Noctisardor Bypass raserei

there was a conviction in wylla that mahler both loved and loathed. she was correct, after all. he did not know the ways which had twisted merrick. he knew only that laurel had said he would attack and he had. the man had not considered this threat to his world and it had cost all of them.
sequoia spoke next. she offered herself as sacrifice to the wolves of ursus. the graf almost shook his head sharply but controlled himself until she had finished.
the girls were stricken. silent. 
mahler drew a long breath.
"then rivenvood stays."
and laurel with them. he had no designs on turning her away. perhaps that was his pragmatism. perhaps it was his weakness. "i admire your courage, sequoia. but they vill not spare if you are caught. i vould — prefer to lose no one else." his voice was grim. "ve should begin vith duskfire. i do not know how long they intend to remain in the taiga."
he looked at them each in turn. "two go to speak at the glacier. two remain. or ve all go."
he was not yet prepared to travel that distance and he doubted the same for laurel. but go they must if it was made to be so.
and now his attention rested on laurel. "ve do not have the numbers to rush ursus. not yet." he was not certain they would. "dependent on vhat is said at the glacier, i vill go vith you to the valley."
and this time he did not glance to wylla.
this had been mahler's failure. he must make it also his mending.