Hira and Tshering were both gone from the camp for a couple of days. No one explained where they had gone, and Andromeda didn't ask. She continued listening to Galahdian conversations, but was completely lost in them. She didn't want to ask others to translate new words for her, so she focused on the ones that she knew. She knew so few that it didn't help at all.
In the meantime, Klahan was left to be her sparring partner. Her combat training helped a little with her growing impatience; she expected to be doing something more than cooking and cleaning for the rebels. On the third day, Andromeda was given one of their long knives to train with. He nicked her occasionally, but otherwise they avoided a major incident. Having a knife was better than relying on her fists.
The two scouts returned on the following day, and not long after they appeared, Andromeda was summoned to Sonam's large tent. Whatever Hira and Tshering had to tell him of their expedition, it had been brief. Tshering had been the one to track Andromeda down and tell her to see Sonam.
The leader was looking over a large map when she entered the tent. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. He moved around the table to sit in the chair behind it. It was the only chair in the tent.
"How much of Galahd's history do you know?" Sonam asked.
It felt like a trivial question. Andromeda shrugged. "Just what you told me a few days ago, and that Galahd was a Lucian territory before the Empire came in. I sat in on a storytelling years ago, but I don't really remember it."
Sonam gave a pensive nod. "We were a Lucian territory for a few hundred years. Once the Lucians relaxed their grip and let us have our own militia, we were content as their territory. They left us alone to continue living our ways, unlike the Empire. During the war, Lucis didn't send aid, which was fine until the Empire attacked. What aid they did send dried up quickly. On top of that, King Regis began to heavily recruit our young for his Kingsglaive, promising to take back our home. There isn't a family on these islands that doesn't have at least one member who moved to Insomnia for some reason or another. So far, the king has not kept any of his promises. We can't rely on him.
"The Empire does not try to understand our ways, so they want to destroy them. They've taken over the education and restricted trade. They disregard our Elders. In the past couple of years, they've been taking away our hunting grounds for their military bases. They've been building up their forces here, coming down on us harder.
"Recently the Imperials laid claim to a large amount of land on this island to build a massive base. The other two are apparently too small for them now, and this new one would give them a more centralized position on the islands. Hira and Tshering scouted it out a day ago. They said the Imperials have already cleared away much of the jungle there. I've been told that the Imperial general in charge of the attacks months ago has been promoted to oversee all of Galahd. I assume you know him?"
Andromeda frowned. She did know who it was: Dalton, who had served as her superior when he had first brought her into Galahd. If she had just managed to kill him, none of this would be happening right now.
"Yeah." She replied. "He was my commanding officer."
"Well, he hasn't been able to attack us since your disappearance." Sonam went on. "'Course, he probably thought we were too weak and just all went home. He's in for a surprise, especially with you on our side. If you can flatten our camps, you should be able to destroy that base in the making."
"It's not that simple," Andromeda warned. It sounded as though he planned to take her to this new base and let her use her power there. "Something about my power makes Magitek soldiers and daemons turn wild. It makes them stronger."
Sonam paused in thought. It hadn't been what he wanted to hear. "We'll work around it. I suppose it's better to attack during the day. It'll take more than one attempt to disable a base."
"Why not just take it?" She suggested. The camp could benefit from whatever defenses they could pilfer from the Imperials. A base would have much better plumbing.
He shook his head. "Nifs would just bomb it until there's nothing left. Money isn't an object to them. Staying in a base would just trap us all and make it easier to kill us. You know how they deal with resistance."
Andromeda grimaced. Her suggestion had been a poor one. There had been plenty of innocent people in her home village: children, elderly, and those just not involved. The Imperials hadn't cared.
"Besides, even with all their fancy technology, Imperials can't get through the jungle. They struggle to find us. They had to rely on magic to get the job done before. You taught us the importance of being a moving target," Sonam pointed out. "Progress on the new base is going smoothly. You'll be going along with a group tomorrow morning to disrupt it."
"Yes, sir," She agreed, although she didn't know why she did it so formally. He seemed pleased by it; perhaps he would have preferred it if more people did so.
"The camp will move to a new location when we leave. Go help with the tear down." He instructed.
With a nod, Andromeda left the tent. He hadn't said specifically where to go, so she went to the medical tent, where she was most likely to find someone who was friendly towards her.
There was much bustling about the camp as everything was packed away. Some people even already left for the next location. Everyone seemed to know where they would next camp, except for Andromeda. She knew that she would not be given an answer if she asked; she didn't know her way around the jungle anyway, so it'd be pointless to ask.
She spent the whole day packing. There was no combat training, but she still had to help with dinner and wash the dishes afterwards. Then Andromeda was finally able to go to her tent. It was still there for the night.
Hira was there, apparently in the process of packing things away on her side. Of course, given how small the tent was, there was hardly separate sides for them. Andromeda didn't have much to pack up: just a few clothes that had been left for her. She had already kept those in a box under her bed.
The other woman gave a scoff as Andromeda went to her side. She was going to go to bed as she had done the previous nights, ignoring Hira, but the scoff had hit just the right nerve.
"Yes, I'm still here," She retorted. Hira wouldn't let her explain herself."And whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay."
"Why?" Hira demanded. "What's this new name everyone's been calling you? They keep calling you the witch from Tenebrae, but you're Lucian. What's with the new identity?"
It was finally a chance to explain herself, but Andromeda only continued to feel annoyed by Hira's harsh tone. Would she really listen?
"My real name is Andromeda, and I'm not a witch," Andromeda asserted. "The truth is that I lied to you all those years ago in Insomnia. I lied to everyone. I didn't have a choice—my aunt and I weren't in Lucis legally. We snuck in after Niflheim invaded Tenebrae. My parents were resistance fighters, so the Empire attacked our home. I was caught in the fires and almost died."
Hira's scowl and crossed arms remained unchanged. She wasn't convinced the truth wasn't just a lie. She said nothing. It was even more frustrating, and Andromeda didn't want to waste her breath and energy on someone who was notoriously stubborn. She had missed Hira terribly when she had left Insomnia. She had wanted to reach out, but she had never been sure how Hira would have reacted to it. The situation would be very different now if she had. Andromeda realized that their friendship might never recover to what it once had been. There were many more important things for her to worry about than Hira's bitterness.
"I hadn't wanted to lie." She explained, her frustration transitioning to disappointment. "But it wasn't something another person could be trusted with, no matter how good-natured they were. My aunt's boyfriend found out and used it against us for two years. I was going to tell you on the night of the festival, because you would have understood, but I ran out of time. Then I had my... incident. My aunt sent me out of Insomnia the next morning. It was only a couple of years before the Nifs found out about my powers and I lost everything I had as Andrea."
Whether Hira had listened or not, it was now out there. Andromeda sat on her cot. She still felt horrified about the first time her power had manifested, even if she had since become much more comfortable with it. She had fumbled with it numerous times over the years, causing more death and destruction than she meant to. That was just what her power did, and Andromeda accepted it. Now she planned to put it to good use.
"You can't have magic," Hira finally said. She had listened, but she didn't believe what she had heard. She had a lot to be angry about, between how the Empire had invaded her homeland and killed her older brother, and how Andromeda had suddenly abandoned her in a hostile city, only to later appear to betray her by attacking her homeland. It was too much to work through. Hira was a lost cause.
"Come along on the excursion tomorrow to find out. Sonam's going to put it to good use." Andromeda pulled her legs up onto the cot. "Believe what you want. I don't care anymore. I'm going to bed."
The conversation was over. She laid down and turned her back to Hira.
Andromeda woke and reported to the large tent before dawn the next morning. The whole camp was completely still, and missing a few tents that had been there the day before. It was eerie, yet she also enjoyed the stillness. She hadn't been able to experience much stillness in a long time.
Sonam and Klahan were already waiting when she arrived. Tshering appeared shortly after. Andromeda was relieved to see him; he was the only person around that gave her a chance. A couple of other rebels gathered along with them, although Andromeda had not yet learned their names.
As Sonam was about to address all of those gathered, Hira trotted up to them. She looked flustered as she approached Sonam, who did not hide his concern.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I'm coming along on this one, too," She said, not allowing an argument. She cast a glance at Tshering. They had both just come back from scouting, but only one of them had been asked to come along to attack the base. Andromeda had a good idea of why that was.
Sonam glanced at the sky, gauging the time. "Fine."
He turned to everyone else gathered. "It's a day and a half hike from here to the base. In three or four days, we'll meet up with the rest of the camp. We'll attack the base in daylight. Andromeda here will serve as our heavy-hitter. She'll explain what you need to know about that."
All eyes were suddenly on Andromeda. She was surprised to be addressed, then told to speak. Why couldn't Sonam explain what she had already told him?
She felt awkward explaining her power; usually people just experienced it, and that was enough. "When I summon my power, it's completely out of my control. There's nothing I can do. Watch your backs, and you'll live through it. It also causes MTs to become stronger and go rogue. They'll attack anything that moves, even their own generals. If it gets late, daemons are attracted to my power and they become stronger. So just pay attention."
The sun had risen over the horizon as Andromeda spoke. Sonam nodded once she was finished. "Let's go."
The group began to leave, already knowing which direction to go. He grabbed her arm before she followed them.
"Here," He handed over a sheathed kukri (she had since learned to stop calling it a long knife). "No one's going to be able to look after you when they're too busy watching their own backs. Besides, you've shown that you can handle the blade. If you were going to kill anyone, you would have already done it or given up."
It was a strange sentiment, but Andromeda took the weapon and attached the sheath to her belt, placing it on her lower back as she had seen some other women do. "Thanks."
They followed after the group, catching up to them as they crossed the perimeter. Sonam gave a nod to the two men that were keeping watch, standing on either side of the carved pole.
For the most part, everyone kept quiet. They all spoke in Galahdian when they did talk among themselves. Andromeda didn't understand a word, but she listened closely anyway. She didn't ask Tshering for clarification; she wasn't certain about speaking to him when there were so many others nearby. She didn't want to bring any attention to herself since Sonam had given her the kukri. She didn't think the others felt she was worthy of it. But as he had said, no one was going to be looking out for Andromeda.
They walked through the jungle until evening, when the familiar sight of a stone outcropping etched with glowing marks was spotted. Even Galahd had havens. They were said to be all over Eos. They were the only places where daemons could not find humans out in the open, but they were all too small for an encampment. Andromeda had to wonder how the rebel camp hadn't been attacked by daemons.
She first helped to gather firewood, then set up the small tents, only big enough for one person to crawl into. Luckily, food had been brought along, so no one had to hunt for dinner. Even though they were on a haven, a watch was set around the edge of the stone. Andromeda was spared from it, probably due to the importance of her role in the attack. It was on everyone's minds, and no one felt like talking much. Once she had eaten, she crawled into one of the tents and went to sleep.
They were on their way again once the sun was up, leaving the camp set up on the haven as it was. They would be returning to it after the attack. Not only did havens ward off daemons, but any enemies that would be looking for its occupants. The sun rose steadily in the sky. It was at its zenith by the time the group came upon the newly-made clearing, noisy with the sound of big machinery.
The group took cover in some brush while Sonam ordered Tshering and Klahan to go scout the area. They soon returned.
"They finished digging for the foundation, but they haven't begun pouring concrete," Tshering reported. "There's seven big machines and three airships. There's a lot of MTs here for something that isn't even a base yet. We saw two of their mechs, too."
"There's more than we're prepared for," Klahan added.
Everyone looked to Sonam for a decision. Andromeda had to agree with Klahan: it sounded like more than they had anticipated for a construction site. Once she used her power, it would only make the MTs more lethal to the humans. She was the weakest link in the group's defense.
"You three, attack from the west," Sonam instructed the three rebels whose names Andromeda did not know. "And you three, from the east. Stick together and watch your backs. If an MT gets too close, rip the glowing core out of its chest. It'll self-destruct. You'll know my signal when you see it. "
Tshering, Klahan, and Hira took off in the latter direction when the others moved towards the opposite. That just left Sonam and Andromeda in the brush.
"You ready?" He asked her.
"Yes," She said. They hadn't come all this way to turn back. She couldn't hesitate and back out now, or else she would not show her usefulness to everyone. She just had to hope that everyone had listened to her warning.
"This way." He moved through the brush and into the clearing. Andromeda followed as he led the way right into the construction site.
Taking cover behind a couple of big vehicles and an airship, she and Sonam soon reached the center of the site, or as close as they could get to the center without falling into the deep, massive hole that had been dug in the middle of the clearing. Markers were placed in various spots of the hole. Tracks overlapped each other in the dirt. The misplaced dirt sat off to the side in mounds that were taller than any of the vehicles present. Even if the rebels succeeded in preventing this foundation from being created, it would be a long time before the jungle overtook this area again.
Sonam looked about the site as he and Andromeda hid behind a large dump truck. The operators were away, presumably on lunch break by the sun overhead. He then turned to her, hesitating a moment.
"Alright, do it," He ordered.
Andromeda concentrated for a short moment. Despite the sun shining overhead, the area seemed to dim somewhat; the shadows were there, but even harder to see than they had ever been before. As the wind picked up in the trees, she let go of her concentration. The maelstrom continued to pick up, feeding off of her as it always did. Dirt was lifted from the large mounds by the wind, spraying it about. A second later, the MTs scattered about gave a collective, tinny screech.
Taking that to be the cue, the rebels charged into the site from east and west. Sonam and Andromeda stood from their hiding spot and ran in as well, their blades in their hands.
"Stay close!" He told her.
He charged at an MT next to the nearest vehicle, which had taken notice and charged back at him. It extended a clawed hand to grab him, but Sonam knocked it aside with his kukri. He just as quickly reached at its chest and yanked the glowing red core out. He kicked the MT back into others that were approaching, throwing the core after it, and ran the other way as they staggered. Andromeda followed him. Within a couple of seconds, there was an explosion behind them as the first MT blew up.
Most of the group had survived the explosion, though they were missing many parts. It didn't slow them down as they continued after the humans. She concentrated, and a shadow knocked the remaining MTs away. They lost more than enough parts between the impacts of the shadow and their landing spots that they did not rise again.
Sonam stopped as he had seen the large shadow sweep the MTs aside, then glanced at Andromeda. She didn't quite understand; this was what he had asked of her.
"The MTs are everyone else's concern." He pointed his kukri to the nearest massive dump truck. "I need you to take out the vehicles."
She only nodded in reply and focused on the shadows and the target. She had tried this many times before, and failed every time to get the shadows under her control. It was chaos; it wasn't meant to be controlled. Andromeda could only occasionally influence the shadows to hit certain targets.
The shadows battered all of the vehicles in the area, but they did not cause substantial damage. At most, they cracked the glass and threw dirt at them. The shadows could lift MTs, people, and tree branches with ease, but large vehicles like these were out of the question. The storm could carry on all day, and the most Andromeda could hope for was some broken windows.
She stopped focusing so much, knowing that it didn't amount to anything. She glanced around, spotting a couple of their comrades beating off rabid MTs. Sonam caught another MT in the chest as it approached them, ripping the core out. He led Andromeda away to the cover of another construction vehicle as the MT exploded.
"I have an idea," She told him. "Do you think we can direct MTs to all of these trucks and rip their cores out there? I can't do anything to those trucks with my power. An explosion underneath them would do more damage."
Sonam looked out onto the field as he considered it. Underneath the vehicles, their undercarriage was exposed. An explosion anywhere near the massive fuel tanks or the engines would completely destroy them. It would help to wrap this mission up well before sunset. Destroying MTs was meaningless; Niflheim would just send more.
"Alright, but it will just be us. Everyone else is occupied," He agreed. "Get one to come this way."
It wasn't difficult to accomplish at all. Andromeda only had to briefly come out from hiding behind the truck and be spotted by a lone MT nearby. It pursued her as she ran a short distance away. Sonam grabbed it as it ran past him, pulled its core out from behind, and threw it underneath the vehicle before it understood what was happening. He and Andromeda then ran further away as the MT exploded, quickly followed by a much louder, deafening explosion. The ground shook slightly when the back end was blown upwards by the MT, then quickly came back down to the ground. A fire started immediately underneath the truck. Smoke came out from underneath the hood.
With the success of their first attempt, they moved on to others. Not all MTs easily lent themselves to be used as bombs. Some had to simply be fought off with kukris, and when their cores were removed, they were not close enough to a vehicle to be useful. Andromeda's power encouraged them to fight until they were torn apart; taking their cores out was the only quick way to eliminate them before they became too overwhelming in combat.
It was shortly after the first explosion that the two mechs joined the fray. Andromeda and Sonam avoided them as best as they could, leaving them to the others. It was a small help that MTs also targeted the mechs, since they contained human pilots.
Andromeda was passing the corner of a burnt-out truck when an MT suddenly appeared in front of her. She slashed at its face, startled by the sudden appearance. She had had so many nightmares of their faces: both of their serene masks and the horrible face underneath. But she couldn't let those bother her now. Sonam was watching; she had to prove herself to him.
Like before, he tore the core out from behind while the MT was focused on her. Then he threw it under the already-burnt-out truck, adding fuel to the fire. They moved on quickly to the next one.
A group suddenly charged at Sonam. Andromeda focused briefly to coax a shadow into knocking the entire group into the nearest bulldozer. They both ran to the group while they were still on the ground. Andromeda plucked the core out of one, and Sonam threw it under the bulldozer. The two of them ran to the next piece of heavy equipment, getting away from the blast.
Tshering hadn't been too far from that vehicle. He joined them as they reached a safe distance to watch the explosion from. Most of the heavy equipment had been blasted at least once; there were still a couple more to go.
"How are you doing that?" He asked, slightly breathless.
"Like I told you. You rip the core out, the MT explodes in five seconds. Andromeda thought it'd be better if they exploded under all these big machines," Sonam explained. "Get the others to help you. Our objective is to destroy these machines. We can finish this up quick."
With a nod, Tshering ran back into the fight. It would go much faster with others also contributing to the explosions.
The mechs were large distractions, though. Everyone was either fighting off MTs or the mechs. Sometimes, the mechs were just as distracted by the MTs as they tried to get to their own commanders. The MTs did not have much of an attention span—if a more vulnerable target was available, that would be what they would pursue.
Andromeda and Sonam were accosted by a couple of MTs too close to a mech to avoid attention. Luckily, Klahan had the pilot distracted from the scuffle behind him. It didn't last long before the mech cut him down. Andromeda concentrated briefly, urging the shadows to throw a nearby fallen tree at the mech. It was knocked down and heavily dented by the trunk.
The gaggle of MTs was staggered by one of them exploding. With the mech disabled, Andromeda ran to Klahan as he began moving. The mech had cut across his chest with a large blade, but by some luck, it was a shallow wound. It still bled quite a bit, drenching the front of his shirt. He winced as he sat up. He took Andromeda's offered hand and stood up, only realizing that it was her once he was on his feet again.
Sonam shook his head as he approached them. "This is enough. It's time to retreat."
She frowned. They were so close to nearly destroying everything the Imperials had done here. Yet for all they had done so far, they were still outmatched. MTs seemed to pop up out of nowhere. There was one mech that was fully operational. Klahan probably wasn't the only one to receive an injury. This had gone on plenty long enough; Andromeda's power would begin waning at any moment.
Sonam began shouting for the retreat, avoiding further conflict as he ran to other Galahdians in combat. They all seemed to know where to go, taking off in one direction into the jungle. Sonam lingered in the area, taking a headcount as he watched everyone pass into the tree line. Andromeda and Klahan stayed back with him. She focused, and a couple of shadows knocked charging MTs away while everyone else escaped.
After a couple of minutes, Sonam finally went after the others, with Andromeda and Klahan behind him. Some MTs continued to follow, but were slowed down by the thick foliage. The mech remained at the construction site, completely distracted by automatons. The shadows followed Andromeda, blowing through the trees and brush all about them. Birds and other animals fled as the occasional branch or small plant was thrown about.
"Scatter! Get to the haven!" Sonam urged everyone, although some were already out of earshot.
They continued on, going deeper into the jungle. Andromeda continued to stay close to Sonam. Despite his injury, Klahan managed to get ahead of both of them. The MTs didn't get very far into the jungle; the shadows were more deadly in an area like this, with more objects to throw and things to throw them against. Andromeda had coaxed the shadows to smash the MTs a couple of more times against the trees. The robots soon lost sight of the humans completely. The rebels got away.
They all kept running until they reached the haven, where all of their supplies were waiting, untouched. It was a relief to everyone, but there was still work to do. There was very little grumbling about that, but no one was pleased to have to gather firewood and find food after all of that fighting and running. The sun was setting; there wasn't much light left to keep the daemons away.
Andromeda's power finally expended itself by the time she reached the haven with Sonam. As always, it left her feeling exhausted. She wanted to plop on the ground near the fire pit, or perhaps crawl into one of the tents to sleep, but she was not exempt from helping. Everyone else, who were more or less exhausted than she was, set to work without being told to.
Sonam began doing a headcount once he stepped foot on the haven. She thought they had everyone. He did not say otherwise.
"Tshering," Sonam called him away from the task of reviewing their rations. He looked as roughed up as everyone else from the battle, but didn't have any apparent injuries. "You and Andromeda take care of the injuries."
"Got it," Tshering acknowledged. He crossed the haven to retrieve his bag of supplies.
Andromeda turned to Klahan as he approached the fire pit and sat on the ground. He winced and heaved a sigh, which probably only hurt his chest more. It had been quite a few years since she had tended to any injuries; it would be the first time that she was in charge of fixing up injuries. She had always simply assisted Sheila before. She missed the farm wife, and wished she could have her guidance. Yet it wasn't like this wasn't something she had seen a dozen times before.
Andromeda walked over and stood over Klahan. "Shirt off."
He looked up at her in bewilderment, but she hardly paid any mind to that as she gestured for Tshering to come over with the medicine bag. Klahan's injury was the most glaring, and most dangerous should it become infected. He only began to gingerly remove his shirt when she looked back at him expectantly.
"Lay back." Andromeda ordered once he tossed the shirt aside. Tshering joined her and looked Klahan over while he obeyed and laid on his back.
"What did you do?" Tshering crouched next to him and set the bag down. Andromeda dug through it, finding a jar of salve.
"I was keeping a mech distracted," Klahan answered with a hint of defensiveness. He hissed as she wiped away fresh blood from the wound with a clean rag. She handed the rag to Tshering to continue wiping at the wound while she opened the jar.
"You're lucky it's very shallow. The mech should have stabbed you through without trouble," Andromeda observed absentmindedly, paying more attention to the gaping wound on Klahan's chest as she began applying the salve. The mech would have stabbed him through, had she not used her chaos to throw it off. He cringed and held his breath.
Such a shallow wound thankfully didn't need much else attention. She continued applying the salve until the wound was covered. Tshering occasionally wiped away more blood while she worked. The salve would slow the bleeding down, making the wound clot much sooner than if it had been left alone. He placed bandages over Klahan's chest while Andromeda wiped her hands clean of his blood and the salve.
"Thank you," Klahan mumbled reluctantly. She still heard it.
She took a moment before responding. "Of course."
Once the bandages were in place and secured, Tshering stood and offered a hand to Klahan, pulling him up to his feet as well. "The next time we go into town, you can get someone to look at it to make sure it scars properly."
Klahan nodded to that as Tshering clapped him on the shoulder. It did not hurt him too much—the salve killed some of the pain for awhile. Andromeda noticed a woman clutching her side standing nearby as Klahan went to help the others. She glanced at Tshering questioningly.
"Scars are something to be proud of here." He shrugged.
Beyond him, she saw Sonam observing the camp from the fringe. He seemed to be observing them particularly, and judging from his grin, found something amusing. She hadn't known he was capable of humor.
Andromeda and Tshering continued to tend injuries, but they were less intense than Klahan's had been. They were mostly smaller scratches from where MTs had clawed at the rebels. They suspected one person had a fractured rib. The only thing they could offer for that was pain-killing tea. All in all, the excursion had been very successful, considering how few injuries they had all returned with. No one had died. It was a victory, yet knowing they had retreated before the construction site had been completely destroyed troubled more than just Andromeda.
By the time she and Tshering saw to everyone, Hira and another woman returned with the carcass of a chicatrice. Andromeda and Tshering had moved away from the fire pit as a couple of people lit it to prepare dinner. She stepped in to help with that once the last wound was bandaged. No one turned her away, but she noticed the wary glances cast her way, and the lack of scolding she was receiving. She only continued to chop vegetables for skewers, thankful that there would hardly be any dishes to wash. They did not have enough water with them for her to do so. The sun was set by the time dinner was ready, making it too dangerous to go look for a creek.
Just as she had at the previous camp, Andromeda only sat down to eat herself once everyone else was already eating around the fire. At the previous camp, she would have sat by herself, knowing that no one wanted her around. She felt bold as she took a seat next to Tshering, who smiled in greeting. He seemed to be the only one other than Sonam to not be apprehensive of her after the display of power in the battle. It hadn't made them any more accepting of her.
There were two other people sitting between Tshering and Hira. Andromeda hadn't paid her much mind since their argument two nights ago; she had seen Hira here and there during the battle, and she thankfully had been unharmed. True to what Andromeda had promised, she had proven that she did indeed had very dark and powerful magic. Hira glanced at her warily like everyone else did, but she was the most obvious one, sometimes just outright staring at her. Andromeda ignored her the best she could.
Sonam stood from the circle when most everyone was finished eating. "Everyone fought well today. We made a strong comeback against the Empire after they tried putting us down again. Our attack today pushed their plans back a bit. And now you all have seen why Andromeda is here, and that she's willing to fight just as much as you are. It was her idea to use the MTs to blow up all the heavy equipment."
Everyone cast their apprehensive glances her way at that. Andromeda looked at the fire instead of meeting their eyes. She already had enough of their attention; she would have liked to have the power to turn invisible.
"The daemons are out. No doubt there will be MTs scouring the jungle for us. We will go south tomorrow and meet up with the rest of the camp. We'll restock our supplies and go west to attack one of the supply bases." Sonam continued, tossing his own skewer stick into the fire. "You two, go on watch."
He addressed two people whose names Andromeda did not know for watch. They rose without argument and went to opposite ends of the haven. The magic kept them safe and undisturbed, but it was wise to keep an eye on their surroundings.
With two on watch, the remaining six people continued to sit around the fire now that it was completely dark. Andromeda remained close to Tshering, as besides Sonam, he was the only one she could easily talk to, and he didn't seem to mind. Exhausted, but not quite ready to go to bed, she didn't have much to say.
The conversation around them switched from the common language to Galahdian and back again frequently. Andromeda vaguely listened to it all while she and Tshering went over new words. Eventually, the last unnamed man spoke in common tongue, "Well, we have a fire and starlight above us. Why not have a storytelling?"
The conversation died at the suggestion, and once again, Andromeda felt eyes on her. This time, it felt as though she really wasn't wanted there.
Sonam spoke first. "You have one in mind, Dechen? Your family has been known for it. Can't say it will be much of a storytelling with just six people."
"Yeah," The man confirmed with some hesitance, having second thoughts about his suggestion now.
The larger man frowned, then looked at Andromeda. "This isn't your first storytelling."
"No," She agreed, glancing over at Hira while she was staring at her. "But I always assumed they needed a bigger audience."
Everyone relaxed enough to laugh a little at that. She had already heard some of their stories, meaning that other Galahdians somewhere had decided she was worthy and would listen well. Some of the tension in the circle dissipated with that knowledge, although it wasn't clear if she was still worthy.
"Six will do." Sonam said with a smile. "Keep it in the common language."
"That ruins the story," Dechen complained.
"Don't be such a purist. There's only six of us here to hear you butcher it."
"Eight!" One of the two keeping watch called from the edge of the haven, earning a few more laughs.
Dechen shook his head as everyone quieted, then began his story of Galahd's resistance against Lucis, hundreds of years ago. He kept it in the common language, but there were some Galahdian words that did not translate. Tshering helpfully explained them quietly to Andromeda whenever the came up. For most of it, though, she picked up on the words and didn't question them.
After Dechen was finished, Sonam had a story to contribute. When he was finished, Andromeda confirmed that it was vaguely familiar to her—she must have heard it in Insomnia before. Everyone seemed to have at least one story to share—all but Andromeda. No one expected her to contribute, but it was somewhat disappointing that she had nothing from Tenebrae.
At some point during the storytelling, the watch was switched out, with Hira and Dechen going to the edges of the haven. When it seemed like everyone was out of stories to tell, they crawled into the tents, finally getting some sleep.