I COULD ONLY GUESS the others had hit the far side of the moat, then reconvened and ran like hell, because they’d covered a lot more ground than I’d anticipated. Either that, or we’d spent far longer in Catherine’s office than I thought.
The rolled up proof we’d collated stuck up from my jeans waistband and scratched against my back with each step I jogged. Every once in a while, we paused and hunched down to be sure we still followed the trail. Around twenty-five minutes of tracking later, once we’d hit the first signs of vegetation and the landscape had begun to change, gurgles and bubbles entertained us and a stream came into view.
Grey rock jutted out, and weeds stood high and proud as though in protection. To our right, trees and brush grew in greater abundance on the far side of th
