Grass tickled her feet, and she glanced down at the swath of green beneath her. Irritated, she pulled her feet up and crossed her legs beneath her. Mansr and Leyon both stared at her, and she rubbed her face.
"Mansr, I really need some food," she said, deflated. "I've had a bad day."
"I would say so," he replied. "Do you know where you are?"
"Anshan?"
"I'm not sure how you made it through the enemy's defenses. We can't get any ship off planet."
"I don't know," she said, eyes watering.
"You are the battle planner?" Leyon asked.
"Yes."
"Tomorrow, son," Mansr said.
"A'Ran can't come get me?" she asked, distressed.
"Not right now. He's got a bad space battle on his hands. Your sister's family joined our enemy."
"This is where you want me to be anyway," she observed glumly. "I'm supposed to be here, aren't I?"
"You are," Mansr said with another frown. "I didn't expect you to arrive this way. Leyon said you arrived in an escape pod?"
"Yes," she said. "The communications and control panels were disabled, but I figured out how to engage the shields. I did what I could. You know he even put bindings on me to make sure I didn't survive?"
"Who?" he asked.
"Ne'Rin," she said in a tight voice. "I don't think he wanted me to survive at all."
The two men shared a look.
"Mansr, I want A'Ran and I want to go home," she said, at an end with her endurance. She started to cry again, too exhausted to stop. He rose and took her arm, leading her into one of the small bedrooms, where a grey bed awaited her.
"Sleep, nishani. We'll talk tomorrow."