Green Desert - Chapter 6.4.4 - Bhanar

Umo dove into the bushes, following Zhíno’s footprints.

“Careful!” I said. We didn’t want to disturb the trail accidentally.

Lango slipped between the branches, flailing against their grasp. I glanced over to the path and mentally shrugged before heading toward the easy way down the hill.

A yelp sounded from Lango’s direction as I picked my way down the steep slope, glad I could see my foot placements and glad I had those two men to do the hard part for me.

Where had they come from, anyway? Umo had been surprised to see me, so at least they weren’t searching for me. They got here right before the reporter and cameraman, so maybe they just outran them, having left at the same time. Were they just bystanders who stopped to see the news crew? Not with those guns, they weren’t.

I reached the bottom of the gully, now growing dark as the sun sank low in the northwest. Just the highest treetops had light on them, blazing orange-yellow against the deep blue sky.

Oh crap. Was I going to have to spend the night out here? It got cold at night in the desert, and I just wore shorts. Oh well, at least Umo would gladly give me his jacket if I asked.

The tall, dark, and handsome man emerged from the brush, eyes to the ground. He slowly looked up at me. “He went downstream, Your Majesty.”