He smiled at her. “Good morning, Little One,” he said to her without speaking. “Good morning, My Love,” she replied. “There is much commotion in the camp.” Alexander sat up and saw that Anatoly was asleep and breathing deeply, Lucky was just waking, Jack was already up and out of the tent, and both Jataan and Boaberous were outside as well. Alexander rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled on his boots. Even though he’d slept well, he still felt tired. The past few days had offered little time for rest. When he strolled out of the tent into the early dawn, he saw his Rangers eating breakfast around a set of cook fires. Jack and Boaberous had joined them, but Jataan was standing just outside the tent with his hands clasped lightly behind his back. “Good morning, Lord Reishi. The Rangers tell me they have breakfast ready if you’re hungry.” “Have you eaten?” Alexander asked. “Not yet,” Jataan said. Alexander nodded and started for the cook fires. Jataan followed him like a shadow.
