They walked amazingly fast for a group of people who wore soft-soled shoes. Her own hard-soled boots should have been better than their shoes against the rough terrain, but she reasoned they were used to walking on rocks, twigs and tree roots. Jaz, Falon, and Athen kept up with the Nicals’ pace without the trouble she had. She was surprised the Palers could keep up with them because Pale was flat and smooth. Raz had similar patches of forests like the one they were currently walking through. Athen, however, often traveled through the forests in his job of searching for any problems to introduce to Hathor, who in turn informed her of anything he felt was a concern to address. Therefore, she had expected Athen to be experienced with such hard terrain. Ann was the first captive in the single line. One of the male Nicals walked beside her, ensuring that she would not try to escape. The man wearing white walked in front of her. When she ventured to look behind her, the Nical would direct her attention back to the front, obviously wishing to discourage her from sending any secret messages to her friends.
