Page 36 of Hot Zone

She sighed. “Let’s get on with it. I’m ready to be back on level ground.”

He nodded and turned, placing his hands on his horse’s rump and vaulting easily back into the saddle. Why the animal didn’t bolt at a stunt like that, she had no idea.

The nightmare journey up the cliff resumed. Cygna moved more cautiously, testing her footing with each step before placing weight on it.

There were no more near-death experiences before Rustam murmured from ahead of her, “There’s the top of the cliff. I’m clear of the path. A few more steps and you will be, too.”

She sagged in relief, sensing that Cygna did, too. Tessa reached down and patted the horse’s neck gratefully. “You’re a fine girl. Well done.”

They moved far enough from the cliff edge to be safe, then halted the horses to give them a moment to catch their breath after the hard climb.

The view below was spectacular—the entire Persian army was arrayed at their feet, poised on the brink of history.

“Shall we be on our way?” he asked quietly.

“Last chance to back out, Rustam.”

She still had no idea why he’d chosen to come with her, but she wasn’t about to drive him off if he wanted to come. He’d already proved himself more than handy in a fight. And frankly, he made her feel safe. Tonight’s events had thoroughly brought home to her just how dangerous a world she’d jumped into. But in good conscience, she had to give him a chance to change his mind.

If she were being really, really honest with herself, she would admit that she had purely selfish reasons for being glad he’d come with her. They had to do with the flutter inside her whenever he looked at her, and the way her toes curled when he kissed her.

He answered grimly, “No thanks. I’m not going anywhere without you.” Then he added more lightly, “Besides. No way am I riding back down that cliff!”

She laughed quietly to cover up her shock at his bold statement. Not going anywhere without her, huh? Wow.

“So. Do you have a destination in mind, my lady fair, or was your goal simply to get away from court?”

She sighed. The medallion. In tonight’s insanity, she’d all but forgotten about it. “What lies to the south and east of here?”

“Mount Oeta. Beyond that, the Gulf of Euboea, which is a narrow body of water running down the entire eastern coast of the Greek peninsula.”

She said carefully, “My understanding is that Xerxes plans to march down the coast to Thermopylae and then south to Athens, while his fleet sails down the coast alongside.”

“That would be my understanding, as well,” he replied.

“Then we probably need to head inland before we make our way south.”

He chewed on his lip, the first sign of indecision she could remember seeing from him. “The farther inland we go, the more impassable the terrain becomes. Vegetation for the horses is scarce and water even more so.”

“What do you suggest?” she asked.

He sighed. “We could go west and hide for a few days, then circle back to the north behind Xerxes, once his army has passed.”

She shook her head decisively. “I definitely have to head south.”

“Why?”

And wasn’t that the sixty-four thousand dollar question? She thought fast and finally answered, “Because merchant ships are avoiding Xerxes’s army but are probably still stopping at various Greek ports. I’m hoping to find one headed toward my homeland.”

“How long a journey is it to your home?”

“The distance isn’t the problem,” she mumbled.

He nodded. “Sometimes the best way home is not the shortest one, just as the shortest path between two points is not always a straight line.”

“You’ve studied geometry?” she asked, surprised. Her impression was that only a few Greek scholars were students of what was a relatively new form of math at this time. Hard to think of geometry as newfangled…but it had been in 480 B.C.

He shrugged. “I suppose we could parallel Xerxes’s army, but slightly inland from it. If we can get to Thermopylae ahead of him, maybe we can squeeze through there before the battle.”

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