Page 96 of Juniper Unraveling

I steal the opportunity to dash across the open space, and hide behind the car parked below the mountain. I peer around the corner, to a path where indentations in the sand lead up into a gap in the mountain.

Zahra’s father stays on my heels, as we slog toward the mountain, following the prints to a crest that slopes into an open canyon. I’m guessing water once passed through, but has since dried up. If they’re resourceful enough, they’ll have found a way to tap into it.

The canyon opens up to a clearing, and I can’t help but notice the many places an enemy could hide in the stacked formation of the rock, rife with crevices to stake out prey. Not to mention the patches of shrubs that dot the perimeter. I’ve spotted three exits in a matter of seconds—easy access for Ragers, or other predators. About the only advantage of this place is shelter from the sun.

Which tells me this camp is temporary.

Or they’re not too smart.

Below us, the camp itself is made up of four tents. Dogs sit tied to posts in the ground, alongside a fire-pit where three men, two dark-haired and one redhead, and two women laugh while they shuffle about. A young boy pokes at the fire, perhaps no more than Zahra’s age. A mound covered by tarp stands off to the side, and adjacent to that are a row of dog cages, three of them, in one of which Zahra sits clutching the wires from inside.

Her father lurches beside me, and I throw a hand out to stop him. Pressing a finger to my lips, I urge him to keep quiet and whisper, “Wait.”

A clamor of noise erupts from the right, and the man I hit earlier stumbles into the camp.

The three men shoot up from the campfire, nabbing the dogs and signaling for the women and boy to stay put, before they disappear out of sight.

Now.

I tap the shoulder of the man beside me and stalk along the perimeter of the camp, careful to stay hidden behind the rock and shrubs, until we reach Zahra’s cage. Approaching from behind, I click my tongue to get her attention, and she twists, her eyes lighting up with a smile.

The opening of the cage sits on the other side, where the women prepare food.

All four of the men rush back into the camp, one of them carrying my bag, the other two holding the loaves of bread. “Intruders!”

It’s only a matter of time before they notice us tucked behind the cages.

As one nears, head tipped like he’s caught sight of us, I swing the bolas low and launch it at him. They wrap around his ankles and yank his feet out from under him.

“Motherfu—!” His back slams into the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust around him.

In the hope they won’t spray us with bullets, I shoot up from behind the cage with my hands up in the air.

Two guns pointed in my direction urge me out from my hiding spot.

I don’t even know what my plan is. I’m moving on impulse. Stupid, reckless impulse. “Don’t shoot. I’m just here for the girl.”

The ginger-haired one turns to spit his tobacco. “Well, you ain’t taking the girl.”

“Me for her.” My mouth is a ship with no captain, running on pure adrenaline.

“We’ll be taking you, anyway, sweetheart.”

I skate my eyes to Zahra’s dad, and back to the men. “I’m from the other side of the wall. I made a point to alert the Legion soldiers before coming after you. They’ll be here any minute.”

A lie, of course.

Ginger slides a wary glance toward the other.

“Let him and the girl go. He’ll call them off.”

“How ‘bout I just keep the two of you and send him on his way?”

“He’s her father. He’s not gonna run off to do you a favor without her. Let them go, and I’ll stay.”

“I’ll just kill ‘im.” Ginger shrugs his shoulders and aims the gun toward the man beside me.

“He’s got five boys.” I nod toward the young one sitting by the camp. “Surely, you wouldn’t want your own trying to survive out here alone.”