Chapter 14: Ker
Ker whirled and danced as she slaughtered the Legion around her. She killed a legionary with a thrust between his ribs only to clear a line of sight to her previous hide. And there he was, her partner, scaling the cliff. He was almost at the top when she called out to him.
"Father!" She saw him reach the top. "Father!" She cried as he disappeared from sight without looking back. Her distraction was all the legionaries needed. Several rushed her at once disarming her and restraining her. Still, she fought.
"Ker!" She thought she heard a familiar voice.
She managed a few solid impacts with her fists as she struggled.
"Ker!"
Ker sat up in bed quickly and looked around with wild eyes.
"Ker. You were dreaming. You're in Bitter Springs."
Ker looked around at the unfamiliar tent before letting her eyes fall on the speaker with the familiar voice; a large man, very well built and handsome even. He wore a red beret but not the sunglasses she expected. "Boone." She sighed.
"You were shouting in your sleep." Boone said, removing his warm hand from her shoulder.
"Judging by my dream, I'm guessing I was calling out for my father." She sighed again.
"Yeah."
Ker pulled her legs in so she was sitting comfortably cross legged. Boone was sitting on the cot beside hers, looking at her worriedly. Beyond him, she could see the sun was still out. "How long?" She asked.
"Twenty-six hours."
"What?! A whole day?" Ker shifted to stand up.
"Don't even think about moving." Boone said harshly. Ker looked up at him questioningly. "You almost died. You need more rest."
"But we're in Bitter Spring." Ker said sadly.
"I know."
"I… didn't mean to leave you alone here." Ker sighed.
"I know."
Ker took a deep breath and sighed, then relaxed where she sat on the cot. "Anything interesting happen while I was out?"
"Not much.
"Did you get treated?" She asked in passing. Boone didn't respond. "What?! Doctor!" She yelled.
The young doctor rushed in a few moments later. "You're up!" He said happily. "What did you need?"
"He took a switchblade to the calf." She said pointing accusingly at Boone.
"You did?" The doctor asked. Boone grumbled but let the doctor inspect the wound. Ker fell back onto the cot while the doctor applied a Stimpak to Boone's leg. She was staring up at the tent above her with her hands behind her head when she heard the doctor leave and Boone come back over.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine or at least I will be." Ker answered smugly as she sat back up.
"No more bullshit bravado." Boone said shaking his head. Ker looked over to Boone, looking him straight in the eye. "I know you're strong. I know you're tough. But even you have limits." Boone broke eye contact and sighed. "You've seen me at my worst. Hell, I nearly killed you. I nearly killed myself. But you've had my back from the first moment we met." Boone looked back up at Ker. "You can trust me. You can let your guard down around me."
Ker suddenly looked very uncomfortable. She dropped her eyes to the cot she sat on and fidgeted nervously. "It's not that I don't trust you, Boone. It's just… I don't know how." Ker admitted quietly. "I've been on guard for so long."
"I know."
They sat quietly for a moment, neither quite sure what to say. Then they heard footsteps approaching the tent and both looked up to see Captain Gilles.
"Markland told me you were finally up. Glad to see you're well on your way to recovery." Gilles said happily as she entered the tent.
"I'll go get you something to eat." Boone said roughly as he stood up. He then stomped past Gilles and out of the tent.
Gilles let out the breath she was holding as he left. Ker wasn't good at reading people, but even she could see Boone didn't particularly like Gilles. "How exactly do you two know each other?" Ker asked from where she sat.
"He didn't tell you?"
"He told me about what happened here. He never mentioned you." Ker said carefully.
"I was…" Gilles began. She then sighed as she walked over to sit on the cot beside Ker's. "I was the CO of First Recon during the incident."
"Ahh. So, you gave the order?" Ker asked to be sure.
"Yes."
Ker thought for a second. "No wonder Boone is pissed."
"What are you two even doing here? I thought for sure I'd get a bullet in the back of the head before I ever saw Boone here again."
"You think he'd kill you?" Ker asked.
"Boone took the incident hard; harder than anyone else in First Recon. I know the military offered consoling afterward but I know Boone never took it. I can honestly say he was a nice guy before. But after… I see time hasn't done much to heal those old wounds. He's still just as cold and detached as he was then."
"If I thought for one second killing you would help Boone, I'd kill you in a heartbeat." Ker saw Gilles swallow hard. "But I don't think it will. Maybe I'm wrong. But he's the one who wanted to come to Bitter Springs. I think he was hoping to die here." Ker said thoughtfully.
"What?!" Gilles said in surprise.
"I think he's past that now, though. I think…" Ker smiled to herself. "I think I helped."
"If you did, then I just might owe you my life." Gilles said shaking her head. "I guess I owe you that twice now." Gilles paused. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, dunno if I'll answer though."
"Before you left to track down Boone you said something about a promise." Gilles asked warily.
"As long as he travels with me, I'll die before I let them kill him."
"That's quite the dedication to a partner. I know First Recon partners form some strong bonds, but you two seem… different."
"Different? How?" Ker asked confused.
"I don't know. It's just… the look on his face when you collapsed… Never mind, I suppose it's not important."
"No, I'm curious!" Ker pleaded.
"Most people would give anything to have another person look at them that way."
"What do you…" Ker began slowly. What way had Boone looked at her? Unless… "Oh." She finally understood what Gilles was referring to. Ker started to panic a little. "Oh! You think that Boone and I… No." Ker settled down again. "There's no way."
"Why not?" Gilles asked innocently.
Ker sighed. "We're both too broken." Ker wasn't ignorant. She knew about 'the crows and the cazadors'. It had just always been her and her father. And after he left, she was alone. The closest interaction she had with eligible men was killing legionaries in melee. It had never even crossed her mind that she spent all her time with a buff, handsome man. Or that they spent all their time together, alone. Or even that 'partners' could mean something vastly different to other people. Apparently other people did think about that sort of thing. Did other people include Boone? No. Boone had had a family. He had been in love. He wasn't looking for that… was he?
"Oh, that's too bad." Gilles said sadly. "You seem to make each other happy." Ker just shrugged and shook her head. "Well, I better get going. I don't think Boone will come back until I'm gone." Gilles got up from the bed and walked toward the tent door. "My offer still stands. You're welcome to stay as long as you like." With that Gilles left Ker alone with her thoughts.
A few minutes later, Boone came back. Ker looked up at him and blushed. She quickly looked away. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd blushed.
"What's wrong?" Boone asked.
Ker wasn't one to lie. She'd occasionally withhold the truth or refuse to answer a question, but she rarely lied. "Gilles was nice enough to point out something that is apparently obvious to everyone but me."
"Oh?" Boone prompted with an angry glare.
Ker sighed loudly and flopped back on the cot. "You're a man and I'm a woman."
"Yeah, that's pretty obvious." Boone said, letting the anger slip from his voice and be replaced with humor.
Ker lifted her head to look at Boone and rolled her eyes before dropping her head back to the cot. "Apparently, Izzy isn't the only one who thinks partners means more than just partners."
"Ah." Boone replied as he placed the items in his arms down on one of the tables. "Does that… bother you?
"No. The opinions of other people rarely matter to me. It's just…" Ker stared at the tent above her intently.
"Just what?" Ker heard Boone sit on the cot beside hers.
"After my father left it was just me. I don't think I saw a friendly face for years." Ker stared at the tent above her as she spoke. "Since I came west, I've met a lot of people; too many, probably. Most are just faces I'll never see again. I never even thought to put time into getting to know someone until I met you."
"Why was I different?"
"After you got your revenge, I asked you what you were going to do. Remember?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't need to ask. I knew exactly what you were going to do." Ker sighed again. "It took four years of killing to sate my burning bloodlust. Four years alone in the desert, with only the hate to drive me on. It took me four, long years to make my decision; the same decision I knew you were struggling with. I wanted to help. For the first time since my father left, I wanted something other than revenge. So I tried."
"I thought I'd failed when you took that drink." Ker thought back. "But you came after me. I didn't expect that. When I realized you wanted something other than revenge, it made me happy. When you said we were friends…" Ker paused. "I haven't had a friend before. That's when I realized I enjoyed traveling with you and that I would rather do something I enjoy than go east."
"I'm happy with how things are; traveling together, helping each other. Personally? I don't think I could ask for anything more." Ker sighed happily, still staring up at the tent. "And I wouldn't because I know how much you still love Carla." Ker finally sat up and looked at Boone who sat on the other cot. "So let them talk. Let them speculate and assume. The only opinion that matters to me is yours." Ker smiled at Boone then suddenly frowned, dropping her eyes from Boone's to the ground. She shifted awkwardly before continuing. "What about you? Were you expecting… more… when we started traveling together?"
"Ker, look at me." Boone said sternly. Ker almost flinched at the anger in his voice but, after a moment of hesitation, she looked up at him. "I expected to die in Nelson." Boone took a deep breath. "If I wanted more, I could go to the Strip and pay for it. That's not why I'm here. I'm here because I enjoy traveling with my friend. I know she has my back against all odds and I trust her with my life. I will never do anything to jeopardize that trust."
Ker smiled. "Well, at least now we know where we stand." Ker shook herself briskly and shifted to the edge of the bed. "Let's go for a walk."
"What?"
"I wanna see this place in the daylight. Then I'll get some rest."
"Alright."
Ker gingerly stood up and stretched carefully. She then walked over to the table and holstered her pistols and knives. She left her rifle and pack where they were beside Boone's pack in the corner of the tent. She then headed for the tent door and stepped out into the bright afternoon sun with Boone close behind her. She had to shield her eyes against the sun for a moment.
Ker inspected the camp before her. It was in shambles. Where she stood were the three NCR tents. Beyond them everything was makeshift and thrown together. And there were a lot of people. Far more then she had guessed given the amount of sleeping space.
"What is this place?" Ker asked in confusion.
"It's a refugee camp; for people fleeing the Legion." Boone answered from beside her.
"Refugees make excellent bait." Ker said absentmindedly.
"What?" Boone asked in surprise.
"They had no idea how lucky they were to be bait."
"What do you mean?"
"There are always people fleeing west from the Legion. Occasionally, I'd run into a group. The Legion is damn good at dealing with refugees and the refugees rarely had the equipment or tactical sense to beat or evade the Legion. The Legion would always catch up with them. So I'd shadow the refugees; let them draw in small Legion slaver parties and just when the slavers thought they had the refugees, I'd step in." Ker smiled viciously.
"You protected them?" Boone asked slightly surprised.
"I guess you could call it that." Ker shrugged and started to walk toward the mouth of the canyon, through all the makeshift shelters. Lots of people turned and stared as they passed; a few stopped them to thank them. Boone stood close at Ker's shoulder as they passed through the crowds. They had almost made it to the mouth of the canyon when Ker heard something she thought she recognized. She looked around curiously.
"What is it?" Boone asked.
"I could have sworn I heard something." Ker said quietly.
This time, it was unmistakable. "Ker!" The cry was accompanied by a murmur through the crowd. Ker immediately turned toward the voice and Boone instinctively stepped in front of her. Eventually the source of the cry pushed his way through the crowd but stopped when he found his path blocked by the former NCR sniper.
"Uh… Sir. Is… is Ker with you?" The boy who was barely a teenager said worriedly as he stared up at Boone.
"What-" Boone began.
"Move over, Boone!" Ker said from behind him as she tried to push him out of the way. Boone relented and stepped aside.
"I told them it was you!" The boy yelled happily and dove at Ker. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her with all his might.
"Careful." Ker said with a grimace.
"Oh!" He eased up and looked up at her. "The soldiers told us a former soldier and a woman saved us from the Legion attack. But they said the soldier got grabbed by the Legion so the woman went after him. I told them there's only one woman who would hunt down the Legion alone to save her friend but they didn't believe me. They said you were dead. But I knew the Legion couldn't kill you!" The boy hugged her again and buried his face in her stomach.
Boone looked at Ker in confusion. Ker just smirked back and then looked down at the boy.
"You were in Evander's group." Ker said softly.
"You remember!" The boy said happily.
"Of course I remember! Is anyone else here?" Ker asked carefully.
"Not everyone. The soldiers took away the little ones when we got here, Pax and Lucia left and Iovita died." He said sadly. "But everyone else is here! Come on! They'll all want to see you!" The boy took Ker's hand and started pulling her through the crowd. Ker shrugged at Boone happily and let herself be pulled along. Boone followed close behind.
The boy lead Ker back toward the NCR tents then up an unmarked path that he apparently knew well. Just when she started to worry about how far from the camp they were getting, he spoke again. "Evander is inside with everyone else." The boy said happily as he let go of Ker's hand and indicated a small and very concealed cave entrance. The boy then ran into the cave shouting. "Evander!"
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Boone asked as Ker examined the cave entrance.
"No, probably not." Ker said with a big smile. "But they might." She added as she slipped into the cave. It took Boone a bit more time. The entrance was a tight squeeze for him but he just made it. The boy and Ker were waiting inside.
"The soldier is coming too?" The boy asked. "Ev doesn't really like soldiers… but I'm sure it's okay if he's with you." The boy then ran off down the tunnel calling for Evander. Ker and Boone followed the echoing voice down the tunnel. The boy ran ahead but would impatiently wait for them to catch up before going further. After going fifty feet down a twisty tunnel, another voice finally replied to the boy.
"Severus! Will you calm down?!" The voice was stern but friendly at the same time. Ker and Boone rounded the last corner and came upon a large open cavern. A fire was burning in the middle of the cavern, lighting most of the large area. The fringes were lit by bioluminescent mushrooms. In several places around the cave were makeshift bedding and various odds and ends. Most of the cave's residents were lounging around the fire. Some playing with old toys, some asleep. Including Severus, there were twelve people. The oldest was maybe fifteen.
The oldest boy looked up from a book in his hand that he was reading aloud by firelight and glared at the two strangers still standing in the dark tunnel. "What have you done Severus? This place is our secret hideout, remember?"
"I know Ev, but I found Ker!" Severus cried with joy as he got closer to the fire.
"Rus, I know you want to see Ker again but she stayed back east, remember? There's no way she'd come to Bitter Springs." Evander shook his head.
"The wasteland never ceases to surprise me." Ker said loudly, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry for your trouble, strangers. He was just hoping to see an old friend." Evander said sadly.
"At least you didn't throw rocks at me this time." Ker said and Boone could hear the smile in her voice.
Evander shot to his feet. "Ker…?" He said hesitantly.
"Can we come in?" Ker asked.
"Of-f course!" Evander stuttered. "Felix! Turn on the lamp!" One of the boys did as Evander asked and as Ker and Boone approached the fire, the cave was lit by the artificial light of an old world lantern. When Evander saw Ker's face it was his turn to run toward her and grab her in a bear hug.
"Easy there… Still healing." Ker said through gritted teeth.
"Oh!" Evander quickly let her go and backed up in embarrassment. "It's true then? You saved us again?" Evander asked.
"Apparently I did." Ker replied as she walked closer to the fire.
"Rus likes to talk to the soldiers. He was sure it was you but the captain said the woman was with a soldier." Evander explained as he followed Ker.
"Ah. Yes." Ker stiffly lowered herself to sit by the fire. "Evander, everyone, the big, scary guy in the red hat is Boone. He's a friend of mine."
"A soldier?" Evander asked curiously as he sat beside her.
"Yes. He's a good one, though."
Evander looked over his shoulder at Boone. "Uh, you're… um… welcome to join us then… uh… Sir." Boone nodded to the young man then sat on the other side of Ker.
"Don't mind him. He's quiet and probably also very confused." Ker explained.
"Confused? He doesn't know?" Evander asked.
"No. To be honest I haven't thought about you guys in a long time. I had no idea you'd be here." Ker said honestly.
"Then why'd you come to Bitter Springs? No one comes to Bitter Springs by choice." Evander snorted.
"We had business here. It was sheer luck we got here when we did." Ker explained.
"You want me to tell him then?" Evander asked.
"You're better at telling stories then I am." Ker said.
"I guess I'll start then. And everyone can fill in anything I miss, alright?" Evander said to the other kids. They all agreed.
"I guess is all started in Saligman. My parents and I were part of a wandering caravan until we met the Legion. They killed my father, took my mother and slapped me and my brother in shackles. They made us slaves. I won't go into detail on what happened after that, but they overlooked something when they relegated us to slave labour; I can read. I know that's minor to an NCR soldier, but it's pretty much like magic to most legionaries. A chance encounter with a priest had me relegated to the stupidest position you could every put me in; mailman."
"The frumentarii often sent letters among themselves and the priests. I was tasked with taking the letters between them and often to the nearby priests. The Legion never even considered that I could be reading all their valuable intelligence. So I was a good little slave… for a while. Until the reports got interesting. I bided my time, spread the right rumors and Selgiman rebelled the day after they dispatched their main forces. It was bloody. A lot of slaves died." Evander sighed. "A lot of parents died horrible deaths on cross to get their kids out. The next thing I know, I'm in the middle of the desert with twenty other kids all younger than me. We had no weapons, no food, no water and the only thing I could think of to do was to go west. So that's what we did."
"Keeping the little ones calm was hard; especially when they were hungry and thirsty. It didn't take long for the Legion to catch us though. They herded us into a box canyon. I figured we were dead or worse. All we had to defend ourselves were rocks and sticks."
"That's when the thunder saved us!" One of the young girls added happily.
"Thunder?" Boone asked.
"I know now it was a rifle shot from the canyon wall. But yeah, basically we sat there and watched the legionaries die one after another as we heard the thunder crack. When the legionaries were all dead, we figured we were next. Instead a woman slid down the canyon wall to meet us. She wore a ragged duster and a beat up cowboy hat. She looked like she was a part of the desert come to life; covered in sand and dust and perfectly coloured to blend in with the terrain. Except for her guns; the rifle she carried in one hand was in immaculate condition, its metal gleamed in the moonlight. The kids panicked and threw rocks. Ker was not happy about that. She started to leave without saying a word." Evander shook his head slowly. "I pretty much got down on my knees and begged at that point. I thought she was still going to leave. But she didn't. Instead she started taking things off the legionaries and handing them out. Suddenly we had food, water and weapons. Then Ker headed west and we just... sort of… followed her."
"She barely said a single word. She led us during the night and then disappeared after showing us where to hide for the day. She'd come back every night though, with more supplies. Severus started to call her Ker. He said he'd heard the legionaries talk about a thing that was hunting them in the desert; a thing that made them afraid. They called it a Ker. It caught on pretty quick." Evander looked over at Ker who was looking longingly into the fire. "I don't know how she did it. We didn't see another legionary up close for the whole trip. We knew they were there, but the thunder always saved us."
"One night she came back with extra supplies, but she was limping, badly. Still, she led us through the night. As we walked, I often told stories. My parents had liked to read and would often trade books with other people when our caravan stopped for supplies. I knew a lot of stories and they kept the little ones calm."
"I can't tell you how long we kept that up. Weeks, months. Time just sort of passed. Finally one night we got to a river. Ker pointed to some bright lights in the distant and then turned around and started walking east. I tried to stop her, to get her to come with us but she wouldn't. So we crossed the river. It didn't take long for us to run into an NCR patrol. They asked us how we made it through Legion territory without any adults. So we told them about Ker." Evander shook his head. "They didn't believe us. They said it was all a story I came up with to deal with the trauma. Then they took the little ones from us. They said they needed to be somewhere safer. Then they brought the rest of us to Bitter Springs." Evander sighed. "I don't know how long it's been. I haven't been keeping track."
"Almost two years." Ker said absently from beside him.
"Yeah, I guess that's about right. Felix found this cave not long after we got here. The soldiers know we're out here but not where. I pick up some supplies every few days and we manage. It may not be much, but this is paradise compared to being a Legion slave."
"Ev, what's paradise?" Felix asked.
"Think about a place where there is everything you could ever want. That's paradise."
"Can we go there?" A young girl asked.
"No, Luna. Paradise isn't real. Anyway, I know the soldiers are trying to help but ever since they took the little ones away from us, I've… kept my distance. Ker didn't go to all the trouble of saving us just for them to be spirited away by the NCR." Evander sighed. "I should have stopped them."
"Don't." Ker said abruptly. "The NCR isn't cruel like the Legion. They try to do the right thing. If they took the little ones maybe they did take them somewhere safer."
"You really think so?" Evander asked eagerly.
Ker looked over at Boone. "Yes."
Evander also looked over at Boone. "I'm glad to hear you say that."
Ker leaned back and lay on the cool stone floor. "That was the first time I broke the rules, Boone." Ker said tiredly. "It was too big a risk." She mumbled. "I'm… sleep…" She curled up on one side. "Play nice." Boone heard Ker sigh and knew she was sound asleep.
Evander stood up and walked over to a nearby bedroll where he picked up a blanket. He brought it back and gently laid it over Ker.
"Is Ker alright?" Severus asked quietly from the other side of the fire.
"She's just sleepy. Remember the soldiers told you she got hurt?" Evander answered.
"Yeah."
"She needs to sleep to get better." Evander explained.
"Oh."
Eventually the kids made their way back to what they were doing before their hero had shown up; leaving Evander and Boone the only ones awake close to the fire.
"She's changed." Evander said quietly.
"Has she?" Boone asked just as quietly.
"Yes. The Ker we met in the desert was cold and detached, virtually devoid of emotions." Evander remembered. "Whenever the little ones threw tantrums, I knew it grated on her. It even looked like she'd leave once or twice. She's said more today then she said on our whole journey. Did you change her?" He asked as he looked at the older man.
"I think we've change each other." Boone said, looking at the sleeping woman between them.
"She saved you too?"
"Yeah. More than once."
"You're lucky to have her."
Ker woke to a gentle hand on her shoulder. "…eh?" She mumbled.
"It's getting late; we should head back to the camp." Boone said softly.
"Right." Ker said and sat up stiffly. "Sorry for falling asleep on you, Evander."
"You never need to apologize to me." Evander said from nearby. Ker carefully stood and handed the blanket back to him. "If you are going into camp, Rus and I will join you. We need to get some supplies from Captain Gilles."
"Sounds good." Ker said and the four of them headed out down the twisty tunnel. Outside the sun had almost set. The group headed down the slope to the NCR area. Evander motioned them toward the command tent.
"Ah, Evander. What can I do for you?" The captain asked as he entered the tent. Severus entered next with Ker behind him. Boone waited outside beside the door.
"Captain." Evander said with a smirk. "Remember how I told you we made it through Legion territory because of our escort?"
"Umm… Ah yes. Some sort of desert guardian angel. Regaling the courier with your story?" The captain asked.
"No need. Captain Gilles, meet Ker." Evander said with just a bit of malice. Ker just smirked beside him.
"Ker? Wait, you're saying it's all true and you escorted two dozen kids for miles through Legion territory?" Gilles said in surprise.
"Yup. Took almost three weeks to get to the river from Saligman. Must've killed a hundred legionaries who got too close." Ker sighed.
"I thought the kids were just telling stories." Gilles said shaking her head. "I have to say, I still wouldn't believe them if I hadn't seen you take on the Legion here. Alright, Evander, I'll send in a correction to my report."
"Thank you, Captain." Evander smirked and left the tent.
"People will believe us now?" Severus asked happily.
"Yes, they will." Evander said happily. "I take it you won't be staying Ker."
"No." Ker said sadly.
"I figured as much. I can't tell you how good it is to see you again." Evander said happily.
"You're really leaving? But I just found you!" Severus cried.
"You like talking to the soldiers, right?" Ker asked him. He nodded sadly. "Ask them about the courier and her partner. We still have a lot of work to do if we want to push back the Legion, so they may be able to share some stories about us. And then you can tell Evander the stories for once." Ker smiled down at him.
"Ok… I guess. Goodbye Ker."
"Goodbye Severus, Evander." Ker gave a small wave and headed for the infirmary tent. Severus turned and headed back to the cave but Evander grabbed Boone's arm to stop him from following Ker.
"A moment, sir." Evander took a breath. "Thank you."
"For what?" Boone asked in surprise.
"I can tell you care about her. And I know she cares about you since she chased after the Legion to save you. Just…" Evander paused, searching for the right words. "Just keep doing whatever you're doing." He smiled at Boone. "It seems to be working." Evander nodded to Boone and turned to run after Severus.
Boone was left behind to stand alone in the camp. Momentarily he wondered exactly what Evander was referring to. After a few moments, Boone realized Ker might be wondering where he was. Boone entered the infirmary tent to find Ker lying on the cot she'd woken up on eating potato crisps.
"Evander. That was unexpected." She said when he entered.
"Seems like a good kid." Boone added as he grabbed some food from the pile he'd left on the table.
"As patient as a saint but he likes to talk, a lot. You know he would actually carry the little ones when they got tired or couldn't keep up?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I couldn't understand why he'd risk his own shot at freedom; just to give a kid he didn't know a better shot. I didn't understand how he survived as a Legion slave and still had empathy and compassion."
"Yet you trekked miles through the desert while injured to save someone you've only known a few months from legionaries who would have done horrible things to you if they'd gotten their hands on you."
"Eww… When you put it like that, what was I thinking?" Ker said happily as she lolled her head to one side to grin at him.