Luci's growl rolled again.
The girl's eyes dropped to him, soft with practiced pity. "The beasts feel it more than we do. The pressure at the edges. They're very sensitive to these types of things."
"They're very honest," Sera agreed with a nod of her head.
Zubair shifted the chain back through its slot and opened the door another inch. He wanted a better look at the formation on the path.
The four in back held small brass lanterns with glass as clean as their shoes. Fuel sloshed when they moved; old-world kerosene, not the scavenged kind filled with dirt and ash.
Even their hands were uncalloused.
"You walked far," Zubair tested.
"We walk where we are sent," the man replied, eyes steady. "He carries our feet."
"Strange," Elias murmured, gaze on the yard. "He forgot to leave your footprints on the way."
The man and the girl didn't look down. They didn't need to. Unmarked dirt told the story anyway.
