"How much further?" Ruth asked from where she sat with Vera and the other survivors.

"Maybe another hour," Robert called back. "We're making good time."

That's when we heard the sound of hoofbeats behind us. Multiple riders, gaining fast.

"Bandits," Robert said grimly, whipping the horses to go faster. "They must have been watching the road."

I looked back and saw six riders closing the distance. Armed men with cruel faces, the kind who preyed on travelers like us.

"Stop the wagon!" their ...