Sonder followed the reptiles' trail for hours, weaving between roots and ferns.
The trees and grass grew sparse and turned to swamp.
The only grass left had their roots clearly visible, turning upright and then tangling in masses when they went below.
The grass grew harsher and thicker.
Birdsong warped into shrill cries, and there was an unpleasant smell of marsh rot in the air.
The noise of insects grew, with dozens of chirps and cries filling the air.
Then she saw structures rising into the air, high walls of clay and towers, and banners that had been ripped, pierced, and singed.
It was a city, though nowhere near as glorious as Gloam had been.
But it was a settlement nonetheless.
Sonder should have been able to hear something from the city, some sign of life, but it was silent.
And from her vantage point she could see that the city was encircled by the reptile-men; a few hundred of them.
Their camps stretched in a great ring, with fires smoking and tents set up.
Makeshift watchtowers rose above the camp, each with scouts perched at the top, staring toward the city.
It was a siege. There was no fighting, no battle cries or clash of weapons, but a total and complete cutoff from the outside.
No one in and no one out.
Sonder took in the layout and crept low behind a cluster of rocks.
But then-
"You there," she heard hissed right behind her.
She turned slowly.
There were two reptile-men standing barely a dozen steps away, blending in with the swampy scenery and rendering themselves almost invisible.
At closer inspection, their scales were dark green and brown, and they stood a head taller than Sonder.
Sonder herself wasn't very tall. She was still growing, if that was something she could do as an undead, but even when she was human, she had seemed to lag behind for her age.
Their eyes like those of other liazrds she had seen; bolbous and bugging out of their heads.
One sniffed deeply with his snout, and the other's tongue flicked out of its mouth.
Spears were aimed at Sonder.
"Warm-blood," one growled.
"Not one of theirs," the other said. "A spy."
Before Sonder could protest, a net was cast over her, weighted with stones that should have kept her down. She stumbled to the ground.
She considered breaking free, something that shouldn't have been too difficult for her, but she didn't.
Rather, she remained peaceful.
So she let them bind her wrists and pull her to her feet.
They didn't seem intent on harming her, not immediately, at least. And if things got worse, she had enough power to flee from her captors, though even then, she didn't wish to hurt them.
They marched her down the slope, past rows of tents, past cooking fires where more reptile-men watched her with silent suspicion. Their heads turned as she passed.
Her captors brought her to a larger tent at the heart of the encampment. White markings had been painted on its canvas, spirals and one sharp slash of red.
With a firm and clawed push, they shoved her inside.