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as much from eagerness as exertion. A couple of boys went by with a pack of goats, their bells tinking in the dry heat.
    With each step, the horizon of the ridge grew nearer, until finally Gaia breached it and the last expanse of wasteland stretched before her, a great, shimmering landscape of brown and white and gray. In the distance, the Enclave rose on a majestic hill. Its towers and white roofs and the spike of the obelisk cut a distinct skyline against the blue above, while below, the great, impregnable wall divided the city from the tumbling gray structures of Wharfton, her home. Farther below, the sweep of the vast unlake fell away toward the south.
    Gaia took a long, deep breath. “That’s it, Maya,” she said to her sister.
    Will paused beside her. “It’s bigger than I expected.”
    â€œYes,” she said simply.
    â€œWho’s that?” he asked, pointing, and passed her a pair of binoculars.
    Small in the distance, rippling in the heat waves, a figure was walking toward them: a woman moving with a steady but unhurried gait.
    Gaia zeroed in on the motion. There was no mistaking the woman’s purposeful bearing, nor the black medical bag she clutched at her side. “It’s Myrna Silk,” Gaia said. “One of the doctors from the Enclave. She was in Q cell with me. In prison.”
    â€œApparently she’s out,” Will said.
    Gaia scanned through the binoculars along the top of the wall, picking out the tiny figures of the guards, and her pulse kicked up a notch. Far in the distance, the Enclave was fully armed and waiting for them.

 
    CHAPTER 5
    the backward siege
    â€œ A T LEAST THEY AREN’T sending out forces to attack. So far.” She handed back the binoculars.
    â€œKeep them,” Will said. “What happened to yours?”
    â€œOne of my messengers has them,” she said. “Thanks.” She slung the strap around her neck and Maya began to inspect them. There was nothing to do but continue onward and keep an eye out for an aggressive move.
    The caravan veered south, skirting wide of the Enclave and Wharfton to approach along the old shoreline of the unlake. If Gaia’s judgment was correct, they were a couple of hours away from the wall when they met up with Myrna Silk. Her black eyebrows contrasted vividly with the white hair fringing out from the edges of her hat, and there was an acerbic, no-nonsense quality to her features even when she smiled.
    â€œExile agrees with you, I see,” Myrna said, clasping Gaia’s hand warmly. “Who’s this delightful creature?” she added, lifting the brim of Maya’s hat.
    â€œMy sister, Maya.”
    â€œOf course,” Myrna said. “Did Leon ever find you?”
    â€œHe’s here,” Gaia said, gesturing behind her. She drew Myrna aside on a wide, sunny ledge of rock while the caravan continued, stretching out in a long line to their left as they faced the Enclave. She waved for the vanguard to progress along the shoreline without her, and they trudged onward. “I sent two scouts to Wharfton four days ago and they haven’t returned. Do you know anything about them? Munsch and Bonner?”
    â€œThey were taken in for questioning. That’s how I heard you were coming with an army.” Myrna glanced around and set down her bag. “Looks like that rumor was a bit off the mark. Unless those are attack chickens.”
    Gaia laughed. “We’re not an army. We’re coming to relocate permanently. We’re peaceful.”
    Myrna looked amused as she shook her head. “Only you.”
    â€œWhat?” Gaia said.
    â€œThings have changed since you left,” Myrna said. “There’s even more hostility across the wall now than there used to be. Listen, I came to talk to your leader to see if I can persuade you all to leave. What are the chances?”
    Gaia shook her head. “We can’t leave. We’ve come too