Kaida
Having Riley there was both a relief and a complication.
The relief was straightforward. He was my brother and I had missed him and the particular quality of his presence — loud and certain and slightly too much, always — made the camp feel less exposed than it had for nine nights.
The complication was that my ribs needed salve and my ankle needed attention and I could feel both of them with increasing urgency. Riley had been watching Jace like a wolf who hadn’t decided yet whether something was a threat. I did not particularly want to find out what happened when those two things collided.
Jace had found a good campsite — he always found a good campsite — sheltered and defensible, a shallow stream nearby, and sight lines in three directions. He had the fire going before most of t
