Darsal glanced over, surprised by the emotion in Karas’s voice. Tears misted the girl’s eyes.

“I followed you because I saw my mother in you. And I miss my mother! Now you’re just going to throw me away like a dirty rag?”

“That’s not what I’m doing. If anything I’m trying to protect you!”

“Then protect my heart as well. You don’t think I’m worthy to stay with you? Ask Johnis if I was helpful in saving him.”

The words stung, and Darsal wasn’t sure why. What was this one small girl in the grand scheme of things? It wasn’t that Darsal had no heart, only that she’d learned to protect it or suffer with every blow. And in their battle with the Horde, the blows came nearly daily.

Still, she couldn’t deny that there was something special about Karas.

“What good is your heart if you’re dead?” she asked. “You have to get back to the forest, where Thomas can protect you.”

“I’ll get lost in the desert!”

“You know the desert well enough.”

“I was just rescued from the desert. I hate the desert!”

“And you hate oblivion any less?” Darsal guided her horse through a wide gap between two of the largest boulders and pulled up in the shade beyond. “Look, maybe you are my niece. If so, I have an obligation to protect you. The Roush Hunter knows you’re out here. Johnis is probably already on the way. They’ll send out a hundred Roush to spot you from the air and take you home. Am I just stupid, or does that seem the safest for you?”

“I’m afraid to go alone. Please, Dar—”

The word caught in her throat, and Darsal looked back to see what had stopped her.

Three Scabs on horses filled the gap behind Karas. Another to her side with a long spear pressed against her neck. For a brief moment Darsal’s mind went blank. Then the survival reasoning that Thomas had drilled into his Guard screamed through.

How? Knowing how your enemy gained the advantage they had might offer a clue as to how to undo that advantage.

Why? Knowing why you allowed your enemy to gain the advantage will aid you in not repeating the same mistake.

What? What then should you do in response to your disadvantage?

All of this, in a few scarce moments, of course, or disadvantage would become disembowelment.

The answers were painfully obvious. The wind was blowing east, which explained why the horses hadn’t picked up on the Horde stench. These Scabs had probably followed their tracks and holed up here for an ambush.

As to why Darsal had been so careless: she’d been completely distracted by the book. And by Karas.

Darsal’s heart thundered. What to do?