Chapter Twenty-Three
WORLD’S APARTThe return journey proved less hazardous. With tired horses and riders, Tina kept a more sedate pace. She used the opportunity to deliver a lecture on keeping the rules and to issue a veiled warning about what happened to those who chose their own path.
About fifteen minutes away from the camp, Phoenix spotted a trail of dying leaves to her left. Less noticeable from the ground, her view from Mikaere’s saddle offered a panoramic perspective. She clamped her teeth over her lower lip and smiled. The slower journey had given her an opportunity to search for the route to the refugees’ barn and the path she’d laid. The brown colours looked faint amid the riotous greens of the bush, but a few more days of dieback would create a decent path for the authorities
