Will Elliot, along with Jock Gordon and Lexa McIntosh, paused by the side of the road to take a breath before moving on. Will hadn’t slept in a day and a half now—and the half day most recent had been full of fire and speed, shooting and running, hitching rides along with Jock and Lexa on any vehicle they could find after the scout car assigned to the three-person team developed too much yaw from a near miss. The Highlanders’ holding action at the mouth of Red Ledge Pass had turned into a long retreat, a retreat prevented from becoming a rout only by Colonel Griffin’s solid example and careful orders. At one point a rumor had flown through the Highlander ranks that Griffin’s ’Mech was down and the Colonel was dead, but the sound of his voice giving orders over the command circuit soon put that idea to rest. “When do you think it’ll be over?” Lexa asked wearily. She was leaning against a boulder and working the tangles out of her dark hair with a pocket comb.
