Chapter 59

Harun put his arm around Kelwyn and squeezed him gently. “Are you well?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your wound? It seemed healed…”

“No, not that. I…” Kelwyn shuddered again. “I killedtwo people. Just because I was annoyedat them. That was all I felt at the time, annoyed at how stupid they were being.”

Harun squeezed him again, and his voice was amused as he said, “I believe you mostly killed them because they were attacking us. Annoyance was not the issue.” More seriously he continued, “But it is common to have strange emotions during a fight. And pain does strange things to the mind, also. You have been suffering a great deal on this trip.”

“I guess. I just…” Kelwyn gave another shiver, leaning further into Harun’s embrace. “I don’t know. It feels wrong.”

“There is no sin in self-defense,” broke in Tulloch, who was sitting beside Harun by the fire. Several of the group had already retired to their tents, so there were only half a dozen now circling around the flames.