Kella heard or sensed movement that drew her out of her sleep and made her open her eyes. She was surprised to see the sky was lightening. Instead of a blanket of stars above her head, there were only a few still strong enough to shine. Shifting to her side, she looked for Perrin but he was no longer sleeping beside her. She looked around and found him standing nearby, leaning with his arms on the ledge.

His shoulders hunched up around his ears. He was staring out toward the keep.

Kella pulled her blanket tighter around her.  Her nose was cold. She wanted to bury her head under her blanket but she kept her attention on Perrin. He looked like he was troubled about something and it struck a chord with her. She recognized the posture of someone in need of comfort.

She focused o...

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