Kai woke to the sound of something
scraping on the rock floor. He opened one eye, squinted into the
darkness, and saw Caleb walking out of the cave onto the small stone
parapet that looked over the valley they had traversed earlier that
day.
Kai sat up slowly, careful not to let
Caleb know he was awake. He watched as Caleb lowered himself to the
ground, sat with his legs hanging over the ledge and looked out into
the night.
Caleb's back rose and fell as he took
three deep breaths, and then he began to weep.
Kai thought about going out there,
thought about trying to console the man, even thought about trying to
explain to him the importance of his mission and the safety of the
artifact. He knew however, that none of that would help, and
sometimes, a man just needs to grieve in solitude; fighting with his
inner demons.
Unable to watch Caleb cry alone in the
night, Kai laid back down and turned away, trying to fall into the
sleep he knew would not come this night.
