Page 42 (1/2)

It isn’t until I crouch down next to the tiny fire that Tarver looks up again, cautiously He adds another stick to the fla to retrieve the blanket and start stripping off his oet clothes I aoes blessedly blank as I watch his leap and glealow frooose bu as he scrubs at it briskly with a fistful of the blanket

The jacket goes back on, and he lays his shirt out on the other side of the fire to dry before retrieving the blanket froround He wraps this around me, and I don’t even care any daht now is the chill ofback at me, I know in a few oes through theup caot the canteen set to boil over the fire that he joinsan ar to give offunhappily at the drops that squeeze past the sheltering trees overhead After a ti, but he keeps his arm around me nonetheless There are no voices to be heard above the popping fire and the splat of raindrops on the canopy above, and in a rush -lev train I ought to disentangle ht to wait for dinner to boil I ought to let hi to take care ofto me in words I can’t understand, and for reasons I don’t care to exa Tarver Merendsen’s arms away makes my stomach twist unhappily And so I stay still, and let my head drop onto his shoulder, and if he , and lets me sleep

"You told us that Miss LaRoux suffered some ht"

"There were no side effects? She was able to travel without difficulty?"

"I’d like to see you hike across a planet in a ball gown and the type of shoes those girls wear I don’t think I’d say the ithout difficulty"

"It’s a relevant question, Major Merendsen"

"And?"

"And I’d be obliged if you’d answer it"

"I’m not aware of any difficulties she had that were a result of the knock to her head"

"What about you?"

"It was a walk in the park What do you think?"