“Work it out,” said Tohon. He loped back into the forest on the trail of the soldiers.

“Why ever did they leave you alive, Shai?” asked Zubaidit.

“The cloak took me for a lackwit.”

Eridit rose. “Can you blame them?” She spat, grimacing at the taste. “Aui! You’ve talked more just now than I heard you talk the first month we were out.”

Shai tapped his shoulder, and the children hustled back into the shelter, even Vali, who was forcefully sucking down sobs, trying not to break out weeping.

“Why did you come back?” he said. “I assumed you would just go on with the mission.”

Bai shrugged. “The less you know, the less can be tortured out of you. We figured if you reached the camp, you’d be questioned. We couldn’t take the chance they’d learn of our situation from you.”

He considered the cold nasty feeling he’d had in the presence of the cloak. “It’s true. He was sending me to be questioned by the commander of the army.”

“Lord Radas?”

“A female. He never named her. I can’t leave the children behind, they depend on me.”

“What can you possibly do with them?” asked Eridit. All imperious command had vanished. She looked exhausted.

“I don’t know. Get them to a safe haven.”

“Nothing like that around here,” said Bai. “This entire district is pretty sparsely settled, but even so, every village we’ve come across as we’ve tracked you has been burned out or abandoned. Even the temples are empty. You can’t lead them all the way back to Olo’osson, Shai. Or hope to find their families, if their families even survived.”

“If I leave them now, I don’t know who will die because I wasn’t here to help them.”

Mounted, Bai reminded him of the Qin soldiers: deadly, but rational, unlike the soldiers who had taken them prisoner. “They went inside quickly enough, at a signal from you.”

“They’re formed into banners. They’ll take my orders.”

“Is there a well around here?” asked Eridit. “Eihi! I want to rinse out my mouth.”

“That way.” He pointed.

She moved.

Bai said, “Don’t go, Eridit. We’ve got to clear out now.”

Eridit halted.

“All it takes is three of those cursed soldiers to ask a pair of questions and call each other cowards, and they’ll be come running back here to kill us. Eiya!” Bai bit her lip. Raised her gaze to the heavens. Drew down her brows.

“We can’t take them all,” said Eridit.

“I’m not leaving the children,” said Shai. “You go on. I’ll manage. Come out, banners! Grab anything there is.” They filed out briskly, looking frightened. “Yudit, take your warblers and the heron banner and run to the byre. See if the soldiers forgot the supplies stored there.”

Yudit and Dena ran off with their groups, but to watch them go made obvious the ridiculousness of any plan to save them: too thin, too weak, too young. Still, he must try.

“Owls, scour the houses. Don’t dawdle. You hawks, go to the storehouse beside the well and see if there are any ladles, buckets, or pouches left, and fill them with—”