The rain had ceased and his mother and Magnus both slept when Roland slipped out of the hut as quiet as a mouse. Unbeknownst to his mother, Roland often went for a nighttime walk. Amir looked almost pretty at night by the thin strips of moonlight poking through the thinning clouds.
The air was just a little cool and he thought about going back inside for his cloak, but decided it was too much risk of waking the big warrior who’d insisted on sleeping too close for comfort to Roland.
Amir was silent as he made his way to the stream just outside the village. He crouched down next to it and poked the water with a small stick he found. Glancing above, Roland spotted a few stars breaking through.
He wondered, as he often did at night, if this was really the life he had to expect to live for w
