They both watched Lenna cross the bridge that climbed up in the direction of the board, which was just a slab of wood they used to post notices and schedules on.

As soon as Lenna was out of sight, Nyxabella rose up onto her tip-toes and leaned toward Daivad in an attempt to whisper in his ear, but she was still a good foot too short. “So, I definitely shouldn’t eat this, right?”

“Go sit down.” He pointed to a nearby table. “I’ll get you something.”

Normally, it would irk Daivad, the way those in line waiting for their food stepped aside as soon as they saw him, clearing a spot for him before Doll. He’d never once asked any of them to do that, and in fact he usually told them to knock it off. But, with Doll being the only one to pass out the food, the place was crowded, and even with the latest addition to the kitchen having large windows they would keep open all summer, Daivad felt suffocated as soon as he stepped through the door. So this time he allowed it, and headed straight for the tiny, angry cook.

One thing Daivad could count on was that Doll never treated him differently than anyone else. She looked him dead in the eye, even though she had to crane her neck, and said, “Heardja had a rough night.”

He said only, “Two trays.”

She shot him a suspicious look. “You already eat twice the amount’a anyone ‘cept your damn mutts, now you’re takin’ even more?”

“It’s not for me,” he said. “And my mutts caught that food.”

“I s’pose they’ll climb up here, put this apron on, an’ cook dinner for this whole damn camp, too, huh?” she shot back, but she was already grabbing an extra tray.

Doll loaded his tray up as usual, even reaching under the counter to grab the cloth-wrapped parcel that waited there for him. Unnecessarily, Doll explained, “And the treat from your boyfriend, a’course,” and slapped the cinnamon honey cake Ben always made for Daivad onto the tray as well.

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But when she grabbed the sandwich destined for the second tray, she held it hostage and said, “For one’a our guests, I assume.”

Daivad waited for a question.

“There’s been talk,” she said.

He was still waiting.

“That these ain’t your usual strays. That they found you.”

The kitchen quieted.

“Just talk,” he said evenly, though in his head he was already running through the list of those who’d been with him in Urden last night. Each of them should have known better than to gossip about his business.

“So you just put the little one in the pen ‘cause … there wasn’t any open beds in camp?” she asked. “And the one with the hammer was just, what, redecorating?”

Maybe this one time Daivad wasn’t so appreciative of Doll’s disregard of his position.

“And that’s to say nothin’a the monster, the one that already tried crawlin’ into camp in the middle’a Mother Light’s blessed day, and instead’a killing the beast, you let it curl up for a nice nap just on the other side’a the creek.”

A shock of fear worked through the room, Daivad could feel it.

“It didn’t get into camp,” he growled. “And it won’t.”

“You know how many’a these folks have lost limbs at best, loved ones at worst to nightbeasts?” Doll gestured at the silent, staring crowd. “There’re children living here, Daivad.”

Doubt tipped his mind off-kilter—the beast had looked so harmless in Nyxabella’s arms, gentle even. Like the one from her story. But he’d seen the beast’s teeth, the way it had torn at that ham last night, the way it thrashed and shrieked when panicked. Maybe he shouldn’t have let the beast stay so close, guarded or not.

“These folks are a suspicious bunch.” She finally slapped the sandwich down. “And we ain’t ignorant. Our leader runs ‘round keepin’ strange secrets and even stranger girls, we notice.”

Stiff and unsure, Daivad said, “There are no walls around this place. No bars. Anyone doesn’t like how I do things can walk whenever they want.”

He grabbed the trays and plowed through the crowd and out the door.

Had he made the right decision?