That other voice whispered to me again while Nida and I rode in silence toward the edge of the wheel.
It reassured me that the Element I'd recovered was my own to keep and asked why I'd let this girl draft me into fighting for a cause that was none of my concern.
Was I really in such a hurry to die again, after so little time back among the living?
We stopped to rest and eat in an alpine meadow.
While Nida was gathering berries I saw my moment.
I took advantage of the training she'd given me over the previous days to take one of the stryders and ride it away on my own for the canyonlands.
I wasn't sure if she'd be able to call the stryder back at a distance, but it's also possible that she decided to just let me go.
I was free now to use the power of this great machine of hers to my own ends.