---
"Yes, Vice General," the soldiers said.
He looked back into the cage. Miryam's friend had put its head on her arm. She did not blink. He liked that. He smiled again, a little wider.
"We will talk later," he said. "For now you rest. You will want your eyes open when the stars come."
He stood and brushed sand from his palms. "Move the line," he called over his shoulder. "Bring the second cart in. Keep the gap clear. I want space around her."
The ants obeyed. The column shifted by a cart's width. Ropes were tied again. Two scouts walked a ring around the new position and tamped the edge of the track so the cart would not tilt. One checked the cage lashings one more time and stepped back.
Under the dome, the cage sat tight and shaded. Miryam watched the vice general's boots move away and told herself not to cry. She kept her face dry and stubborn and counted to five again.
