Zeke and I rested under a canopy on trees. I could see the moon but it wasn’t bright enough for me to see what happened next. Zeke murmured, “Beka, go to sleep so we can get up early.â€? But then someone lunged at him. “Gah!â€? he screamed and wasn’t prepared to fight whoever was holding him down. Whoever it was already had him and his staff in hand.

Zeke yelled something at me, it sounded like, “Run!” but I couldn’t hear him over the noise of someone else. This person was only a little larger than me, I could tell, but he was stronger. He had me at the throat in an instant. “Where are the others?â€? he barked and I unfortunately recognized his voice.

I choked out, “There’s … none.â€? And he let me go, throwing me to the ground by our camp. The two were gone as fast as they came and Zeke walked over to me. I lay on my back, coughing to get air back.

“Are you okay?â€? Zeke asked me, his voice thick with concern, like he actually cared about me.

I sat up slowly and hissed at him, “I’m fine.â€?

Well, sort of.