"of course," he told speedy. she had lost a great deal, more than her soft face showed. and malila, then, without a father and also displaced. it was a good thing that he had found them in the mountains, for while he trusted the sharpness of a mother's instinct, there were far more unsavory beasts that might have taken the woman for granted.
a grin toward malila. "come vith me," he told mother and child, leading them both along a packed-dirt path toward the fern-lined densite.
it glowed with green life. its mouth was wide, and those standing at the entrance would be seen. inside, dug-out shelves of earth where he had painstakingly arranged his own herbs, with room for speedy to add her own. "you are velcome here vhenever you like," mahler said, stepping back.