“You remember her,” Lily said, surprised. Caleb was four years older than Rowan, and they were from the same tribe. It made sense that Caleb remembered Rowan’s mom, even if Rowan couldn’t.
“A little. Of course I remember River much better,” Caleb said, his face growing sad. “But he fixed my dad’s leg once. Hell, he patched together everyone in our tribe at one point or another. He was a great man. Remember my twisted knee that time?” Caleb turned to Rowan, who laughed under his breath.
“The infamous gully incident,” Rowan said, smiling in a bittersweet way.
Lily stared into the fire while Rowan and Caleb reminisced over one of their childhood escapades. Una’s mind brushed against hers, asking for entry.
Rowan’s dad—that crazy man in the barn—was considered a great man?
Everyone loved River Fall, Una. The barn and that sequence of events happened in a different version of this world. There was a huge disaster there that hasn’t happened here. Yet.
Una’s eyes found Lily’s over the campfire.
What are you talking about, Lily?
We’re talking about nuclear war, Una. I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do about it. And you shouldn’t know any of this, anyway.
I can keep a secret. Just please don’t tell me I left my world to come to one that’s about to turn into the “barn world,” okay? I’d rather go back home and do time.
I swear that that won’t happen here—not while I’m alive. Now hush. I need to think.
Lily broke contact with Una, sat up straight, and shook herself as if someone had poured ice water down her back.
“What is it?” Rowan asked, looking around for danger.
“Nothing,” Lily said, passing a hand over her eyes. “I’m just worn out, I guess.”
They finished their lunch and struck camp. Breakfast approached his horse distrustfully. While everyone else climbed on their mounts, Breakfast agonized. He couldn’t even bring himself to take the reins.
“What’s wrong with him?” Rowan’s Tristan asked Lily’s Tristan.
“He doesn’t like horses,” he replied, smiling.
“It’s not that I don’t like them,” Breakfast insisted. “I like them just fine in movies.”
“You can ride behind me,” Una said, shaking her head.
Breakfast couldn’t even figure out how to use the stirrup, and after performing several rather acrobatic near-splits, Caleb finally took pity on Breakfast and boosted him up into the saddle behind Una.
“You’ve never ridden a horse?” Caleb asked Breakfast, an eybrow cocked in disbelief.
“I try to avoid any mammal bigger than me. Most of them have really sharp teeth,” Breakfast replied.
Caleb got back on his horse, shaking his head. He looked at Lily. Where’d you get that guy?
I grew up with him.
He has the survival skills of a napkin.
Napkins can be useful.
Great. I can blow my nose on him.
Lily chuckled with Caleb as they rode out. She was no horsewoman either, but at least she knew how to keep her seat. Poor Breakfast nearly slid out of the saddle every ten paces.
“How far to Alaric’s camp?” Rowan asked his Tristan.
“At this rate?” Tristan asked, looking back at Breakfast, who was clutching frantically at Una even though they were only going at a walking pace. “We’ll get there sometime tomorrow, I guess.”
“So soon?” Rowan asked, his mood brightening noticeably. “I thought you made camp outside of Richmond. We’re still hundreds of miles away.”
“Alaric had the whole tribe start moving north to intercept our group as soon as Lily contacted Tristan and me,” Caleb said.
“The sachem wanted Lily safely surrounded by all his braves as soon as possible,” Tristan said.
Rowan looked pleased, but Lily hesitated. Alaric was eager to have her back, and Lily was pretty sure it wasn’t because he missed her.