There were no riders.
No smoke.
No sound.
He looked back at the woman.
Every sensible instinct told him to leave.
He had heard stories about Apache warriors. Some were true. Many were exaggerated. But out here, truth and rumor had a way of becoming equally dangerous.
Helping her could bring men after him.
Leaving her would almost certainly mean death.
Elias swallowed.
"Well," he whispered, "I've never been particularly good at making sensible choices."
He knelt beside her.
The woman tried to move.
"Don't."
She stared at him.
Elias tore a strip from his shirt and pressed it against the wound.
She flinched.
"Sorry."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I know," he said. "You probably don't trust me."
She gave him no answer.
He carefully examined the arrow.
It had entered at an angle. Removing it there in the open would be dangerous.
Elias poured a little water over the wound and wrapped the cloth tightly.
He had very little water left.
He knew exactly what that meant.
If he gave her enough to survive, he might not have enough to reach the nearest settlement.
Still, he handed her the canteen.
She stared at it.
"Drink."
She hesitated.
Then she drank.
Only a little.
She pushed it back.
Elias frowned.
"That's not enough."
She shook her head.
He understood.
She was conserving it for him.
That small act unsettled him more than anything else had.
"Drink," he repeated.
This time she obeyed.
When he tried to lift her, she resisted.
"I can't leave you here."
She spoke for the first time.
Her voice was weak but steady.
"You should."
"I know."
"They will come."
"Probably."
"They may kill you."
Elias looked at the empty desert.
"That seems to happen to me anyway."
He lifted her.
She was lighter than he expected.
Far too light.
Ash shifted beneath the weight when Elias placed the woman across her back.
Elias tied her securely.
Then he looked at his horse.
The nearest settlement was still many miles away.
He had no other horse.
No wagon.
No water to spare.
He understood the choice before he made it.
He placed his hand against Ash's neck.
"Take her."
The mare looked at him.
Elias smiled sadly.
"I'll catch up."
Ash snorted.
"You know I hate it when you look at me like that."
The horse started forward.
The woman turned her head.
For the first time, Elias saw something other than defiance in her expression.
Concern.
He waved her away.
"Go."
Then Elias began walking.
The sun disappeared.
Darkness swallowed the desert.
His feet became heavy.
His mouth went dry.
He stumbled twice.
The third time he fell and could not immediately stand.
For a moment, he lay against the cold sand and stared at the stars.