"I forgot to ask him!" retorted the guard sarcastically. He beckoned to Dylara. "Come; I have no time to waste."
The cave-girl approached uneasily, affected more by Nada's concern than the prospect of being brought before Urim.
The guard stepped aside to let her pass, then turned to leave.
"Wait!" Nada cried. "I am going with you."
The man scowled. "I was not told to bring you," he snapped. "You stay here." He went out, slamming the door.
Dylara, a man at either side, was led down the long corridor and through the double doorway. There they paused while the two men held a brief conversation in whispers too low for the girl to make out their words.
And then the second man approached and took hold of her arm. "You are to come with me," he said. "I am to take you to Urim."
Dylara's skin crawled under the contact. She jerked away. "I do not need to be held."
The dim light hid the man's angry face. "Slaves do as they are told," he reminded her coldly. "Do not forget that."