Up ahead, the canyon abruptly widened, andthe path became uneven and difficult to traverse, slowing thegroup.
She fairly bounced on her toes as she waitedfor the others to catch up.
She’d already scouted ahead and needed themto pick up the pace.
Must move faster, repeated over and over inher head as the sound of pursuit grew closer.
There was little talk as Shea led themfurther and further into the Badlands. The mood was tense, and theymoved quickly, not taking the time for breaks or rest.
They couldn’t. The villagers were never farbehind, and they all knew what would happen if they werecaught.
Shea held up a hand signaling a stop.
“What is it?” Witt asked, coming up besideher.
“We have time for a short break."
A very short one.
“Are you sure?”
Shea listened. She couldn’t hear thevillagers.
“Yes. We have a few minutes. No more.”
“I’ll tell the others.”
Witt approached the rest and after a shortconversation they began finding places to sit. James helped Camsink down and sat beside him. Dane moved back down the path andfound a place to crouch where he had line of sight down the canyonbut could still keep an eye on the group. He raised his canteen andtook a sip before throwing the canteen to James who gulped somedown and passed it to Cam.
The whiskey-eyed stranger approachedShea.
She spared him a brief glance before turningto examine the canyon’s walls. She couldn’t see a way up them. Theywere too steep. Even without the handicap of Cam, it would beimpossible to climb them. The dirt was too loose, and it was justshy of being a vertical climb.
Maybe if they had an area of hard rockface.
“Your boy’s not going to make it,” Whiskeysaid, nodding to Cam.
Shea followed his glance, seeing the pain onCam’s face and the sweat dripping down his body.
Though it frustrated her, she had toagree.
“You’d be better off stashing him and leadingthe others away.”
Shea grunted.
She’d thought of that but hadn’t found a goodhiding place. Yet.
The two of them fell silent again.
She snuck a sideways glance at him, notingthe way he seemed to notice everything around him. He didn’t seemworried about their situation. Neither did his companion.
Why?
She envied him his apparent calm. Nerves andtension were the only things she could feel. Being in the Badlandsagain, even if it was only the edge, was playing havoc with heremotions. The added obstacles of the villagers and an injured manonly heightened the tension.
“We shouldn’t rest too much longer,” headvised. “Our pursuers will be getting close.”
He was right. Though she didn’t like thethought that he had the kind of experience to know that.
