page15 (1/2)

ELEVEN

Zelda hit the ground unsteadily, and for a moment she was certain that she had sprained her ankle—far froetaway—but as she put a little weight on it, the joint held

She stood slowly, taking stock of herself: she thought she ht have a bruise or two, and her hands were sticky from cedar resin, but she would live She settled her backpack on her shoulders and began walking, trying to reht her back to the house from the city

Zelda walked the periht was the direction of the city Outside of the sprawling property, the landscape was h the sand, and the wind picked up, rifling at her hair and clothes Zelda could feel grit in the air as it hit her face, and suddenly realized that she hadn’t thought of one very i her journey through the semi-desert territory between Zayed’s home and the city: water

“It’ll be okay,” she told herself “I’ll be a little dusty and parched when I get to the city, but I have soet there”

She was grateful that Zayed had allowed her to cash her paycheck in the local currency; he’d been a out that she could have however iven tiht to cash the check now that her ability to get away frothe Sheikh’s money to make her escape

Zelda had struck off for what she hoped was the city, but fron of it Oh God What if I was totally wrong about the direction to go in?

She shook the question out of heruntil she got so country; it was, she recalled, about the size of Singapore It wasn’t possible for her to keep walking and not eventually find so else, she had to at least hit a border if she walked for long enough, and then she could get her bearings, and pay for a ticket somewhere

Except, Zelda rereement with Zayed was that she didn’t have the proper documentation

“Cross that bridge when you co a moment to pause and stretch a little before she continued walking Her , and that only re to replace it with She told herself again and again that she’d get through it, that she would find the ure out what to do with herself from there

A few ain to look around her, and realized that she could no longer see even the vaguest shape of the Sheikh’s palace behind her, nor could she discern any sign of the city she’d spend so ht, her heart beating a little faster in her chest, but she had lost so equaver

Zelda sed against the dry, gritty feeling in her throat, et water to bring with her “Keep walking,” she croaked to herself, before deciding that talking out loud was a bad idea—she’d just irritate her throat even hed and pulled the collar of her shirt up over herso moisture that way