She stared at me for a long moment, and then gave a shaky laugh, but her expression was hard. ‘Did you truly think I’d have hysterics because of some beast gnawing on Moss’s bones?’ She shook her head emphatically. ‘I cannot mourn for the death of a man who did me so much ill, much less for his body. But in truth, even if I had loved him, it would not offend me to think beasts had taken him for a meal. A body is no more than flesh. After all that you have told us of Ahmedri’s brother Straaka, I know that we are far more than bones and skin and blood.’

Swallow and I gaped at her in wonder, and then the gypsy laughed and said, ‘You are a marvel, Ana.’

The admiration in his voice did not make her smile. She reached down to take up a pot of water standing in the ashes, and carried it over to Dragon, where she knelt and began to bathe the dirt from the girl’s face, her expression closed and her cheeks pale.

I thought of what Dameon had said, and wondered how to convince Analivia that we did not blame or judge her for what had been done to her. Swallow shook his head and began to make porridge, saying whether or not Analivia was distraught, we had better set up an armed watch in future. Then Ahmedri called him to help make Dragon’s travois. I took over preparing the porridge. It was beginning to bubble sluggishly when Dameon came down into the hollow. His wet hair and damp pink face told me that he had been bathing and I had a sudden urge to do the same.

‘How did you manage to wash your hair in those trickles of water?’ I asked.

‘Slowly,’ he said drily.

Realising this might be my last chance to bathe for some time, I decided to make the effort. I left the empath to stir the porridge, got some clean underwear and soap from my pack and went up to bathe.

Dameon had been right about it being time consuming because the water fell in icy trickles from the stone arch, but it was a pleasure to be clean and afterwards I washed my small clothes as well. I had managed not to anguish over the fact that Dragon had not woken, but when I returned to the hollow, Ahmedri and Swallow were lifting her gently into the travois they had created.

Analivia came to me carrying her towel and soap and said she was going to bathe as well.

‘How is she?’ I asked, nodding towards Dragon.