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My feet slide and skid in the htness of his grip, but he doesn’t let go He’s e of the river on the horizon, and as we grow nearer, the darkness resolves into trees, and I don’t even care that we’re returning to forest again, because trees means wood and wood otten what that feels like

I open , but before I find any words, the roar of onco down on our heads

Tarver is cursing, swearing like I’ve never heard hirip,to the ground I’s, and I didn’t realize they weren’t working

He scoops me up and carriesthe river, then duround

"Stay there," he shouts, putting his face close toonitself at the canopy is al as the roar of the rainstorm outside, but the branches are thick, and they keep round and rues until he pulls out the mechanic’s suit, and shoves it at ave un out of its holster as he goes

Thehalf in my lap, half draped over my folded arms I’m too cold to take off ainst the tree trunk and wait for hi, somehow distinct from the sound of the rain on the trees overhead The voices are no longer crying, but I still can’thand in front of me, pale, clammy, smeared with dirt I never knew madness came with such a physical toll

I don’t kno ently tapping at ," he says, and I realize he’s not shouting anymore The rain must have lessened a little "Get your dress off"

"Why, Major," I find"I never"

"Lord helphis eyes, and I know he’d be laughing if he were a bit less cold That is a triu hi with me this time I promise not to look Dry off with the blanket, then put on the mechanic’s suit"

I take the blanket he thrusts at et to my feet, stiff and cold The voices have stopped, but I’ at the knotted laces for a full five minutes before I realize that I haven’t taken this dress off in five days, the laces are soaked and waterlogged, and my hands are so cold I can barely s

"Tarver," I whisper "I need help"

There’s a spark of heat left into burn as he turns todawns as his eyes fall to wheresonize, he closes the distance between us again and directs me to warm my hands under my arms while he tries to unknot the laces Eventually he’s forced to pull out his knife and saw through the else The dress was already so far past saving anyway This is just one more tiny casualty in the naave me on the plains tucked down my bodice, and as I peel away the reainst o, drop it in the ed that I feel more for the loss of one tiny flower than for the loss of the dress?

He turns away to start finding kindling that isn’t soaked through, careful to keep his back toit where it is, I grab the blanket and wrap it aroundin the cold I drop to my knees so that the blanket will cover ainsta fledgling fire so carefully that his hands are shaking with the effort

The trees above us have thick, broad leaves, but even so, it’s raining so hard that soh I can’t quite stop the inarticulate sound of relief that he was still able to find enough dry wood to burn He looks up at the sound, eyes flickering dohen he seesaway

Iup, because suddenly I actually care, and hunch more carefully into my cocoon

"On with the ht of fashion, I proive me the blanket so I can dry off as ive up , forced to lean away from the fire as he works so that he doesn’t swamp it We’ll never be completely dry with the rain that makes its way past the canopy, but daet to s into the bottom half of the suit and zip it up It’s made for a man, and I draw ainsteh that when it comes time to move out, I’ll have to wear the dress underneath or risk rubbing my skin raw But for now, it’s coh