Katelina spent the bulk of the trip talking to Xandria and listening to Ryuu snore. If Hikaru was right, he would get better once they moved to a lower altitude. Ume sat next to Loren, her face rigid and her eyes on the floor. Katelina could only imagine what was going through her mind, and none of it was good.

Oren let them out in front of a hotel. Katelina was grateful that the early morning streets were deserted. She could just imagine people staring as they swung out of ...