“Easy to forget you can get dehydrated in the cold,” he said. “And out here, everybody needs to take extra good care of themselves.”
Cass drank some water to reassure Mouse and promised she’d make sure Wren was well looked after when he woke up. Once he’d done a quick evaluation of the rest of the team members, Mouse joined Able across the courtyard. Gamble wandered over to where Cass was with Wren, and crouched next to them.
“How you holding up, Miss Cass?” she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb Wren.
“I’m doing fine, Gamble. Thanks. How are you?”
Gamble dipped her head in a casual nod. “Right as rain. We’ll need to cover about another fifteen klicks today. Kilometers, I mean. But we’ve got about nine hours of daylight, so we can afford to rest for a while.”
“Are you going to take a break?”
“Yeah, in a couple of hours maybe.”
“Not in forty-five minutes?” Cass asked with a smile.
“Like I said… Sky’s cranky when he’s tired.”
“I don’t mind taking a shift, if you’ll let me. I wasn’t always a lady of the court, you know.”
“Yes, ma’am, I know. But I think we’ll be alright,” Gamble said. “I probably don’t need to stay up myself, but we don’t leave things to chance. Plus, the boys won’t sleep if they think no one is on guard. They’ll all just lie there listening for trouble.”
“You’ve got a good team, Gamble.”
“The best. But you’re a pretty good fit yourself, Miss Cass.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well, you did forget a move call right there at the end. Otherwise, pretty tight for your first time out.”
Cass almost said it hadn’t been her first time out, but just smiled instead. She thought back on what it’d been like for her, back when she’d been part of a crew. “Is it hard for you?”
“What’s that?”
“Well… six men, you’re the only woman…”
“We’d have more,” Swoop said from behind them. “But we’re the only ones that can keep up with her.” He was just re-entering the courtyard. “Perimeter’s good. Doesn’t look like anyone’s been through this way in a while.”
“Check,” Gamble answered. “Go crash out. I want you on graveyard tonight.”
“I’m good, G. I slept a couple of days ago.”
“Get some sleep, Swoop, or I’ll put Wick on graveyard with you.”
“She’s a cruel mistress,” Swoop said to Cass. He moved off and found a spot to rest as ordered.
“He’ll sleep maybe an hour, and then he’ll insist on staying up all night,” Gamble said. “Sometimes I’m not sure he’s human.”
Cass smiled a little sadly. “I used to know someone like that.”
“You should rest too, Miss Cass. We’ll be plenty safe.”
“Thanks, Gamble.”
Gamble nodded again and crossed the courtyard to exchange quiet words with Mouse and Able. Cass’s eyes felt dry and a little too big for their sockets, and she thought she might just close them, even though she didn’t feel all that sleepy. She didn’t even notice when she started dreaming.
Wren felt something heavy on his back and gradually became aware of someone saying his name. It took conscious effort to get his eyes to open, but he eventually managed it. The brightness surprised him and made him squint. Someone was crouched next to him. Someone big. Several seconds went by before Wren remembered where he was and what was going on. Mama wasn’t there, though. He’d been using her lap as a pillow, but now her bag was under his head instead.
“Wren, buddy, can you wake up for me?” Mouse said. It was Mouse’s hand on his back. Wren forced himself to sit up, even though it seemed like gravity had tripled since he’d fallen asleep. “Sorry to wake you, but we’re going to get started here again in a little bit, and I wanted to take a look at your chin before we do.”
Wren nodded and yawned and rubbed his eyes. He thought about looking around to find his mom, but it felt better to keep his eyes closed, so he just sat there with them shut while Mouse looked him over.
“I’m going to clean it up, OK, bud?” Mouse asked.
Wren nodded again. A few seconds later, a cold shock made him grimace and pull away.
“Sorry, it’s probably going to sting a little.”
“It’s OK.” Wren clenched his jaw and tried to hold still while Mouse cleaned up the wound and assessed it. By the time Mouse had finished, Wren was much more awake but no more ready to start walking again.