"I'm a'ight," he says, and his voice is shaky, too, but then he takes a deep, ragged breath and seems to get a hold of himself. "As long as you're not mad about it. I tried to protect the place, but there's only so much one person can do, I reckon. The torches were getting real close, too."

It was only a matter of time.

"I don't know," he says then, looking into her face, and his expression is definitely troubled, but it doesn't look like he's consumed with guilt and horror, either. "I ain't sure how to feel. I think they'd have done something bad to me if I hadn't. Maybe if I coulda run, but...I ain't built to run."

"I just keep trying to think if I coulda done something different, but I ain't comin' up with no answers."