Hiding Place (6)

His back ached in the way it always did after sleeping upright. The stone wall behind him hadn't softened overnight.

Across the room, Ardan was already up. He stood near the entrance, cloak over his shoulder, brushing frost from the seams with one hand. Eyes clear. He'd been awake longer than anyone.

Meren groaned and flopped back over. The blanket someone had thrown over him was tangled around one foot like it had tried to escape in the night.

Ren was already moving. She sat by the fire now, tossing a twig between her fingers. Her coat was still fastened. No visible pillow. No sign she had slept at all.

Lira stood beside the window slit, one arm across her chest, gaze on the grey outside. Her posture hadn't changed.

Lindarion blinked once.

'She really doesn't sleep, huh.'

He didn't speak right away. Just breathed in. The air was cold, sharper than it had been. The kind of cold that got into the joints first, then moved toward the lungs.