That was the only way Havel could justify this last-minute dash through the night to himself; he prayed with every footfall that they were going to be in time. Idiots, he thought. They’re acting like idiots and it’s making my job harder. Doesn’t seem fair. The bandits had flogged their horses on all through the night, even after they’d caught up with Will Hutton, halting only when they’d run into the ranger cabin half an hour ago. Which meant that he had to stop too, to let them have enough time to lose fear of pursuit. Fortunately he’d been able to follow them through the open patches with the telescopic sight from his old rifle. He hoped it was the right thing to do, but he could feel sand grinding in the gears of his brain; it had been nearly thirty hours of hard effort since he last slept. “Stop!” he hissed to Eric, sinking to one knee. He’d blackened the heads of their weapons with mud, and now he held the spear low and level to the ground. From the edge of the pines that fringed the area around the old ranger station he gave the cabin a quick once-over, looking for the men on guard.
