Once Jericho and his group peeled off, Cassias, Tess, and the rest left the road and continued northeast under cover of the trees. A short time later, they stopped to refuel and hydrate. Most stayed quiet, but a few spoke in hushed voices about what to look for when they engaged the mercenaries who traveled with the dangerous highwayman, and how to get the children safely back to the tunnels.
Tess balanced on a rock and ate what she had pilfered from Sebastian’s room.
Cassias sat next to her, facing south as she looked to the west. “It’s good to see you, Tess,” he began.
She turned to study his profile. Cassias and Sebastian nurtured a close friendship. In part because they held high ranks as Leo’s soldiers, and they had met in the treatment facility. “You, too, must be glad I’m not dea
