Night had fallen, yet there was still no word from Madha and the others since they left.
Gara wanted to reach out first, but he worried that any glowing light from crystal ring in the dark might expose their position and put them in danger.
Inside his room, while nursing little Ava, his thoughts refused to settle.
The tiny baby whimpered now and then, batting her small hand against his chest whenever Gara unconsciously shifted, causing the milk to slip from her mouth.
"Sorry, sweetheart," Gara whispered softly, adjusting his position and gently stroking his daughter's dark red hair.
But even as he tried to focus on Ava, his mind kept drifting—back to Madha.
He raised his right hand. On his ring finger gleamed the ring Madha had given him, and around his wrist rested the bracelet from the same man.
"I should give something back to him too," Gara murmured under his breath.
Just then, the ring on his index finger pulsed with light.
He flinched slightly.
