Caelan crouched beside her, voice low but firm. “Eat first. We’ll untangle the rest later.”
They worked in tired silence. Caelan pulled smoked river fish and pressed broth tablets from his satchel. Mingxi unpacked his fox-clan travel kit—a neatly wrapped bundle containing lotus cakes, herbal tonics, dried persimmons, and sweet rice balls tied in leaf packets.
Caelan’s mouth twitched as he looked at Mingxi. “You always carry this much?”
Mingxi didn’t look up. “It’s called preparedness.”
Caelan snorted softly. “It’s called overpacking.”
“It’s called,” Mingxi repeated evenly, “preparedness.”
He heated broth in a metal cup balanced on a stone, added herbs for grounding and mountain greens from Caelan’s supply. When it was warm, he tested a spoonful on his wrist. Then he slid an arm beneath Poppy’s shoulders and lifted her gently.
“Yueguang… can you drink?”
Her lips parted weakly, and he fed her one careful spoonful at a time, watching the color creep back into her cheeks, the faint tension ease from her brow. Across the fire, Caelan did the same with Lysandra, though she choked on visions more than once.
“Shadows… anchors… silver tide…” Her words slurred. “Not her… not yet…”
“Eat,” Caelan murmured. “That’s all you need to do.”
When both bowls were empty, there wasfinallyquiet. They sat opposite each other across the fire. Poppy slept between them, wrapped in a thick cloak. Lysandra lay on the other side, her breathing thin but even.
For a long time, neither man spoke.
Finally, Caelan said, “She saved us.”
Mingxi didn’t ask which sister he meant. “Both of them did,” he said quietly. “In different ways.”
Caelan nodded once, staring into the flames. “The prophecy… about me…” he began.
“It wasn’t about Poppy,” Mingxi said immediately. “Lysandra was clear.”
Caelan exhaled. “Still unsettling.”
“Everything she says is unsettling,” Mingxi muttered. “Even the first time I met her.”
Silence settled again until Caelan looked at Mingxi more directly.
“You care for her.”
Mingxi didn’t pretend to misunderstand. He looked down at Poppy. Wisps of her hair glowed faint gold in the firelight.
“She is…” He swallowed. “More than I expected.”
Caelan’s brow lifted. “More than you’re allowed?”
Mingxi didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.
“You rest first,” Caelan said, pushing to his feet. “I’ll take first watch.”
Mingxi shook his head. “I’m not leaving her.”
Caelan’s expression softened a fraction. “Then sleep beside her. I’ll keep eyes on the perimeter.”
Mingxi hesitated—only for a breath—and then nodded. He lay down beside Poppy, close enough that their warmth mingled. Then he exhaled, letting instinct take over, and wrapped his tails around her. All six of them, although he didn’t realize it at first.
Foxfire warmth radiated through the fur, enclosing her like a living blanket. Poppy breathed in sharply, curling into him, fingers unconsciously gripping the nearest tail. Mingxi froze because…
