---
"Properly. Not that sideways collapse on a crate she calls rest. If she wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes I am gone, I would rather she shout at you first instead of marching into the forest with a scalpel."
Miryam's mouth curved.
"I can distract her," she said. "There is still stew. And injuries. And she likes complaining. I will keep her busy."
"Good," Kai said. "You are terrifyingly efficient when you want to be. Stay inside. Watch the Net. If anything moves on the horizon that is not a sand lizard, wake me through the Road and I will sprint back with my clothes on fire."
She sniffed.
"I will judge your sprinting form," she said, and stepped aside.
He left her there, leaning against the wall, aura flickering like banked flame.
By the time the mountain settled fully into night, the scars of the day had blurred further.
