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Chapter Nineteen
We moved under cover of darkness.
The desert turned colder, shadows stretching long across the sands as we pushed forward, guided only by the stars and Liam’s gut instinct.
“We’ll rest at dawn,” he said, his voice rough but steady. “One hour max. Then we head north.”
“North to what?” I asked, shivering despite the heat trapped in my clothes. “More enemies? Another dead end?”
He looked at me, eyes unreadable in the moonlight. “To someone I trust.”
That was saying something. Liam didn’t trust easily.
We passed through the jagged ridges until we reached a dry riverbed, and he finally signaled for a stop. I dropped to the ground, muscles aching, lungs burning.
Liam knelt beside me, pulling a small foil packet from his vest and tossing it over. “Here. Energy gel. Tastes like death, but it’ll keep you standing.”
“Can’t wait,” I muttered, peeling it open. “Dinner of champions.”
He chuckled quietly, then went still, head cocked.
“What is it?” I whispered, sca
