Zarif hovered over her, blocking out the sun and gingerly feeling the knot on the back of her head. Tali might have enjoyed their ministrations if her head didn’t feel as if it had cracked open like an egg on a stone. “How do you feel?” Zarif asked. “Like a fool,” Tali answered, wincing as she tried to lift her head. “It’s a good-size lump you took,” Zarif said. “We’d better get you a poultice from the infirmary.” “If you insist,” Tali said, letting Chey help her to her feet. “It was unkind of Rona to hit you so hard,” Chey said. Tali shrugged. “It was my own fault. I let myself get distracted and she took advantage. I would have done the same to her.” “You served her a heap of humility in the first round,” Chey said, offering Tali his elbow for support as they set off over the uneven landscape.
