Aisha, too, flushed with embarrassment, stung by Madman’s words.

She leaned toward Jared and asked softly, “What should we do now? I imagine there’ll be quite a few soldiers waiting for us once we get out of this sky prison.”

Jared replied with a calm certainty, “There likely aren’t many left outside. When the time comes, we’ll create a distraction. You lead your people and go.”

“We should stick together,” Aisha insisted. “There’s strength in numbers.”

But Jared shook his head firmly. “You’ll only slow us down. You’re of no use at all.”

Jared was disappointed when first saw these human cultivators. There were so many of them, young and able-bodied, yet they stood idle, indifferent.

The image of the fallen, elders and children alike, still burned in his mind. Fury twisted in his chest.