I didn't say "I told you so."
That would've been petty. And beneath me.
Also, I was too tired to form the syllables.
The scout sat across from me wrapped in a heat cloak, breathing like someone who hadn't remembered to do it for several days. His fur was patchy with dust and caked salt. He hadn't slept. He hadn't eaten. But he'd made it all the way back from the elf outpost without dying, which meant he got soup and my full attention.
He looked up from the bowl. Eyes bleary. Voice low.
"She's safe," he said.
"And the others?" I asked.
"Fine. Tired. Tinker's trying to invent something with elven wires. I didn't ask. Glare gave a speech. Cinders hit him with a spoon. Relay was learning new curse words."
That definitely sounded right.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Then the scout added, "But there was someone else."
