Wary, her knife up to ward off any sudden attack, Xessa bent and fished around until her fingers bumped Nallet’s spear, and with a shudder of relief, she dragged it out of the water. The eja backed out of the womb and then turned and ran, up into the night and the darkness, towards Ossa and Toxte. Fucking Toxte. Oh, she had some questions for Toxte. The torchlight grew as she fled back to the ejab and then Ossa was there, and then Toxte, and all Xessa’s constant, bubbling anger cooled and settled, because he was sitting on the floor with his arms and legs wrapped around Ekka, and the torchlight molten in the tears on his face.

Nallet and Quin reacted violently to her appearance, Quin even lunging with his spear before recognising her, and then there was a babbling flurry of hands as they demanded answers. Xessa slashed hers through the air to still them. ‘It’s contained. It’s still tied – and it’s still injured.’

Toxte was watching her. A shudder went through him at her words and he clutched Ekka tighter. The dog was sitting still in his embrace, giving comfort, her tongue working patiently at his neck. Xessa stood over them and shame filled her. She wasn’t the only person who grieved for Kime and Tika, even if she had been kin with the former. Yet she’d done nothing since the deaths but batter away at Toxte, wallowing in her own mourning and ignoring his. She’d provided him with no comfort, yet she’d demanded it in turn. And he’d gifted it to her, selflessly, day after day.

‘Can you check on it?’ she signed to Quin. ‘Both of you together. I stabbed its right leg, near the calf. Check it’s still down but other than that don’t touch it.’

Nallet and Quin were reluctant, but they went.

When she was alone with Toxte, Xessa knelt down next to him and took his face in her hands. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouthed and he frowned, confused. She didn’t explain, just kissed him, with tenderness and the first new growth of love, until he transferred the tightness of his grip from Ekka to her and shared the bottomless depth of his fear with her. He stank of it, his skin wet with it, and she held him all the tighter, his trembling becoming hers until she took it all from him and he was still.

Xessa helped Toxte to stand and untied the rope still crossed over his chest and back. There were ugly burns on his collarbones from where he’d struggled against it, but he submitted now without protest, and they waited for the ejab to come out of the womb and nod it was still contained, and then he let her lead him slowly back down the path in the blackness, and into the city, and home.