Chapter Fourteen: Deserted
Two vehicles drove through Shenmu that morning, after an early start. Melissa was once again with Struan and Jean; Tom with Bai Han and his friends in the Prado leading the way.
The Shenmu desert unrolled around them, stretching into the distance: half vegetated, half sand dunes. They’d taken a chartered flight out to Yulin, then driven out to Shenmu. Briefly, Melissa thought how close the safety of school lay. It seemed a million times removed from where she sat now.
“Did he tell you how to use the relic?” Struan broke her reverie.
She hesitated.
“Come on, honey. Don’t hold out on us. You saw how he operates.” Struan’s face was even more swollen and colourful that morning.
Jean smiled encouragement. “It’s for the good of everyone.”
Melissa suddenly despis
