Her feet scraped along the ground, scattering loose pebbles. How far had she gone? How much farther did she have to go? The terrain spread out before and behind her, sharp rocks dotted the earth. Jagged hills rose in the east but she had no idea what mountain range they belonged to.
Something scuttled across the sand in front of her. She jerked her head around, her heart pounding. A scorpion or a rodent. She didn’t care to find out. No, looking after some scurrying creature would only be a waste of time. Especially since she probably couldn’t eat it.
Her hollow stomach growled and she groaned. Why hadn’t she eaten dinner when she’d had the chance?
She shook her head. Dreaming about food and water didn’t help. It would only drive her crazy. Staying focused was key to survival. She lifted her chin. The crisp night sky displayed the bright, twinkling stars against the black void. Polaris beckoned, drawing her across the desert. The North Star, her beacon of safety.
Where would she be if she didn’t recognize the Little Dipper among the countless stars? Her dad had once pointed out that the bright spot at the end of the handle could guide her northward. It seemed like a pointless thing to know when she was a kid. But now here she was, actually using the information. And it might even save her life. It was her only hope to escape the desert.
She had to keep walking. One foot in front of the other. The stabbing pain in her feet sharpened with every step. Her legs protested, her muscles cramping with each movement forward. Unsated, her dry, raw throat craved a drop of water.
Without warning, her knees buckled and she sank to the ground. Okay, fine. She needed a rest. Only five minutes. But it was a bad idea to sit there when vipers could be slithering around. One bite and she was dead.
Her own voice screamed in her mind. Don’t give up when you could be so close.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself back to her feet. She needed something to focus on. A distraction. Her gaze was once again drawn upward. The stars had been a much more pleasant thought.
It made so much sense why the ancient Egyptians had been such avid star gazers. It helped them tell time and seasons. Some even believed they could tell the future or predict your personality. The stars were also a map, and the Egyptians had been experts at reading it.
She anchored her musings on Polaris, recounting what she knew about the star. The earliest record of it was done by the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in Alexandria, nearly two thousand years ago. It wasn’t at the polar axis then, but gradually shifted. Four hundred years after its discovery, it took over the role from another star. She smiled softly, amazed she could remember any of this.
Lights blinked far overhead, traversing across the black nothingness. An airplane. Much too far away for them to see her in the dark. A ping of jealousy shot through her chest. Even though she had no idea where they were from or where they were going, the passengers were at least being served food and drinks. And they were probably complaining about the too-hard seats and not being able to get any sleep. Jerks.
A strangled sob escaped her lips. She should have stayed put. Someone would have found her eventually. Except they would probably be too late and she would be half-eaten by vultures.
No. She had to give Xander more credit than that. And he would be doing everything he could, he would be looking everywhere. He’d find her.
Her foot smashed against a rock. With a cry, she flew forward and landed with a thud on the coarse ground.
Get up, get up, get up.
Leila dragged her tired body onto her knees. It took the last morsel of willpower, but she crawled forward. Her arms grew heavier with each movement until she could only drag them through the sand. The grains grated against her sunburned skin.
Follow the North Star.
The earth vanished beneath her hand. Before she realized what was happening, her body became weightless and the air rushed around her. Her heart stopped as she waited for an impact and opened her mouth to scream.
No sound came out. A split second later, her side slammed against a rocky surface and she rolled. Uncontrollably.
Rocks scraped and tore her skin with each turn. Her arms flailed as she blindly attempted to grasp onto something. A blow to her chest knocked the air from her lungs and she gasped against the pain. Just when she thought it would never end, she crashed face-first onto a level surface and once again, everything was still.
She took in gulping breaths, sucking the dirt and sand into her dry mouth. It coated her tongue with powder and grit. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, forcing her into a coughing fit that sent a wave of pain through her body with each convulsion.
When the coughing finally stopped, she rolled onto her back with a groan. Her gaze traveled up the black cliff edge in front of her. In the moonlight she could make out the gradual incline, reaching up to what looked to be about thirty feet.
Her heart still pounding, she coughed again. The fall could have easily killed her. And depending on her new injuries, it was still possible.
Slowly, she sat up although her body protested each movement with a new wave of throbbing pain. She held out her arms and ran one hand over her skin to check for tender spots. Her fingers smeared blood from a long cut down her forearm. At the sharp pain from the touch, she gasped, then glanced down at her legs. They looked as if she had walked through a field of thorns.
At least she was alive. It could have been worse. She tore her eyes away from her battered limbs and scanned her rocky surroundings. Instead of open desert, she sat in a canyon, one that possibly went on for miles. Either she could attempt to climb back up, or choose to go left or right. Neither of which she had the energy for.
I guess my other option is to sit here and bleed to death.
With that thought, she pushed herself off the ground and stumbled forward. As if she had no control over her limbs, her knees buckled again and she collapsed face-down into the sand. She turned her head to the side and lay her cheek on the ground. The air burned the lining of her throat as it passed through and sand filled her mouth, but she couldn’t bother to spit it out. It would scratch her mouth even more. Her arms felt heavy, as if stones had been set on top of them, binding her to the earth.
Keep following the star.
She could almost hear Xander’s voice, calling out to her. He sounded worried, as if he thought she was giving up. Just when she was within reach. But it wasn’t real. He couldn’t be that close, could he? Her mind didn’t want to give up, but her body only wanted sleep. She couldn’t stand. She couldn’t walk. Her body didn’t even want water anymore. Only sleep. If she slept, she would no longer be so miserable. Even if it meant she wouldn’t wake up.
CHAPTER 10
Palms zipped past as Xander and Elmahdy followed the road signs into Tora, a village south of Cairo. Xander gave the detective a sideways glance. Elmahdy kept his eyes on the road, both hands gripping the steering wheel. His jaw bulged on one side, a sign Xander now knew to mean the man was trying to stay calm.
A part of Xander was glad Elmahdy wasn’t talking. All he’d say is why this wasn’t going to help them, Faris would never reveal what he knew, it wasn’t even likely he was involved, they were going out on a limb…
But it could be the last limb they had.
Xander rubbed the back of his neck. It was the third day of investigations—his second—and Elmahdy was ready to move on. But Xander couldn’t give up. With no luck scouring Saqqara and Cairo, talking to Faris Al-Rashid was the next logical step. Xander needed direction. Maybe Faris would let something slip.
The road curved. The car hugged the bend as they passed a street of one crumbling apartment block after the other. A twenty-foot sand-colored brick wall came into view, topped with a curl of barbed wire. They pulled under the main entrance and the guard stepped out, confirmed their identities and appointment, and the metal gate slid open for them to drive through. They rolled toward the main building, its yellow-brick facade speckled with iron-barred windows and stained from a hundred years of sandstorms.
After going through security, they were led through the prison complex. A domed roof loomed forty feet above their heads. Murmurs echoed in the hall, interrupted by the occasional scream. Xander pressed his lips together, resisting the urge to scratch his nose. The place reeked of bodily fluids.
Glimpses of prisoners in cages flashed in the corners of his eyes. Men hung onto the bars in front of them, some sticking their hands past the metal rods toward him. He couldn’t count the people as he walked by, but the cages were much too small for all of them.
The guard opened a door, then stood to the side, waving a hand for Xander and Elmahdy to enter. They walked into a large room, filled with folding tables and plastic chairs. Unsmiling, the guard let the grimy steel door slam shut.
Elmahdy led the way to one of the empty tables and pulled out a chair. With a frown, he settled into a chair and folded his hands on top of the table.
