Chapter 844 Chapter 844
Uri was in the kitchen, setting up the stove near a window or trying to. The kids were sick enough already that he wasn’t taking chances with propane fumes.
“The little ones will be awake soon.” Oryn touched one of the backpacks that were set out waiting for them.
“I thought I’d start cooking while they looked at their stuff.”
She had a thoughtful look on her face.
“Is it clear out there?”
She nodded. “Yes. A few creatures waking up to hunt early, but no sign of people.” She looked at the bags again. “I’m just—” she sighed. “If I had any way to reach the Alliance, it could have saved them from suffering this last year.”
He set the propane cylinder down and went over to her. “I don’t think your clan was in contact with the Alliance, so how would you know to do that?”
“I wouldn’t.’
“Right.” He looked at the door and expected excited kids to rush through it at any moment. “The way you looked after them is amazing. I don’t know of many that could have done it.”
She held his gaze; her dark eyes were filled with so many things. When she didn't blink, he almost smiled. She was very connected to her bird. “There's going to be a bond among them forever and strength that will get them through anything life throws at them.”
She looked down. “It was a hard way to get it.”
“It was.”
She looked at the table with the medical gear on it. “Let's check your injury. If it’s not healing right, you get that lady to look at it.”
“Shaelan.” He shook his head. “If it’s not, she’s going to want to stitch it, and then I’m grounded. I don’t have time to be grounded.” He went over to the table and took off his jacket. “Team members are on their way here now, so I need that Intel for them.”
She came over. “They’re already on the way?”
He took off his shirt and realized how cold and damp it was in there. “Yeah. We’re hoping it’s going to be enough, but we won’t know that until I find out how many are in that building of Kenric’s.”
She moved closer and took off the bandage. He looked down to see it was scabbing over but wasn’t as far along with healing as he would have liked.
“Fifteen.” She said as she gently touched around the edge of his wound. “There’s always the same fifteen. Sometimes, there are more, but they don’t stay. Or one will go out for supplies, but they always come back.”
How long had she been watching Kenric? “How long have you guys been staying here?”
“Since fall when it closed for the season.” She looked at the bags for Shaelan. “Is there some ointment in all of this?”
She’d been watching Kenric for at least five months. She probably had half the answers he needed. “I have something better in my bag.”
She looked around and saw it by the door.
“Are they armed? The fifteen?”
“Some.” She brought his bag over and set it down. “Are there enough of your team people coming that can handle that many?”
Uri grinned. “With the ones coming, I don’t think fifteen will be a problem.”
“Okay.”
The set of her jaw wasn’t as relaxed since he told her they were coming. He held out the homemade ointment. “I don’t know what’s in it, but it works.”
She looked at it and opened the tin and smelled it. “Anything that smells this bad probably works like magic.”
He smiled. “Yeah. The smellier it is, the better it is.”