She crossed her arms, exhausted. They rose and shone the light on her again. One took her arm, gesturing at the armband. He faced her, his features dark, and addressed her. She pushed the light away and shrugged, pulling her arm free. One handed her a water canteen, and she drank long and deep, not stopping even when another took her arm and pulled her forward. The light went out.
They walked into the night. Two moons rose, and the four warriors around her kept to a path only they understood. The desert was flat, the rock formations and canyons plentiful.
Beyond a nearby mountain range, lights and explosions lit up both the sky and the air between earth and sky. She watched, unnerved at how close the battles were. They shook the ground, and battleships raced overhead. The men ignored the signs of war, instead keeping to a quick pace along their path. Wherever she was, the battle was intense. Instead of stars overhead, there were ships.
They reached a small encampment at the bottom of a mountain and passed around it, one calling out a greeting as someone trotted out to meet them. They continued up a winding path toward the top of the lowest of the mountains. She lagged, fatigued. Two slowed to keep pace with her while the other three went on ahead.
Night brought a chill as uncomfortable as the heat of the day. Hot, hungry, exhausted, she stopped twice on the trek up the hill to catch her breath. They reached the top, where another set of low buildings were carved from the rock, their doors and windows glowing.
The mountains overlooked an expansive plain lined with encampments, an airfield, small ships, and other war arsenal. The battle waged just past the next range. She watched the flares of color against the night sky with tired fascination.
The men led her into a large meeting hall with warriors clumped in small groups throughout the hall. The air was filled with quiet, serious discussions and with the faint scents of war: sweat and weapons. It was lit with warm yellow light. She paused inside the door, not wanting to deal with anything else. Her body hurt, her head pulsed, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up on a warm rock outside and go to sleep.
The warriors before her looked as if they'd just been released from some sort of meeting. Some left, ignoring her, while others shifted between small groups. She looked around for somewhere to sit or hide, aware the two men who'd followed her up the mountain were still there.