Micah forced Loren to drink again and Ume laid a fluttering hand on the teen's shoulder. "I really am sorry, Loren." Katelina couldn't see his face, but she imagined he was beaming.

Ume looked at the point of saying something else, but she turned away and let her eyes roam over the others, stopping at last on Verchiel. "Is he all right?"

"Your boyfriend's better than us, if that's what you mean," Micah snapped.

Ume bit her lip and carefully crept around the ...