Elaris wiped his brow with the back of his hand. His voice was quiet, almost drowned out by the wind.
"We…didn't find the jewel."
The words settled over us like a weight, and nobody spoke.
"It's all because you let it slip from your hands!" Sarah snapped.
Her patience had clearly run dry after searching for most of the day.
"If you hadn't been careless, we wouldn't be wasting time like this!" she sighed, rubbing her nose bridge.
Elaris didn't respond. He stared at the dirt beneath his boots.
His shoulders slumped down as if the accusation had physically struck him.
His hands clenched at his sides, trembling slightly. He looked like he might cry.
Before it could escalate further, I stepped forward.
"Enough," I said loudly.
"The wheel broke. That's the problem. Not him."
Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it again. Clearly realising it wasn't Elaris' problem.
But just bad luck.
No one argued, but the tension didn't disappear.
