A few steps apart

We don't take any more breaks. Tobin says it's not safe so close to the capital, which is hilarious. We could stop close to the front but not a few steps from home.

The girl, Mouna, spends her time in silence, observing me when she thinks I can't notice. She doesn't talk because she doesn't know what to say, but she doesn't move her eyes away from me for hours at times.

On the second day of travel, she understands I'm just a woman, and she focuses on the other person in this carriage: Aida. I'd hearten the girl, but she seems calm, so I let her stare and collect her information.

Her power is closer to Aida's than mine. She's not a soul Mage, but she can heal people from wounds. It's the kind of affinity that one needs for battlefields and hospitals.