After a brief respite, by mid-afternoon the rain fell in a steady downpour that drummed against the earth. With her hands tied, Nona could not wrap her cloak around herself, and she became soaked to the bone and chilled. The only thing that made it tolerable was that the others were just as miserable as she. The ash trees gave minimal shelter from the rain, and the fire had long since gone out. Her two captors huddled under a tree opposite her, their hoods up against the rain.
Nona pretended to doze but kept a careful eye on them. If they dropped off to sleep, she would take her chances and run. At least the exercise would warm her.
But they did not cooperate. The weather was as much a barrier to sleep as it was to comfort. They muttered together and cursed the rain. Occasionally, one w
