“Yes. Sort of.” I wiped the tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand. “I thought I’d lost them. I thought I’d lost them forever. But they’re looking.”

Halaavi gently coaxed me upright, and gently coaxed me to a shady spot in the shadow of a cook tent. Ve brought me stew and water and nudged me into eating it. But ve was dark and distracted, and I could not bring myself to care.

Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

Goods were traded back and forth between the Avolayla and the Allunga. Some of our unpaired drifted over to the other clan, and some of their unpaired drifted over to us. The mood in the clan—both clans—was buoyant, hopeful. Eventually, neither camp was really Avolayla or Allunga, but some thorough mix of both. All of us Avolayla were siblings, but the Allunga were our cousins. Family is family; among the Droma, family, like time, is endless. They traded stories, lore, news of other clans. Sikelat got a very young healer for training. But fall crept up, and in fall even the abundance of the Slide grows too thin to support two clans’ herds. Soon enough, it was time for the clans to part.

The Avolayla were to head east, into the familiar scrubby steppes. The Allunga’s route took them south. Halaavi and I didn’t discuss it. I didn’t discuss it with anyone. No one was surprised when I spent more and more time in the Allunga camp. Halaavi followed me over, and on the day the Allunga broke down their yurts, Nalunghai Koro advocated for us. We became Allunga Boonu Ariah and Allunga Boonu Halaavi. There is always room for those with skills.