After they finally reached a spot with an open-air canopy, Kage—feeling himself recover—issued two explicit warnings. He fixed them with a dark frown.
"There are two things you must not do in this place. First, never walk alone. Second, we make no fire. Understood?"
Marcus scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry, Brother Kage. I understand the first part, but fire? How are we supposed to eat?"
Kage studied the boy. Marcus had a large frame and a missing pinky finger.
"I'm more surprised you're thinking about food in this situation."
Talia froze mid-breath. Her head creaked toward Kage, a smile stretching across her face.
"Wh—why? Is there something wrong with thinking about food?"
Kage stared at her, disbelief cracking through his expression. He didn't need confirmation to know his words had struck more than one person.
Lian Feng, seated in lotus position with closed eyes, finally stirred. Relief smoothed his features as he opened them.
