Chapter 48: A Real Leader

After supper, we stood outside to watch the sun majestically descend over the hills. I drove us to the clearing and followed closely behind Leigha as though it were perfectly natural that I would be there. Though no one said anything out loud, I could tell by their expressions that they were surprised she was in attendance. There were only a handful of people there, mostly older and unfamiliar.

Leigha sat on a stump near the fire, and I stood behind her. The clearing was eerily silent, and I wondered to myself how many mind link conversations were currently happening in secret. I heard a rattling noise that seemed to be getting closer. A figure loomed in the distance, making an advance on the dirt path leading to the clearing.