Eastern Border

The baby’s fever broke on the second morning in the new cabin. Bonita felt the change when she woke, the small body against her was no longer hot. She checked again with the back of her hand, then once more to be sure. The child’s skin was warm in a normal way. Her breathing was deeper.

Bonita sat up carefully. The ache in her body was still there, but it had settled into something she could manage if she moved slowly. Mira was already awake, watching from the other bed.

“She’s better,” Bonita said.

Mira came closer and touched the baby’s forehead the way she had seen her mother do it. She gave a small nod but said nothing. Relief on her face was quiet and controlled.

Lila and the twins woke soon after. They ate the food that had been left for them the night before. Bonita fed the baby and then forced herself to eat as well. Strength was still the priority.

The morning passed without visitors. The guards remained outside. Bonita stayed near the window often enough to know their positions changed at regular intervals. She did not test the boundary. There was no point yet.

Near midday the door opened. Kael stepped inside alone. He looked at the baby first.

“The fever?”

“Gone,” Bonita said. “Since this morning.”

He gave a short nod. His eyes moved over the girls, then back to her. “You look stronger than two days ago.”

“Strong enough to walk if we have to.”

“I didn’t ask if you were ready to leave.” He closed the door. “I came to tell you the arrangement holds for now. The healer will continue to check on the child. Food and supplies will be brought daily. The restrictions remain the same.”

Bonita waited. There was more. There always was.

Kael continued. “Word of your presence has reached a few of my people. Some are uneasy. A rejected Luna and five children from another pack create questions. I have told them the matter is under my control and they are not to approach this cabin. That order will hold as long as you give me no reason to change it.”

“We haven’t left,” Bonita said. “We haven’t spoken to anyone.”

“I know. I’m telling you so you understand the limits. If anyone from Blackthorn appears, or if anyone here begins asking you questions, you tell the guards immediately. Do not handle it yourself.”

Mira’s voice came from the side. “What if your people decide they don’t want us here?”

Kael looked at her. “Then they will bring that concern to me, not to you. You are a child. You do not answer to them.”

Mira held his gaze for a moment before looking away. She did not look convinced.

Kael turned back to Bonita. “There is something else. My scouts reported movement near the eastern border yesterday. Not close enough to be a clear threat, but enough to note. It may be nothing. It may be travelers. It may be someone from Blackthorn checking that you kept walking. I will know more soon.”

Bonita felt the familiar tightening in her chest. “And if it is Blackthorn?”

“Then I decide how to respond. You stay in this cabin and keep the children out of sight until I say otherwise.”

He looked at the baby again, then at the four older girls sitting quietly on the beds.

“You have been careful so far. Stay that way. I will return when I have clearer information.”

He left. The door closed. The guards outside shifted but did not speak.

Bonita sat down on the edge of the bed. The baby slept against her shoulder. Lila moved closer and rested her head against her mother’s arm.

“Are they coming for us?” Lila asked.

“I don’t know,” Bonita said. “If they are, we will know soon enough.”

Mira stood at the window, looking out through the gap in the shutter. “He still doesn’t trust us.”

“He has no reason to,” Bonita answered. “We have no reason to trust him either. We take the food, the shelter, and the time. We stay ready.”

The twins climbed onto the bed and pressed against her free side. Rosa’s voice was small. “Can we stay here a long time?”

Bonita looked down at her. She did not give the answer the child wanted. “We stay while we can. That’s all I can promise.”

The afternoon passed slowly. The healer came once, confirmed the baby’s fever was gone, and left more instructions for feeding and rest. Bonita followed them. She kept the girls close and the door in her line of sight at all times.

Near evening, footsteps approached again. This time it was only the tall man who had first found them in the forest. He set down a fresh supply of food and a small bundle of clean cloths for the baby. He did not enter fully and did not speak beyond what was necessary.

When he was gone, Bonita divided the food. They ate in silence. Afterward she washed the baby with warm water from the basin and wrapped her in a clean cloth. The child stayed quiet, eyes open for a while before drifting back to sleep.

Mira sat beside her mother as the light outside faded. “If Blackthorn comes, will he protect us or hand us over?”

Bonita did not answer immediately. She looked at the closed door, then at the five children who depended on her next decision.

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “That is why we do not rely on him. We rely on each other. If the time comes to move again, we move. Until then we watch and we wait.”

Mira nodded once. Lila leaned heavier against her side. The twins were already half-asleep. Bonita adjusted the baby in her arms and kept her eyes open as the cabin grew darker.

The temporary safety held for another night. She did not let herself treat it as anything more than that.