she said and for an instant felt that maybe this wasn't a good idea after all, but as soon as our eyes met I felt only peace as she held my head between her hands.

And that was when I fell into the blinding world of light.

I blinked rapidly as the sun shone in my eyes. Then, much to my relief, the blanket on top of me moved slightly to block the sun's light.

The cart swayed beneath me as voices began to invade my daze.

"I wish I could sleep like that." A muffled voice spoke.

"You can," a voice laughed in reply "though it takes several rounds of ale to get you there."

The first voice muttered something that was lost in the creak of the wheels. Then more loudly, "I don't want to do this. We should have used it to defend ourselves"

The silence seemed tangible. I reached up and touched the blanket covering me. The air was very hot ... my hands were so tiny ...

Finally, the second, most familiar voice spoke. "We would have become like them." After another pause, it continued, "The time of alternatives is long past. They'll soon know we escaped their ambush. We must keep them from learning anything else."

"And the child?"

"This war is not for innocents. Ideally, he'll have no

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