"Are you complaining again?" Kira gasped, painfully pulling herself over the top of the last vertical stretch. She helped Jason up as well, then dropped to her knees, breathing heavily, while he lay nearby. "We have to keep moving," she finally got out.

Jason groaned, but rolled to his front and got up, staggering a little.

It was still full dark, but the looming shape of the mountains to the west were easy to spot. "That way," Kira said. "There's a long stretch of open land west of Kelsi that slopes up to meet the pass leading to Ihris." She made a major effort and managed to get her feet moving.

Jason trod beside her, slumping as he walked. "Slopes up," he repeated. "We have to go uphill."

"Yeah. All the way to the pass."

"I can't believe it, but I'm wishing for a train."

They fell silent, struggling through the coastal grasses, high enough to reach their waists in places, the stalks and leaves tough. Pushing through that made the walk up the slope even harder. "This entire planet is trying to make me miserable," Jason said. "Demeter hates me."

"It's Dematr," Kira said.

"No, it's Demeter."

"It's my world, not yours. Dematr."

"Okay."

"Don't say okay."

She heard him laughing under his breath and wondered what could possibly be funny.

Neither one talked again for a while, concentrating on staying on their feet. Kira did her best to think of nothing except walking, but recent memories and emotions began to rise to the surface, things she had felt but hadn't dealt with yet.

Kira found herself stumbling, her eyes fixed ahead but not focusing. She suddenly stopped, breathing heavily.

Jason stopped walking as well, staring back at her with concern. "You never fall behind me. Kira? Are you shaking?"

She was, Kira realized. She was trembling.

"What's the matter?" Jason asked, frantic.

"Jason, I…I…shot that man. And a guy…trying to get in the boat. I might…I might have shot other people. I…I…I…might have…killed one of them."

Aunt Alli had warned her. So had her mother. It seemed so easy, shooting at targets. But a real person, that was very different.

"Kira," Jason said, sounding sad and helpless. "You didn't want to do that, did you? You had to. They attacked us. Attacked you."

"I know. I know. It's still…"

"I stuck a knife in a guy's hand," Jason said. "That was nothing like one of the games where you stab some opponent with a sword and you know it's all fake no matter how real it looks. I…I know how you feel. A little."