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district.
    Obadis hesitated. No one had told him about this patrol and he was not supposed to let anyone out without express permission from Leiss. “He said we should keep an eye open for this Roxanne woman,” he explained with unconscious irony, “in case she tries to break out before a moon has passed.”
    “Roxanne?” laughed Cyrus. “You reckon she’d want to go out into Zed territory again after what she’s been through? Be sensible, Obadis!”
    The Mudir nodded and ordered the Defenders in his sector to let the scouting party pass. Not long afterwards, the four figures had cleared the barricade and, with the dog loping along behind, disappeared into the morning mist. “Hope they know what they’re doing,” Obadis muttered to himself.
    He was surprised when, a few seconds later, a familiar figure glided into view and asked him the same question. Did he know what he was doing?
    Obadis hesitated, inwardly cursing his poor eyesight. All of a sudden he was unsure how to reply.

    By sunrise, the mission had crossed the open land surrounding Della Tallis and reached the safety of the woods further up the valley. The men, sure that no Tallin would pursue them this far, relaxed and started congratulating themselves on how easy it had been. Roxanne was less cheerful. She was fearful about being back in Zed territory and also anxious about the route they should take.
    The Albans had said the way back to the Soterion lay in the direction of the rising sun. Part of the trail followed a Long Dead freeway that the Yonners identified as Highway 24. Although direct, the road was also highly dangerous; much of its length lay across arid semi-desert where food and water were hard to come by. Following this route would be tough enough, but first they had to find it. That meant striking out across unknown territory where vicious bands of scavenging Zeds lurked amid the overgrown ruins of abandoned towns.
    After her capture, Roxanne had only a rough idea of where Timur had taken her. The sun had been at her back, she thought. There had also been a river, a huge one that the Zeds had crossed with some difficulty. She suggested, therefore, that they set out in the opposite direction to the one in which she had been taken as a prisoner. By journeying towards the sun at its highest – “noon” the Long Dead had called it – they should meet either the river or Highway 24.
    “Before we go any further,” she added, glancing round at her escort, “there is something else you need to know.” The men looked at her intently. “You dismiss the Zeds as stupid. Well, nearly all of them are – little more than dumb brutes. But they are kept like that by their leaders. These men – and they are all men – are a carefully chosen élite, all surprisingly intelligent.
    “The cleverest of all – and without doubt the most evil – is the man they call their ‘Malik’. His name is –”
    “Timur,” interrupted Cyrus without thinking. “Sorry, Roxanne,” he added quickly, “that’s the name you cried out in your sleep on the day you arrived.”
    An expression of pain moved across Roxanne’s face. “Yes, Cyrus, his name is Timur. And unless I have misjudged him, he will have been waiting for me to leave Della Tallis and continue my mission.”
    Zavar let out a low whistle. “You mean they’re coming to us rather than us having to go looking for them?” he chuckled. “That makes a change!”
    “Maybe,” frowned Roxanne, “but take great care. I have already fallen victim to one of Timur’s ambushes once.” She gave a slight shudder. “It’s not an experience I want to repeat.”
    Cyrus, who had assumed leadership of the party, accepted all Roxanne said. He arranged for Navid and Corby to lead the way – the dog’s acute senses would alert them to danger long before they were aware of it themselves. He would follow, with Roxanne and Zavar bringing up the rear. Where possible, they would travel on high ground where an