Shimmering Sands [m] Hosts of the Air

She needn't speak; Dutch knew at once that there was one remedy to her pain.

"You are safe," he told her again, further gentling his voice as he came close enough to hold her to his chest. "We will rest just a moment, and then we will bring you home to your mother. All you need to do is breathe."

And, for a while, it seemed almost too much of a task for her. But she managed it, and after a time, they set off toward Moontide once more.

Dutch looked more fully at Raiyuk, then.

"Thank you, mera bhai," he said with utmost sincerity, gratitude shining in his eyes. Though he still viewed Raiyuk as something of a child, he addressed him now as an equal. "We may never know all that you have done on this day. But for everything that did not come to pass — I thank you. A thousand times would not be enough."