There is now a pronunciation guide in the Author's Note to help you with all the Welsh Nonsense™. If you want any words/names added just let me know. Hello to Tanzania, Serbia, Greece, Lithuania, Finland and Egypt, who have joined us since the last update.

It was nearly lunchtime. The window above my head was throwing light onto my face. I was awake, against my wishes, but I was far too warm and drowsy to move anywhere. I also could've done with another few hours of sleep. I knew something must have disturbed me, else I wouldn't have woken before noon, and it didn't take long to figure out what. The chickens were serenading us.

"Shit, Bryn," I muttered. "Can't you make them shut up?"

He made a groaning noise and failed to stir.

"Yeah, Bryn, do something," Matty whined.

Another groaning noise. He must have been sick in the night, because it stank now and the bucket had moved places. He wasn't going to do a damn thing, so I rolled over and kicked Rhodri. "Hey, feed the chickens before we get busted."

He flipped me off and buried his face into his pillow. The volume of the clucking was increasing. Ahmed made a lunge for one of them, which didn't seem to help matters. Bryn tried and failed to sit up. He had to grab his bucket and dry-retch over it.

"What is Goddess' name is that noise?" someone asked in the kitchen below us.

"It's coming from the attic," another voice muttered. "Those bloody kids..."

Little Jess had managed to grab one of them, and she was stroking it to keep it quiet, but the other puffed up her chest and started screaming all the louder. And now the ladder was creaking, because one of the adults was climbing up to see what all the fuss was about.

"Shit ... shit. Ahmed, grab him, would you?" Bryn hissed.

"Her," I said very quietly. I was very, very hungover, and all the noise was not helping. It felt like there were wildebeest stampeding through my skull.

Ahmed lunged for the chicken again, but he only managed to scare it. She went flapping towards the ladder just as the hatch opened and my mam stuck her head up. There was a burst of very colourful language, loud enough to send the chicken back in our direction, but it was too late by then. Mam had seen.

She raised her eyebrows at the chicken, and then her eyes slid across the rest of the room. There was a lot to take in - chicken shit smeared everywhere, the smashed egg on the floorboards, the second chicken on Jess' lap, assorted bottles and cans from last night, Bryn still leaning over his bucket of vomit, Nia and Lily's empty beds ... and me lying on Liam's mattress in clear violation of three different rules.

"Leo, you have got to come and take a look at this," she drawled.

More creaking. Dad's head popped up beside hers, and he started laughing. I groaned and pulled my sleeping bag over my head. Too much noise, too many people staring at me so early in the morning, and I knew exactly what was coming next.

"This ... wow. This surpasses the gravy incident," he murmured.

It did not. I tried to wiggle down further into the sleeping bag, desperate for another few seconds of drowsy warmth.

"Outside," Mam said. "All of you."

There was no point arguing - in fact, it was worse than useless, because the more we dragged our feet, the longer she would make us stand out there. I crawled out my sleeping bag as fast as I could manage in my sleepy, hungover state, and I followed Liam down the ladder and out onto the front yard. We joined the growing line of kids beside the trees. We were all barefoot and half-dressed.

The sun was too bright, and it was bloody freezing to boot. I was beginning to wish I'd brought a jacket before a minute was up. My teeth were chattering, and there were Goosebumps on my arms the size of small mountains. Rhodri had come outside without his shirt like the dumbass he was, but he wasn't shivering.

Liam wrapped his arms around me and started rubbing my forearms to warm them up, and that helped a little. We had to wait nearly ten minutes for the adults to finish searching the bedroom for any more contraband.

When Mam finally came outside, she was carrying a Tesco bag overflowing with evidence and had a smile on her face which told me I was not going to enjoy what came next. Dad caught my eye and shook his head a fraction. It was a useless warning.

The other adults, Sam and Ellie included, had come out to watch the show. They'd been briefed on the whole chicken shebang, and they seemed to think it was hilarious. I didn't share the sentiment, since I was halfway to being an ice sculpture by then.

"Who are we missing?" Mam asked Ollie.

His eyes swept across the line to count us. "Just Nia and Lily."

And Eira. She had worn herself out watching the rugby yesterday, and she'd have to spend another night in the ward, according to our resident doctor.

"Someone link them and tell them to get their asses over here. We can wait."

They could. They were wearing clothes. It was an excruciating wait before Nia and Lily appeared from the direction of the raiders' camp. My cousin was so hungover that she was spilling her headache into the link for all of us to enjoy. I let out a miserable little groan, because my head had been throbbing enough as it was.

"What did you little shits do this time?" Nia demanded. All of us took a sudden interest in the ground at our feet, and she snarled at us. "Well?"

"Jack," Rhodri told her. He risked meeting her eyes for about a split second, which could probably be attributed to his dumbass rebellious wolf, but they dropped again straight afterwards.

"Oh, that is some steaming hot bullshit, little cousin," she snarled. "Sam? Don't suppose you know?"

"There were chickens in the attic," he sighed.

"Bloody hell," Nia muttered, earning herself a warning look from her mother, who was holding little Poppy. "Erm, I mean drat."

"Join the line," Mam told her.

"I'm an adult," she pointed out. "We're both adults."

Mam just stared at her, and Nia trudged over to take her place beside Rhodri with a few choice swearwords. Lily managed to slink off and hide behind the adults. She was nearly twenty-one, so there was no way in hell she could be counted as a child anymore.

And then it began. Mam stopped in front of me first - I'd been caught red-handed, after all. "Eva, remind me of the rules about the bedroom."

"Sleep on your own mattress. No food in bed. No girls in the boy's half and no boys in the girls'," I recited from memory.

"And how many of those rules did you break, kiddo?"

"All of them," I muttered, because I could just tell that she was going to say raw egg counted as food, and maybe it did. Either way, arguing would get me nowhere.

"Damn straight. Take a hike to the guilty corner, please."

I trudged out of line and went to stand all by myself near the adults. I didn't think I'd ever escaped one of these line-ups without being found guilty of something. It was best to get it out of the way quickly, and, besides, I was in the sunshine now.

Mam turned her head a fraction to the left. "Liam, you were clearly an accomplice. You can join her."

He came to stand beside me, and I grinned at him. He made a good radiator - he was always warm and he didn't mind me resting my cold hands on him.

"Before I start pointing fingers, does anyone want to cop to the chickens?" Mam asked.

Total silence. It was an effort not to sneak a glance at Bryn, but that counted as snitching if one of the adults noticed, and they always did.

"Twas little Ellis," I said cheerfully.

My brother scowled at me. There was a loud and enthusiastic chorus of agreement from the others. We all liked to blame him for everything - it was a reflex, almost. Ellis had never set a toe out of line in his life, so no one ever believed us, but it was always worth a try.

"That never gets old, does it?" Mam sighed. "Last chance, now. Going once ... going twice..."

No one breathed a word. On Liam's other side, Rhys was right up in Bryn's face and staring him right in the eyes. They were almost the same height now, but Bryn kept his gaze lowered because his father outranked him.

"I'm getting the strangest feeling it was one of mine," Rhys drawled. "Can't be Rhodri. There's seven eggs up there, and he's only been here two days. Jess is too little. But this one ... this one reeks of trouble."

Mam took his place in front of Bryn. She was much smaller than my cousin, but that actually made it even more awkward for him - he had to look almost straight downwards to avoid meeting her eyes.

"Look at me, Bryn," Mam said. He winced, but he obeyed, and I knew exactly how uncomfortable it must have made him. "Do the chickens belong to you?"

She watched for the tell-tale twitch of the lips, but he just kept staring straight ahead, his face utterly blank, and he said, "Nah."

"Oh, you are good, aren't you?" she drawled. "I'll admit I don't have any proof. As much as it pains me, I might have to let you walk..."

Bait. It was intended for my little brother, who hated seeing us get away with shit, and it worked. It always worked.

"It was him," Ellis rushed out. "He's had them since Tuesday, and he said he'd fill my sleeping bag with worms if I said anything."

We all booed him, but the damage was done.

"Piss off, El," Bryn muttered. "I said maggots."

Mam burst out laughing. "We're going to count that as a confession. Move your ass."

"Wait a minute, now. I didn't break any rules. You've never said we can't," Bryn mumbled.

"I've never told you that you can't steal livestock and keep it in your bedroom?" she asked incredulously. "You're right - I haven't. In fact, since it's never been explicitly forbidden, I guess you're free to go."

The delighted smile which split his face was second to none, and he even let out a sigh of relief before that cautious hope was shattered into a million pieces.

"Kidding," Mam drawled. "There is something I'd like to know, though. Why, Bryn?"

He shrugged his shoulders. Idiot. If he'd said it was for Eira, she might have gone easy on him, so I wasn't entirely sure why he was keeping his mouth shut. Mam sighed and moved aside so he could come and join Liam and me in the punishment corner. Bryn slung an arm around my shoulders, which probably looked like affection, but I knew he was just after my limited body heat.

A few seconds later, Mam reached into the Tesco bag and spilled an armful of empty cans and bottles onto the ground. "I'm guessing these belong to the three people who wince every time I open my mouth."

Me, Nia and Bryn, that was, and she was absolutely right, but we protested anyway. Nia, most of all, because she hadn't even been to the attic and so there was no way she could've left any litter. She ignored us and instead jerked a thumb at Rhodri. "You - join them. I can smell it on your breath."

So we had two more additions to the guilty party, and I gave both of them a high-five on their way over. The resulting slaps were loud enough to make my entire head throb.

Mam reached into the bag again and dumped a small cardboard box with a very distinctive smell in front of Matty and Ahmed. She folded her arms. "You two are a little young for cigarettes."

My eyebrows flew upwards. I'd always steered well clear of the smokers, and I'd made sure to keep Rhodri and Liam away, too. Alcohol was alright, but cigarettes and drugs were off limits. Even us heathens knew when to draw a line in the sand.

"They're not ours," they said in unison. It sounded rehearsed, and Mam must have thought so, too.

"They were under your bed, Matt. Smoking's not cool. You ruin your lungs, you can't run away from the flockies, and then you're dead."

She reached into the bag one last time and produced some sort of handheld device which smelt of heat and gas.

"And, Jess, I would love to know where you got this blowtorch," she finished.

Jess said a few words that six-year-olds weren't supposed to know. Mam leaned over to ruffle up her hair, and then she sent her towards us guilty people with a gentle push. She'd known she wouldn't get an answer. Unlike some people, Jess knew how to keep her mouth shut.

Ellis was left standing on his own, which happened quite often. He looked a bit lonely over there, so my dad went to put an arm around his shoulder and whispered something. I glowered at them. It wasn't often you had two snitches in one place at Haven.

Mam looked at the eight of us and sighed heavily.

"I'm okay with the lying, kids. I just wish you weren't so horrible at it." She kicked one of the empty bottles. "I mean, shit, guys, I raised you better than this. It's just plain sloppy."

Yeah, that was about right. I had to bite back a smile. Only my mother would complain that we needed to get better at lying to her. She didn't care if we behaved ourselves, and she never had. We were being punished for breaking the golden rule about getting caught, and I had to admit we deserved it on this occasion.

"Sorry?" I offered, wrinkling up my nose.

"Yeah, I should hope so," Mam growled. She checked her phone, not doubt realising that it was almost lunchtime, and then she turned to Uncle Rhys. "Can you take it from here? I've got to brief the raiders."

He smirked at us.

"Shouldn't I be there?" Nia demanded.

Her reply came in the form of laughter. "And escape your punishment? No, I'll catch you up later."

The second Mam was gone, Nia rounded on poor Bryn, who was already looking very sheepish. She got hold of his collar and might have strangled him had Rhys not pulled them apart.

"Your attention please, puppies," he drawled. "As luck has it, we've had sixty paving stones delivered to Arlow this morning. You lot are going to fetch them for me, and then you're going to finish the patio. I'll bring Eira out to supervise you all, because I'm sure she'll enjoy that."

Shit.

***

I regretted my actions. Not the climbing into Liam's bed in the first place, but the complete and utter failure to stir myself when that chicken had started clucking ... mistake. I could have fed the damn things. I could have escaped back into the girl's half of the loft and maybe gotten away with it.

We were nearly back at Haven now, and I was grateful for it. This was the third trip. We could manage about fifteen stones in one go, which meant four trips in total - it was going to take all afternoon. My arms already felt like they were about to drop off, my walking boots were starting to rub, and I was pretty sure the back of my neck was sunburnt. The paving stones were heavy. I could manage two of them, just about, but I had to walk, and there was nothing in the world I hated more than walking. Not even flockies.

I hadn't been for a run that morning, so I wasn't properly awake and I doubted that would change anytime soon. And I was sore from the rugby yesterday. The opposition always wised up to my shit eventually and started slamming me into the ground whenever my hands touched the ball, so there were some impressive bruises across my shoulders and back.

"Quick break?" Matty asked. He was panting, but he could go to hell. He wasn't even carrying a paving stone. Said they were too heavy. Ahmed was managing fine. Jess couldn't even lift them, which wasn't surprising, and now we were having to take it in turns to carry her. She weighed more than a paving stone, so it was a tiring job. She'd thrown a tantrum when we'd suggested she wait at Haven, because this was the most excitement she'd had since Tesco.

"Alright then," Nia muttered. She set Jess on the ground and kept a firm grip on her collar to stop her wandering off. "Ten minutes."

We spread out a bit, looking for dry places to sit amongst the leaves. I knew there was a fallen log nearby because we were close to one of my running paths, so I headed in that direction, and Rhodri and Liam followed me like a pair of loyal hounds.

Before we'd gone very far, Bryn's eyes flicked upwards, and he let out a long whistle. "Shit, big brother. Look where you're standing."

We all looked at the sky. It took a moment to realise what he meant. Rhodri and Liam were underneath a canopy of needles attached to a very distinctive twisted trunk. It was a yew tree, and they both dropped their paving stones to eye each other warily. Because now they had to fight.

"What are you waiting for?" Ahmed demanded. "Go on - hit him."

It was the rules, and there was a decade's worth of precedent resting on their shoulders, and yet they hesitated. For all of their bullshit posturing, they didn't actually want to hurt each other. And in those precious seconds, I dumped my paving stones under a tree and put myself between them. They were giants, so they could still make eye contact over my head, but neither of them would be throwing punches while I was in the middle.

"No, we will not be doing that," I said firmly. If Rhodri and Liam started fighting, they weren't going to stop, and I wasn't in the mood for that kind of bullshit today.

One of them would end up dead. I had no idea which. As it was, my cousin was a few inches taller, but I reckoned that might have been different if Liam had been fed properly when he was growing up. They were both bloody vicious in a fight, but in different ways - Rhodri was all controlled aggression, but Liam had a wildness born of his upbringing. So, yeah, I didn't know, and I sincerely hoped I'd never find out.

"That's calm," Bryn agreed. "We ain't gonna give you shit."

"Eyes on me," I told Liam roughly. They'd made the mistake of looking at each other, and now they couldn't stop. It took him a moment to obey because he had to fight his wolf over it, but within a few heartbeats I found myself staring into a pair of dark brown eyes.

I found myself panicking. My stomach twisted back on itself, and I took a sudden interest in my fingernails, but Liam kept looking at me. The weight of that stare was a tangible thing, somehow.

"Yes, we are gonna give them shit," Matty complained. "They have to."

I dragged Liam out from under the tree by his elbow and gave Nia a pleading look. She wrapped an arm around Matty's shoulder. "It's a terrible idea, kiddo, and the next time you suggest it, I'm going to tell Aunty Skye about the time you asked me for weed."

Bryn burst out laughing, and then he couldn't seem to stop. He ended up sat on the ground, wheezing and helpless, while Matty glowered at him.

"You're a bloody snitch, Nia," he snarled.

"And you're nine," Nia told him. "I'll fight him, if it matters so much."

And she stepped into the shadow of the yew tree in Liam's place. I wasn't sure that was a good idea either. Nia was going to win, but I didn't know if Rhodri's wolf would be sensible enough to roll over when she did. Not that they were asking for my permission.

"If you want your arse kicked, Nia, you could've just asked," Rhodri laughed.

Her lip curled up. "I'm hearing an awful lot of barking from you, cub. Where's the bite?"

He pulled the collar of his shirt. "Oh, you want to shift? We can shift."

"Now we're talking."

Idiots. I tried not to roll my eyes, since Nia had started this for my sake, but it was difficult. We had an entire day of physical labour ahead of us, and they wanted to waste energy taking chunks out of each other.

"If I promise not to jump him, will you let me go?" Liam whispered.

I hadn't even realised I was still holding his arm, so I dropped it and tucked my hands into my pockets instead. Our shoulders were touching. I was acutely aware of that, and it was kinda distracting, if I was being honest.

Bryn was laughing, somehow. "You asked Nia for weed? You might as well have gone to Ellis. Shit, kiddo. I don't even know what to say..."

"Shut up," Matty grumbled.

We waited while they went and shifted, leaving their clothes in messy piles behind trees. Rhodri's wolf was bigger, but not by much. That became apparent when they started circling each other. He was quick for his size - full credit to me for being such a little lightning bolt in the training ring - but speed wouldn't help him now. Not against Nia.

They didn't waste much time before crashing into each other in a flurry of teeth and claws. It was like watching dogs fight. Vicious, loud, and really bloody fast. I struggled to tell the difference between snapping and biting, but it was obvious Nia had got a few hits in when the lighter patch of fur on Rhodri's flank turned dark red. He retaliated by seizing her left hind, and he could have snapped her tibia in a real fight.

Yelping, Nia threw her weight into him, and they rolled over and over. Bryn had to scramble out of their way to avoid getting crushed. They fought jaw to jaw, each struggling to get a grip on the other's throat while their hind claws opened bloody rents in each other's bellies.

As they rolled to a halt, Nia ended up on top. She dropped her full weight onto his chest and closed her jaw around the underside of his chin, holding him in place long enough to move her teeth a fraction lower.

She'd won, and she could kill him with the slightest bit of pressure, but Rhodri was stupid enough to snarl at her. He was lying perfectly still, yeah, but he hadn't dropped his eyes or pinned his ears back or done anything which remotely resembled submission.

"Don't be a dumbass, Rhodri," Bryn told him.

Full props to Nia - she was being very patient. She hadn't even growled at him yet. She was just keeping steady eye contact and waiting for his wolf to cool off.

I edged closer to them and nudged him with a toe. "Yeah, come on, mate. We ain't got all day."

He was fighting his wolf. His eyes were swirling between black and hazel every second, but, the longer I watched, the lighter they got. Nia tightened her grip very slightly, and, finally, he moved his eyes onto the ground and licked his lips. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Nia, who released his throat and rolled off him.

We'd observed rogue customs, released some pent-up aggression, and no one had died. What more could I ask for?

***

An hour later, I was opening a bag of cement with my penknife. I'd been avoiding the heavy lifting when I could, and that was easily done when Nia and the Llewellyn boys seemed to be holding a competition to see who could do the most work. And they were welcome to, as far as I was concerned - less work for me. Liam was too sensible to join in, so he stuck with me for whole afternoon, and we spent an awful lot of time throwing sand at each other.

Jess had proved utterly useless, but she was now happily playing with the spirit level, and that kept her away from the sharp tools, at least. Matty and Ahmed made sure to shirk anything which resembled work. They'd spent a few minutes stomping the gravel flat with all due enthusiasm, but that was about it. Eira was content to let them slack off because her sadism only extended to us older kids.

"Morning," someone drawled. I turned to see Finn with his hands stuck into his jacket pockets and a grin on his face. He was a little less hot now that I was sober, but that was a common problem. He would do. I gave him a little push backwards so he wouldn't trample our beautifully laid gravel.

Behind me, Rhodri and Liam leaned on their shovels and stared at him. He wasn't allowed to be here - the raiders had to steer clear of the cabin. He knew it, too. His shoulders were taut beneath his shirt, and he had his weight on his toes.

"Step off, cub," Nia told Finn roughly. She was standing a little too close for comfort, and he had to visibly wrestle with his wolf just to keep his feet planted.

"I'm just-"

"He's with me," I interrupted, shooting him a warning look.

Nia's jaw did the thing. "Really?"

"Yeah."

And I thought that would be the end of it until Rhys's voice boomed across the patio. "Finn Sullivan, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Finn winced and turned towards him, rubbing the back of his neck. "I need to talk to Eva. Five minutes?"

I had to give credit where it was due - he had a bloody nerve and the balls to back it up. To argue with my uncle and my cousin in one sitting was not an easy feat. He must have been pretty determined.

Rhys rolled his eyes. He must have been in a good mood, although in truth I wasn't sure I had ever seen him in a bad one. "Don't push it. Two."

He sat back down. He and Eira had deckchairs in the shade of the cabin, and they had the chickens in a box at their feet. Eira had spent the first hour of our punishment with Cluck Norris on her lap. She seemed to be enjoying watching us suffer more than she was actually enjoying the chickens, but that was fine, I guessed. Anything to cheer her up.

Nia didn't budge from my shoulder. She had always been a little protective of me when it came to guys, but Goddess only knew why. Even Rhodri had decided I could look after myself in that regard.

"I hope this wasn't my fault," he told me sheepishly. He was trying very hard to ignore Nia, but his eyes kept darting in her direction, and he was swallowing more than usual.

"And what if it was?" I asked, since I didn't really want to explain that I'd got in trouble for being in bed with a guy who was categorically not related to me.

His lips twitched into a smile. "Then I guess I'd have to make it up to you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm," Finn said. "I got paid yesterday, and I have a car parked at Arlow. I could take you out for dinner when you're done here. Pizza, Chinese, anything you like."

Tempting. Very tempting. I was just about to tell him that he was very welcome to take me to the global buffet in Wyst when I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder from behind.

Mam. Back from her meeting very soon, all things considered. They usually wasted a few hours bickering before the raiders would actually sit down and listen to her.

"Can I have a word, Eva?" she asked. Her jaw was tight - I knew something was up, and I nodded automatically. "You, too, Nia. It won't take long."

I gave Finn an apologetic shrug and followed her into the cabin. The last thing I saw before the door closed was Rhodri practically throwing a shovel at him.

The inside of the cabin was lovely and cool. I took the opportunity to pour myself a cup of water - refreshment breaks were apparently few and far between for child labourers. I sat down at the table, propped by feet up on the chair opposite, and sipped at my drink. Nia hopped up onto the sideboard itself, but my mam stayed on her feet.

"Are you going to make us get rid of the chickens?" I asked her.

She gave me a flat look. "Yes, of course. We're leaving Haven as soon as Eira's back on her feet, so they can go back to Arlow then."

I swallowed a few choice swearwords, because I didn't want to leave Haven. We spend most of the year living in tents and moving every couple of weeks. The few months we could risk spending at Haven were the highlight of my summer, and I'd missed nearly all of it when I'd been banished.

"The test run ... it went okay?" Mam asked Nia.

"Could have been smoother," she allowed, with a pointed look at me which I didn't have the first idea how to interpret, "but we got it done, didn't we?"

"Good. It'll be you and Rhys. If you think you need another pair of hands, I can pull Bryn from the other team, but I'd rather not."

They were talking cryptically on purpose. I set my cup down on the table with loud bang and scowled at them. "Excuse me, you two, but what the hell is going on?"

Mam sat down opposite me. "I told you the packmeet is voting on an amendment next month. If it passes, we've lost the war, as far as I'm concerned. We'd be rounded up and slaughtered in our hundreds. I need four votes to dismiss it straight-off or, if we can't meet the time pressure, reverse it the month after. Right now we only have two."

"The Fletcher boys," I said knowingly. That was why she wanted them for puppets. The current Alpha of Ember Pack was very anti-rogue, but his nephews would vote in our favour.

"Yes. I have a few ideas how I can get the last vote, but first I need leverage over Jace, because otherwise he's going to work out what I'm up to in ten seconds flat and put a stop to it."

I laced my fingers together and smirked. "So what? You want me to turn sleeper and find something to blackmail him over? Is that why you said I had to get rid of my tattoo?"

I thought I had it, but Mam shook her head and Nia actually snorted.

"Too risky, too time-consuming," she said. "No, actually, I want you to lead a raid."

"Me?" I laughed. Nia was sat, like, right there, and she was the better candidate by far, so this had to be some next level bullshit.

"Yes, you. I'm giving you Sam, Bryn and Ellis. The target is New Dawn, obviously."

There were so many problems with that. First, Ellis didn't go on raids, full stop, because he was a wuss. Sam wasn't a raider. Bryn wasn't old enough have a tattoo, so he wasn't allowed to raid. And four people wasn't nearly enough to make a dent in the veritable fortress that was New Dawn Pack.

"I want Rhodri and Liam, or I'm not going bloody anywhere," I muttered.

She grimaced. "Liam - no, not possible, and that's the end of it. As for Rhodri ... it would be a risk. I'll have to think about that."

I didn't bother hiding my disgust, leaning backwards and rolling my eyes skywards. "What, so I get one actual raider and three tagalongs, and I'm supposed to steal what, exactly? Leaves off the ground? A few rocks?"

"I don't want to steal anything, Eva," she told me, and then she smiled in a way I didn't like one bit. "I want you to get caught."