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Callon slid down from his saddle and wrapped his arms around the woman, lifting her off the ground. Her coarse, booming laugh reached us, and I couldn’t help but smile. Callon greeted the man much the same way, then chucked the teen under the chin.
Hills, Lyra, Saira, and Zion dismounted, everyone but Hills sagging against their horses. Hills seemed to have recovered the quickest from the lingering effects of the sedative gas.
Farris stayed atop his mount, peering around as Hills approached Fin’s horse and helped Liam down from the saddle.
Liam blinked and peered around groggily.
With an exhausted groan, Fin dropped down as well, then reached up to help Ada dismount from our shared mount, then me. The gesture was unnecessary but sweet all the same. I swung my leg over the rear of my horse and accepted his support as I lowered to the ground. My knees ached from so long in the saddle, and my leg muscles were a little shaky.
Fin and I headed for Callon and the trio stationed at the outpost, Hills following close behind with Liam. The strangers’ good-humored laughter transitioned into protests from the woman and crossed arms from the man.
“I’m sorry, Callon,” the woman said, shaking her head. “A group of ten just arrived. I don’t know if we have the rations or space—”
The man noticed Fin first. “Joya,” he said, his stare tracking our approach. The man stepped forward, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder.
When the woman—Joya, apparently—spotted Fin, her eyes widened. “Finlay,” she said, bowing her head. The man and teen already had their faces angled toward the ground.
Intrigued, I hung back with Hills and Liam, curling my arm around Liam’s back as I watched the interaction between Fin and the others with interest. I had known Fin felt a lot of responsibility where his people were concerned, but this level of respect and deference was unexpected.
“I didn’t realize you were here,” Joya said, raising her head and meeting Fin’s eyes.
“I’m sorry for the trouble, Joya, but we need to stay the night,” Fin said, stopping in front of her. “We’ll sleep wherever there’s room. No need to fuss over us,” he assured her. “We’ll head for the settlement at first light, take these people with us, and send more provision to you as soon as possible.”
Joya bowed her head again. “Of course.” She straightened. “No trouble at all. Mikail, Sacha,” she said, glancing at her companions. “Help them get their horses situated.” She returned her attention to Fin. “Follow me. It’ll be cramped in there, but we’ll make it work.”
Fin turned, his attention locking onto me, and he waved us forward. “Let’s get Liam inside.”
Hills, Liam, and I followed Joya and Fin to the larger building, the others trailing behind us, feet dragging, while Callon and Ada hung back with Farris to unload the horses.
Joya pushed the back door open and toed a wooden wedge underneath it to keep it from shutting. “Are these people unwell?” she asked, scanning our group.
“Not exactly,” Fin said and stepped to the side to stand with Joya, letting Hills and me usher Liam through the doorway and into the cooler indoor space.
The reinforcements Fin’s people had made to the structure—sturdy new posts and beams—were glaringly obvious inside the room. It reminded me of a warehouse of sorts. Barrels and crates were stacked up along one wall. The supplies and provisions Fin had mentioned. About a dozen cots were spread out through the space, long, unmoving lumps filling them, telling me people were currently slumbering there.
Hills and I stood with Liam in the middle of the room, unsure where to go. Liam’s eyelids drooped. Even Hills, with her enhanced constitution, appeared worn out.
“He can use my cot,” Sacha said, apparently shirking Joya’s command to see to the horses and walking ahead of us to the semi-private nook. “Let me just tidy up.” The teen gathered books from the cot and hugged them to their chest as they sidestepped out of the way.
“Thank you,” I told Sacha, hoping my weariness didn’t completely mask my genuine gratitude.
Hills and I guided Liam forward, Hills settling him on the cot while I unlaced and pulled off boots I’d brought with a few of the things the slavers had left at our camp. I tucked Liam’s shoes under the cot, and he was already asleep by the time I knelt near his head.
I combed my fingers through his unruly curls, closing my eyes and reaching out with my empathic senses to double-check that his sleepy state was still just a side effect of the sedative gas and not caused by something more serious, like a head injury. His mind was foggy with the drugged haze, and he felt unwell, but I didn’t sense the disjointed confusion characteristic of a concussion.
Sighing, I opened my eyes and sat back on my feet.
Hills rested a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll stay with him,” she offered, lowering herself to the floor beside me. “I’m sure they could use another pair of hands attached to someone who can actually think straight out there.” She indicated the back door with a raise of her chin.
I didn’t want to leave Liam, but my skim of his mind had assured me he wouldn’t be waking soon, and helping to get the horses settled and resting up for the remainder of the journey would be more useful than hovering over Liam and fretting. I covered Hills’s hand with mine and flashed her a small smile filled with gratitude. “Thank you.”
She pulled her hand away and leaned against the edge of the cot. “You showed true bravery back there and handled yourself well,” she murmured, laying her head on her curled arms. “Garath would have been proud.”
Her mention of Garath caught me off guard, knocking me temporarily breathless, and I shook my head. My chin trembled, and tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t believe I had any left to cry. “He would have been so mad,” I told her.
“No,” Hills said with a sleepy smile. “He only would have pretended to be mad.”
Heart aching, I stood and headed back for the door, passing the others getting settled on the floor. Fin was still speaking with Joya immediately outside the door, and I grasped his hand, giving his fingers a quick squeeze as I passed him.
