Chapter 14: In Which Hoyle Is Left to His Own DevicesThey sat in the darkness as the night approached. They’d spent all day avoiding a discussion of what had happened.
Finally Hoyle took a deep breath and said, “You’ll be out of food soon. You can’t risk going back to the anarchists for food—they’ll feed you, sure, but they’ve probably learned a lot about how to guard prisoners. You’re just going to have to leave me here and go back to Sydney.”
“What if—” began Sybil.
“I appreciate that you don’t want to leave me. But I’m not in any physical danger, and you are.”
“We don’t want to protect you, you dickhead,” said Ada. “We’re your mates. Mates don’t leave mates to, um, be immortal and that. Out all alone. In the bush.”
Sybil said, “Exactly.”
Hoyle felt a rush of relief that they wante
