The road curved before it emerged from the trees, and then started climbing again. I was sweating before we’d gotten very far up the hill where Xen deemed we were probably safe enough to sit for a few minutes and have some food.
We picked a spot with a few boulders that looked good for sitting and Xen checked the area for any snake-shaped interlopers before we broke out the bread and some of the dried meat Alaya had given us. If nothing else, by the time I’d gotten home I was going to be in much better shape than I had been when I left.
I took a deep drink from one of the canteens and passed it to Daria. The scabs over the puncture wounds in my hands were itchy and I rubbed them a little, fighting the urge to pick the scabs. It was a terrible habit I had all my life and was the reason fo
