"I can't do that. Not without Master's permission."

I took out my gun and leveled it at him. "Then we'll do it ourselves. Step away from the b.u.t.ton."

He still didn't move.

"You're illegally keeping us here. I'm within my rights to shoot you and open it myself. Either open it now or raise your hands and step back. Don't make me shoot you."

He hesitated just a moment, then raised his hands above his head and stepped back.

"Emily, push the b.u.t.ton."

She looked at the man fearfully.

"If he touches you, I'll shoot him."

The man raised his hands higher. "I won't touch her. Please don't shoot me."

Emily stepped past him and pushed the b.u.t.ton. There was a mechanical click and the gate began to open.

"I'm sorry, BarEl," she said to the man.

"Don't follow us," I said. "And don't sound an alarm."

The man swallowed but didn't move, paralyzed by fear. "It's no use running," he said. "The Guardians will find you."

"I'll take my chances," I replied.I took Emily's hand and we ran out the gate, following the dirt road El and I had driven in on. The moon lit our path and I kept us moving at a brisk pace. Emily was struggling to walk and, even with my pack, I was faster than she was. We had gone about two hundred yards when she asked to rest.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She was breathing heavily but nodded. A flood of lights turned on at the compound.

"We've got to hurry," I said. I grabbed her hand again and we ran as fast as we could.

Emily kept looking back. "They're coming!" she said.

I turned to see car lights coming up the road.

"This way," I said. I took her hand, and we ran off the road into the trees. Fortunately the entire drive was lined with forest. We went about twenty feet into the woods, until I was confident that we were invisible in the shadows, and squatted down. I took off my pack and checked my gun, then just sat on my haunches, waiting.

About two minutes later a minivan caught up to where we'd left the road. It was moving slowly, maybe five miles an hour. The pa.s.sengers in the car had utility flashlights and were panning them around on both sides of the road.

"Stay low," I whispered.

Emily began to whimper.

I put my arm around her. "Everything will be okay. But I need you to be really quiet right now."

She nodded, even though her entire body was shaking with fear.

I was pretty keyed up as well. I didn't know what these guys were capable of, but from what I'd seen, likely anything El told them to do. I was sure of what I was capable of. If they came at us, I would shoot them. I'd been attacked before, and I wasn't going to let it happen again. And this time I had someone else to protect. I hoped it didn't come to that.

The car drove on past us until the red glow of their tail lights disappeared from our view. I figured we were still at least a mile from the main road. If they didn't come back, I'd have to a.s.sume they were watching the road and we'd have to hike through the forest to the highway. I wondered if they would be waiting for us.

"What do we do?" Emily asked.

"We just wait," I said. "They won't find us. Not here."

We sat there for about a half hour. The car never returned. Emily cradled her knees with her arms and rocked back and forth nervously.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She looked pale. "BarEl was right. The Guardians can find us. They can track our DNA from s.p.a.ce."

"El told you that?"

She nodded.

"Have you ever seen the Guardians?" I asked.

"No. But Master El has."

"No he hasn't," I said.

Ten minutes later I said, "Wait here." I crept out to the edge of the trees. Nothing. It occurred to me that they might not be looking for us at all, but may have just gone for the woman tied to the tree. That would make sense. Especially since BarEl had probably told them I had a gun. I went back to Emily. "They're gone. Are you tired?"

She nodded.

"We should get some sleep," I said. "Then start out in the morning."

"Okay," she said.

"How is your back?" I asked.

"It's okay."

"Really?"

"It kind of hurts."

"I have something for it." I took my hygiene bag out of my backpack and brought out a tube of Neosporin. "Let me put this on you."

She turned away from me and lifted her shirt. I gently rubbed the salve across her welts. When I was done, I put the ointment away and she turned back to me. She still looked scared.

"I have a phone," I said. I pulled it out of my pack and turned it on. "We can call your sister."

Emily didn't respond.

"What's her number?" I asked.