I removed my hands from the bag and let my fingers drift down to open the tops of the pouches attached to either side of my belt. Estevar glanced around the cottage for a chair that might have some hope of taking his admittedly considerable weight. Should the need arise to flee, being already in the saddle would increase the odds of escape. Most of the time though, I missed my mother and father, wishing more than anything that they would come find me and tell me everything was okay and bring me home. Some details of these missions are still classified three or four decades later.
nest...