East

Be like Batu, I told myself. If I narrowed my focus to today, I'd survive. I had to stay occupied and continue learning.

Not yet fully recovered from my own ordeal, I was almost grateful to see Ghoajin and Suvdin move away with their entourage. I needed a snack and a nap. One glance around was enough to tell me I had no clue which of the identical mushrooms was the tent I could rest in.

Replacing the bow in the barrel, I walked to Batu. "I'm not sure which one is ours," I admitted. "Can you take me back to the ger?"

He turned away and guided us through the maze of tents, ducking into one. I trailed him and sighed upon entering, beat from the hours I spent on my feet learning about the camp. The fire at the center was out, though the tent remained warm.

"You are well?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tired." I sat down beside the fire. My legs were stiff from horseback riding, too. I was a mess. "Suvdin is really nice."

"She is."

I glanced at him. As if expecting me to watch his reaction, he gave a half smile.

"My little lamb is trying to be clever," he said. "I prefer you honest, goddess. Too many men and women are foxes."

"It's not my concern how you feel about her after all this time," I said. "I guess I'm curious."

"I am happy, ugly one." He sat down opposite me. "This is not what concerns you."

"No." I hesitated. He was easy to talk to, more so than anyone else I'd ever met. "It's not easy to give up something you care about. I'm not sure how I can let go of my world, my family, my friends."

"You think too much."

I rolled my eyes at him. He was probably right, but it was still irksome for him to say such a thing aloud. "Okay. Then I'm taking a nap," I said and rose. "Leave me alone for a while."

"Do you wish me to sing you to sleep?"

Flinging myself into bed, I considered his request. His weird singing did have a tranquilizing effect, one that cleared my busy thoughts. "Yes."

The low rumble began, and I closed my eyes.

Within seconds, I was out.

It was dark when my nap was over. I crawled out of bed and stretched. Batu was gone, though his gear was present. I tugged on my over tunic and left the tent. The night was not quite cold enough to see my breath but close. The temperature extremes here had to be close to thirty degrees over the course of twenty-four hours.