They left at the sixth hour with three days of the compound cook's rations, which the cook had packed without being asked when Ashe mentioned the northern approach the previous evening. He had also included a jar of the mountain spice paste that Vane had made the mistake of expressing enthusiasm about in the second week, which the cook had apparently filed as a standing preference and was now acting on without prompting. Mara watched them load the packs from the kitchen doorway.
"The rations are adequate for four days if you are careful," she said. "You will not be careful."
"We'll be fine," Vane said.
"You will be hungry by the third morning." She looked at Nyx. "Make sure he eats the second portion at midday. He skips it when he is paying attention to something else."
Nyx looked at Vane. "Does she manage everyone like this or just you?"
"Just him," Mara said. "Everyone else has functional self-preservation instincts."
