerous, Chloe. But this is our best option."
She held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly, her jaw setting with that fierce determination I was coming to admire.
Silence wrapped around us as we pressed onward, the terrain transforming beneath Starfield's hooves—smooth earth giving way to jagged stone as afternoon bled into evening. The sun hung low and defiant on the horizon, setting the mountains ablaze in molten gold and rust. My eyes kept drifting back toward Fange City, though the settlement had long since disappeared from view. We weren't far enough away. Not nearly far enough to breathe easy.
"We need to find shelter." I mused as shadows began their slow crawl across the landscape. "Before the light dies completely."
Chloe's nod was weary, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion she was trying desperately to hide. She'd proven herself tougher than I'd expected, but even the strongest will couldn't erase the physical toll the day had taken on her.
I steered Starfield away from the main path, my gaze sweeping the rocky outcroppings for anything that might serve as cover. The mountains were honeycombed with caves and fissures, but most were laughably small or dangerously exposed. We needed something that could hide all three of us—and leave no trace of our presence.
Dusk had nearly claimed the sky when I caught sight of it: a dark mouth in the rock face, half-strangled by a tangle of scrub brush. I slid from Starfield's back and shouldered through the brittle branches, squinting into the void beyond.
The cave opened wider than I'd hoped—ceiling high enough for Starfield to stand, depth enough to retreat far from prying eyes. The floor stretched relatively flat beneath a blanket of dust and small stones that showed no recent signs of habitation.
"This will work." Relief loosened something tight in my chest as I emerged. "Come on."
I coaxed Starfield through the brush first, his hooves striking soft percussion against stone. Chloe followed, ducking beneath a gnarled branch. Once they'd both disappeared into the darkness, I stepped back into the dying light.
"What are you doing?" Chloe's voice echoed from within.
"Erasing our tracks. Stay inside."
I worked quickly, wielding a broken branch like an artist's brush to sweep away the betraying marks of Starfield's hooves left in the softer patches of earth. I rearranged the scrub brushuntil it looked untouched by anything but wind, then retreated backward, erasing my own footprints with each careful step. When I finished, the entrance was nothing more than another shadow playing tricks among the rocks.
Inside, Chloe had claimed a spot against the back wall, her pack serving as a makeshift pillow. Starfield stood sentinel near the entrance, ears swiveling at every whisper of sound.
I fished two ration bars from my pack and lobbed one to Chloe. She snatched it from the air, studying the wrapper with barely concealed disappointment.
"I know." I ripped open my own bar with my teeth. "But it's fuel."
She bit down and her face contorted beautifully. "I suppose starvation would be worse."
"The mountains are crawling with game. Wild fowl too, if luck favors us." I dropped down across from her, forcing myself to chew. "Once we put more distance between us and Fange City, I'll hunt us something that actually tastes like food."
Hope flickered across her features. "You mean it?"
"I mean it." The ration bar turned to paste in my mouth. "For now, we need to stay quiet and hidden. But tomorrow, things will get easier."
I prayed to whatever gods might be listening that I wasn't lying.
Darkness descended on the mountains, swallowing the landscape beyond our shelter. I'd just begun to believe we'd slipped through Persico's net when Starfield's ears locked forward, her muscles coiling tight as wire.
The voices reached me a heartbeat later—rough, male, and far too close.
My finger flew to my lips. Chloe's eyes went wide as moons, but she nodded, her face bleaching pale in the gatheringgloom. We moved as one toward the cave mouth, our bodies low, our footfalls silent.
