“It’s what he does.” Thia pulled a handful of it out of the ground and handed it to Sumi. “I’ve heard Uncle Syn threaten a million times to embed an off switch in him so that when he refuses to rest when he’s hurt, Syn can force him. And my father threatens to hold him down while Syn implants it.” She gave more to Sumi. “How are your wounds, by the way?”

“I’ve had worse.”

Thia snorted. “You fit in nicely with this bunch. Sound just like them all.”

Sumi didn’t comment as she dug around for more root.

With Thia’s added help, it didn’t take long to gather enough and return to their small, mobile camp that Hauk had already packed up and slung over his back.

Aghast at him, Sumi gestured at the gear strapped to his wide shoulders. “What are you doing, sweetie?” she asked in a sarcastic falsetto.

He brushed at the sweat on his forehead. “We need to get going.”

“Dancer,” she chided. “You’re not up to this.”

“I’m fine.”

Hands on hips, Sumi gave him an oh-really stare. “The sweat beading on your forehead calls you a big fat liar pants. And the pallor of your skin calls you out even more.” She tugged at the strap of his haul bag. To her shock, he allowed her to remove it and his sword. That alone told her how bad he felt.

Shaking her head at him, she placed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You’re burning with fever.”

“It’s still not safe here.”

She pulled more gear from his shoulders. “You know… really hard to protect us when you’re dead. So unless you know some kind of mystic Andarion resurrection spell, I think you should sit down now before you fall over and we’re stuck dragging you behind us. In spite of what you think, I am a trained soldier, fully capable of defending us from attackers.”

He mumbled in Andarion under his breath. The words were beautiful, but she was quite certain their meaning wasn’t.

“You keep insulting me like that, and I’m going to have Thia translate it.”

Thia laughed. “He called you a bossy little mouse, which is actually not an insult in Andarion. Rather he respects the courage you’re showing by telling him what to do when you’re too small to physically force it.”

Sumi frowned. “What’s the Andarion word for mouse?”

“Mia. Kahrya is bossy. Kahrya mia… bossy little mouse.” Thia handed her the medical pack. “On Andaria, they see mice as brave, aggressive creatures. Fearless… Of course, on Andaria, like everything else, the mice are ferocious, fanged and much scarier than they are on most other planets.”

Sumi could just imagine. “Do they suck blood and eat small infants, too?”

Thia pressed her lips together before she answered. “Actually, they do.”