She ran to her friend.
Tin Tin, seeing her bare to the waist, untied her apron and ran to spread it over Liada’s chest, tying the straps behind her neck. The terror in Liada’s eyes told her something terrible had happened. She took her into her arms.
Liada sobbed, holding tight.
“Did a man hurt you?” Tin Tin asked.
Liada shook her head against Tin Tin’s shoulder. “Just scare so bad.”
“Let us go sit for a moment.”
* * * * *
“Did you run into a tiger in the woods?” Karina asked as she and Jadis tended to the eight deep scratches running down his chest.
Sixwar shrugged.
“Guess you’re not used to being refused.” Karina daubed at one of the scratches with Jadis’s red medicine.
He winced as the disinfectant seeped into his wounds.
“Not deep enough for stitches,” Karina said. “I think
