The Salticidae deserved a quiet night to pray and make peace with the loss of their homes and possessions. They were a devout people. They would do as Old Father instructed. They would thank the two gods for their lives and then rebuild them. I admired their resilience. Strange to think that Edan and I might soon become part of their community. “Did he drink it all?” Asher asked as I made my way back to his side of the camp. Edan dozed on a pallet beneath the pines while Asher and I sat on the grass. “He did.” I turned the cup upside down. “His fever is down, though he swears catching you and I together was what gave him the headache. It’s more likely my talk of the future that unsettled him.” The future. Strange to have time sprawled before me, to have a life to plan for again. I had explained Old Father’s offer to Edan.
