“Well done,” was all he managed. “You take over now.”

He dropped the empty bucket back in the well and turned to survey the others. Their sleds were lined up in front of the door in the keep’s wall, almost all fully packed.

Drake’s armor, that which Cade had worn in the battle against the alpha, was too heavy and hot to wear through the trek in the desert. It lay packed atop his own sled, the one at the very front.

To his surprise, everyone but the twins were waiting for him beside their sleds. Quintus and Yoshi had only managed four rudimentary parasols, but they were big enough to be shared between two people if they walked beside each other.

All in all, they were as ready as they could be. He stood beside the well, staring at the Codex, which had begun following him again.

There was a smaller timer below the first, denoting their time to prepare.

00:00:01:11

00:00:01:10

00:00:01:09

“Come on,” he called over to Bea and Trix as they filled another batch of amphorae and lowered the bucket once more.

00:00:00:57

00:00:00:56

00:00:00:55

“That’s the last one.” He tapped Bea on the shoulder. “Leave it. We can’t risk it.”

He picked up two full amphorae and stumbled over to his sled, loading them as carefully as he could amid the morass of sacking, sticks, and rope.

The twins followed, taking up their stations beside their sleds and looking mournfully at the pile of empty amphorae they had left behind.

“Move out,” Cade bellowed. “We have to get to the desert, now!”

They pulled, the runners of the sleds scraping against the ground. The wood screeched along the cobblestones, then began to judder over the bones in the muddy field beyond the keep.

Ribs scattered beneath Cade’s feet as the Codex hovered in front of him, the count dropping slowly.

00:00:00:19

00:00:00:18

00:00:00:17

“Come on!” Cade yelled, heaving on the rope as the desert sand shone ahead, just beyond the shade of the cliffs on either side.

He felt the crunch of sand and salt beneath his feet as the timer ticked down to zero. He dropped the rope and staggered, turning to see the others grind to a halt beside him.

His eyes turned to the Codex, waiting. For three juddering breaths, he waited. But if they had missed it, there was no indication. Only the flicker as the smaller timer disappeared, and the larger one continued its inexorable count.

“Did we make it?” Amber panted.

Cade turned toward her, and his eyes widened. Just behind them, a giant, opaque force field had bisected the canyon, blocking their return to the keep.

“There’s our answer,” he said, feeling a twinge of annoyance. Part of him had hoped they’d be able to bend the rules and sneak back to the keep for more water. He should have known better.

“So what now?” Scott wheezed, flat on his back behind them.

Cade turned to the blazing sun, already feeling his skin burning under its glare.