Everyone took showers and changed into clean clothes. The women used one trailer and the men took over the other. Troy and Bernard had no interest in leaving Nicolas's side, though he managed to take a shower by himself. The three of them sat and talked when Vorlyk went to check on Madayah.

"Bernard's little sister died in the attack against us and we both lost our parents," Troy said.

"It took two weeks for us to get home. By then the funerals were over. They burned ...