The Elven guards were busy preparing the sledge. It was swiftly done and then placed before Rio. As he had predicted, it took a lot of arguing to persuade Rio to lie upon the sledge.
Idiot.
In the end, it was Arhan who cut through the arguments.
“This is no time for foolishness. We need to get back to shelter before night falls, and swiftness is needed.”
The king’s no-nonsense air of finality got through Rio’s pride, and he collapsed down on the sledge with poor grace. Silas could see the relief in his eyes as he took the weight off his leg. Azahra helped him fold it into a place of comfort and then she carefully tucked a blanket out of her pack around Rio, keeping her eyes averted from the others.
“I think we are going to be using that other sledge before nightfall,” Silas commented,
