Gabriel woke before dawn.
Tess lay beside him, still asleep. Her hand rested in his, fingers loosely threaded together.
He carefully extracted himself without waking her and sat up.
The camp was quiet. Adan dozed near the treeline, his watch shift ended. Gilbert snored softly. Ennu sat perfectly still against a tree, eyes closed but probably awake. Mera's bedroll was empty.
Where is she?
Gabriel scanned the camp. Found her sitting by the stream, thirty yards away. She faced the water, her back to the camp.
Still carving that wooden figure.
Gabriel left her to it. Whatever was breaking inside Mera, forcing a confrontation wouldn't help.
He pulled the book from his pack.
The leather cover was warm to the touch. Always warm, like something alive resided within.
This is a risk.
Every time he used the book, he felt it change him. Saw things that twisted his understanding of the world. Learned truths he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
