AHOTE
The drive across town was long. My feet were starting to ache from being cramped, and there was a special motion sickness that came from just watching trees move by for minutes on end. Aponi and Kaya were up front with the pack's Xi — resource manager — Chaska. Chaska was a sturdy build man with a serious face and a deep baritone voice. He scared me sometimes, but he was a sweetheart. I was in the back with Alek and Len. It was a tight fit, but mostly because Len and Alek kept their distance even though they were sitting next to each other, leaving me squashed up by the window.
Len was asleep now. He had his head on my shoulder and a little frown on his face as he held onto my arm.
My gaze moved from Len's cold face to Alek's tired one. He was resting his head on th
