“No, punkin’.” She patted him on the cheek. “With those well-honed survival instincts, you’re going to be a bright stain on someone’s blast shield.”

Darice curled his lip at Thia’s warning. “What do you know?”

“Stop arguing and pack,” Hauk growled at them. “We need to move like your lives depend on it.”

It was only then that Sumi realized he was already packed up completely.

And within minutes, he had the kids packed, too. When he handed the haul bag to Darice, his nephew balked. Loudly.

Darice jerked his chin toward Thia and Sumi. “Why can’t they carry more?”

“They’re females.”

“So?”

Hauk mumbled in Andarion again. Sumi was beginning to suspect those were foul curses he was spewing. “Thia’s right. You’re just a walking stain. Stop bitching and soldier up. Take my minsid pack and march. You need to build the muscle mass.” He grabbed the huge haul bag and slung it over the sword strapped across his back before he led the way. Illyse trotted after him.

Holding on to the straps of her pink floral rucksack, Thia rolled her eyes at Darice, who continued to pout at all of them. “In a fight, as a rule, women are quicker and more nimble than men, moron. We’re also much smaller targets.”

“So?”

Hauk glanced back over his shoulder to check their pace. “Should we come under fire, they don’t need their muscles fatigued from carrying heavy packs and ammunition. It leaves them sharp with the freedom of movement to keep an eye out while we travel. If we’re attacked, we need someone to take point and lay down cover fire for us while we scramble.”

Thia nodded. “So standard protocol is, one soldier, usually the larger of the pair, plays pack mule so that the other can take that point and defend. It’s why Andarions assign male-to-female strike teams. Everyone does their part and everyone goes home.”

Darice rubbed at his nose. “I didn’t know that’s why we do that.”

Thia scoffed at him. “Has your mother taught you nothing?”

He cast a sullen sneer at Thia. “Who taught you?”

“My father. Uncle Syn. Aunt Shahara. Uncle Hauk. Uncle Darling. Aunt Mari. Uncle Fain. Uncle Caillen. Aunt Desi. Uncle Nero. Aunt Jayne… Constantly.” She sighed. “Everything is a life lesson that invariably ends with… and then you can die,” she said in a mock masculine tone. “It’s rather ridiculous.”

“No, it’s not.” Sumi swallowed as the pain of her past hit her hard. “You should be grateful that your father loves you so, Thia. My father taught me nothing, except how to take an insult without flinching. He sent me out into the world with a blindfold that was brutally ripped from my eyes. I would have given anything to know the things you do at your age. And it would have saved me a universe of hurt.”