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the good in others. I’ll bet her attitude would be different if Shadow was a day dragon.
    ‘You want food?’ the woman asked.
    ‘Yes, please,’ Pell answered. Anything to speed my recovery and get me away from you, he added silently.
    ‘Ain’t got much, but it’ll have to serve.’
    She left, closing the door firmly behind her. As soon as the door closed, Pell relaxed into the bed. He had not felt his body tense up, but the relief he felt as she left surprised him with its
intensity.
    ‘You’ll be well soon,’
Shadow assured him.
‘Eat. Rest. Your body heals fast. We’ll be on our way before you know it.’
    ‘Thanks, Shadow. And thanks for catching me. I won’t ever be able to thank you enough for that.’
    Shadow didn’t respond, but he could feel her pleasure through their special bond. She would be sharing his pain, just as he shared in her delight. The bond was a curious thing. At times it
felt tenuous, like a filament of wispy smoke, nebulous and faint. At other times, though – like now – it felt strong and solid, like an iron bridge between their minds across which
thoughts and feelings flowed back and forth in a constant stream.
    Although they had only been together for two rotations, it was hard to remember what it had been like before they met. Pell had never been one to enjoy close friendships with his peers. He was
too much like his father – strong, silent and solitary by nature. His mother was warmer, but with her husband out in the forest most of the time, she had been forced into the role of the
disciplinarian. Three strong boys and a wilful girl had needed a firm hand to control. Pell’s two brothers were too competitive to be close, and he did not want to be seen as weak in their
eyes for spending time with his sister. But now no one would ever think him weak, because of his close relationship with Shadow. Now he had her, he felt no need to become close to anyone else. She
was everything to him, and together they would achieve more than his siblings would ever have dreamed possible.
    The woman returned with a tray and placed it on a small table next to his bed. On it there was a hunk of bread, a cup of milk and a bowl of steaming broth. Pell tried to move again, but it was
too painful. To his embarrassment, the woman grabbed him under his armpits and hauled him up into a sitting position. The movement was incredibly painful, but aside from drawing a sharp intake of
breath, he said nothing.
    ‘Can you manage, or does you want me to feed you?’ she asked, moving the tray to his lap.
    ‘I’ll be all right,’ he mumbled, adding his thanks.
    She nodded. ‘I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t let Saffi bother you. I’ve told her not to come in here, but if she does sneak in then do us a favour and send her away, would
you?’
    Pell nodded. So I can’t corrupt her with my dark ways, no doubt, he thought grimly, keeping his suspicions to himself. The woman’s prejudice bothered him, but he was determined to
remain civil. Rather than dwell on it, he concentrated on the tray of food. The bread was not fresh, but neither could it yet be called stale. The vegetable stew looked watery, but the steamy scent
rising from it smelled good. Pell took a bite from the bread and sipped some milk from the cup. The milk was nicely chilled and the bread reduced to a heavenly paste in his mouth.
    Alternating between dunking the bread in the steaming vegetable broth and eating it with sips of milk, he slowly consumed everything on the tray. By the time he was finished he felt exhausted,
and waves of pain washed up and down his body with a cruel rhythm. As she had promised, the woman returned a short while later. She removed the empty tray and helped make him comfortable again.
Pell barely managed to mumble his thanks before sleep dragged him down into its deep dark well.
    When he next surfaced, Pell felt much better. Bracing himself against the anticipated spikes of agony, he tentatively raised