Confusion crossed everyone's faces. Even Christy turned toward him, anger briefly interrupted by uncertainty. "Kael?"
But Kael kept staring at the old man. "Go ahead," he said. "You earned it. You really did"
The old man's breathing quickened as suspicion warred against desperation. He looked at Kael, then at the broken bridge, then at the beacon waiting behind him. For a few seconds, he seemed to understand that something about Kael's calmness was wrong. But survival won in the end, as it had every time fear had spoken louder than reason.
Without another word, he turned around and sprinted toward the beacon.
