The lead warrior grunted in acknowledgment. "Move out," he ordered his men and then to my escorts: "Leave. Now. Consider our business concluded."
I watched as the guards from my former pack quickly scrambled to turn their wagon around, eager to escape the Night walker territory before full darkness fell. They didn't look back once. Not that I expected them to.
"Walk," the warrior commanded, yanking on my chains.
We moved deeper into Night Walker territory. The forest here felt different darker and more ancient. The trees grew closer to each other, their branches crossing above us to shut out the last bits of daylight. Weird noises echoed in the dark around us, and several times I saw glowing eyes watching us as we moved.
Everyone was quiet as we walked. We could only hear our footsteps and sometimes the sound of my chains clicking. I spent this time watching my captors, seeing how they moved, how they stayed in formation, and how they used small gestures to talk to each other.
Even though I was weak, my mind kept working to collect details. If I wanted to stay alive here, I had to learn all I could.
After what seemed like hours, we came to a clearing. I had to catch my breath.