“What did I tell you?” Miles says. “You need me.” He shrugs, as though it’s obvious, and turns to point at something ahead of us.
Our headlights illuminate the forest-green pickup truck ahead, and Kenai pulls smoothly over to park next to it. As we get out of the car, a cawing noise comes from above, and Poe swoops down to land on the roof of the pickup. “Look who’s been following us,” I say to Miles. “You didn’t figure him into the prophecy.”
“Well, of course he’s coming with us,” Miles says, shrugging as if it were obvious. “What would a trip to Alaska be without our favorite messenger raven?”
“How about you?” I ask Nome and Kenai. “Have you thought about what you’ll do when this is over?”
Kenai looks at Nome, and back at me. “We’ve been talking about it since we were kidnapped: what we would do in every possible scenario. We decided that if we all got out of there alive, we would set out on our own for a while, hopefully with you and”—he makes a welcome gesture toward Miles—“with whatever random men you happened to pick up along the way, of course.” Miles rolls his eyes but nods, accepting the sidekick role.
Nome speaks up. “At first, we were both pretty bitter and twisted. We’ve forgiven our parents now . . . at least we’ve started to. But we both think we need time away from them. They and the other elders are still learning how to live with themselves.” She wrinkles her nose. “It could be messy.”
“Where will you go?” I ask.
“Why don’t we consult the oracle?” Nome suggests, and nudges Miles.
“Let’s see,” he says, and closes his eyes. “After you two bring the clan’s news to Juneau, we form our own mini-clan and take off for a year or so on an epic road trip of adventure.” He opens one eye to see my reaction, but quickly closes it again as Nome throws herself on him, hugging him around the neck.
“I am totally up for that plan,” Kenai says, nodding in approval.
“Me too,” says Nome, and leans back to look Miles in the face. “You are perfect for Juneau. And, seeing that I’ve known her since we were both toddlers, I don’t give that compliment lightly.” She leans in to kiss him on the cheek, and then skips away with the keys to the car, which Miles had been holding in his hand. “I’m driving first!” she crows, dangling the keys in front of Kenai before leaping into the driver’s seat and slamming the door behind her.
Kenai sticks his hand out to Miles, who shakes it, much to Kenai’s amusement. I look at him quizzically. “Inside joke,” he tells me, and then gives me one of his signature Kenai bear hugs. “We’ll get directions from Tallie,” he says. “See you in Utah. Stay safe.”
He disappears into the car, and the tires screech as Nome turns around and heads back in the direction we came from.
“We couldn’t have taken the Rolls?” Miles asks.
“Would it stand out parked at the foot of a mountain in Utah?” I respond.
“Point taken,” he says, sighing, and watches until the car disappears around a corner.
Poe caws loudly, and flies from the top of the pickup to land on my shoulder. Miles takes the truck keys out of his pocket and holds them out, offering. I shake my head. “You drive,” I say. “I have a lot to think about.”
We get into the pickup. Poe perches on the seatback between us, and immediately begins cleaning his feathers. “Is he like our bird-child now?” Miles asks, nudging Poe closer to me get the tail out of his face.
“As long as he wants to hang around,” I say with a smile. Miles shrugs his acceptance and starts the engine. He pulls out into the road and turns the truck around to steer us back toward Albuquerque.
We drive in silence for a few minutes before I speak. “There were some things you left out of that prophecy,” I say.
“I know,” Miles admits. “I only said the things I was sure of. I left out the rest.”
“Like . . . ,” I prod.
“Amrit,” he replies. “I know what a negative thing it is to you now that Whit sold your people out to make a buck off it.”
“Or make his name from it,” I add. Miles just nods. Waits.
I sigh. “Part of me wants to never make it again. To make the Rite a thing of the past. But I know I want to use it first.”
Miles breathes a sigh of relief. I take his hand. “Because of you. Because of my people. Because it’s what I’ve shaped my life around. I’ll offer it to Nome and Kenai, too . . . for the same reasons.”
“How about . . . other people?” Miles asks, and something in his voice tells me exactly who he is thinking of. His mother. I’ve thought about her, too.
Could Amrit cure mental illness? What if it didn’t and she took it? Would it consign her to hundreds of years, or more, of unabated depression? I choose my words carefully. “That’s something we’ll both have to think about.”
“Would you like to meet her?” Miles asks, glancing over at me.
“I was thinking that could be the first stop on our epic road trip of adventure,” I say. He puts his arm around me and pulls me close.