36
Jon slept restlessly, waking often to see whether it was yet dawn. At the first greying of the sky, he was up and out of the cottage. He splashed his face with water from the tank that abutted the cottage and after a slight hesitation, drank from his cupped hands. The water had an earthy taste that was quite pleasant, and he suspected leaves had fallen into the tank over time. He stood up, shaking his hands to dry them, and turned to find the other men emerging from the cottage.
As Sergeant Reece strode over to him, Jon gave him a friendly nod and said, “Good morning. I’m glad to see you’re all up. I was just wondering whether I should risk your wrath to wake you all.”
Reece gave a grunt of laughter. “We are used to rising with the dawn. Trevor has just headed off to look for tracks
