“You are. You don’t care how I feel about it. You don’t care how I feel about you.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it. I never had a real friend before you. My brothers, and some of the girls from the other farms, the village. But not a real friend, so I never had to say good-bye to one before. I want to go home, but it’s hard to say good-bye. It’s harder when my friend’s mad at me for doing what I have to.”
“Just because you have some magick sword …” He trailed off, tired and disgusted with his own venom. “Screw it.” After muttering his new favorite phrase, he dropped down beside her. “I can fight. I will fight.”
“I know.”
“My dad says not yet. I said I could go with you, fight, but he says not yet. When?”
“I don’t know. But I know I’ll see you again. I know it.”
He picked up a cake, frowned at it. Ate it. “I never felt about anybody the way I feel about you.”
“You’re my first real friend, and you’re the first boy I ever kissed.”
“But you don’t want to kiss me again.”
Going with instinct, she laid her hands on his cheeks, touched her lips to his. “You’re going to kiss a lot of other girls after I leave.”
“Probably.”
Laughing, she jabbed a finger in his ribs. “But you’ll still be my friend.”
They sat quiet for a while, shoulder to shoulder, facing the pool.
“When it’s time to fight,” he began, “when I see you again, will you kiss me?”
“Probably.”
Now he laughed, bumped his shoulder to hers.
“I made you something.” She reached in her pack, took out the gift. She’d braided strips of leather together to form a wristband and attached protective stones.
“It’s really nice.”
“See, you wrap it around …” She put it on for him. “Then you just loop this. Like that.”
“It’s really nice.” He let out a breath, dug in his pocket. “I made this for you.”
He’d carved her face in the stone she’d taken from Laoch’s hoof.
“I had to get my dad to help me a little, but—”
“It’s wonderful. It’s from Laoch, so it’s especially wonderful. It really looks like me. Thanks.” She turned her head, smiled at him. “Friends?”
He shrugged, picked up a tart. “I guess.”
She packed. She’d take more home than she’d left with, but now she had two horses to help carry her things.
In less than two days, she thought as she carefully wrapped her crystal for travel, she’d be home. She slipped her shield into the protective cover the shifters had made for her, but strapped on her sword.
Two days on the road could mean Raiders or Purity Warriors or just the violent.
She whistled for Laoch, since he’d carry most of her things. Secured the first load to his back, went back for the rest. When she came out, she found Mallick waiting for her and holding Grace’s reins.
“It took me longer. It’s a lot. I’ve got this if you want to get your pack and bring Gwydion around.”
“I won’t need them.”
“It’s two days, but maybe … What?” Shock shoved her a full step back. “You’re not coming with me?”
“I’ll come with you, of course. I took you from your home, I’ll see you get back to it. But I won’t need my horse or a pack. It won’t take two days.”
Her heart leaped. “Now? Just like that? We’re going to flash. I’ve never flashed that far.”
“And so I go with you, to help, this last time.”
She wanted to argue. She’d only just begun to have the skill to move from one place to another since she’d come back from the Well of Light. But she thought of flashing to the farm. Of seeing her mother’s face in only minutes instead of days.
It filled her with joy and with nerves.
“Do you have everything?” Mallick asked her.
“Yeah, this is it. I just … Wow.” She looked around, the clearing, the chickens, the garden, the tree, the cottage, the woods. “The elves will help you harvest the garden.” Her stomach kept jumping. “And if you need help with the bees, the faeries—”
“Do you think me incapable? Infirm?” he interrupted.
“No, but I’ve been around for two years. You won’t have my slave labor anymore.” She mounted Grace, lifted her arm for Taibhse, waited until Faol Ban stood between the horses. “Are you sure about flashing? It’s not just you and me like we’ve done before.”
He slipped a hand in Grace’s bridle. “Do the work, girl.”
“Okay, okay.” She drew in, drew it up, felt it stir in her. And a moment before she released the power, she saw Mick at the edge of the woods.
She lifted a hand in farewell, saw him lift his. And flashed.
To stand on the ridge over the farm.
She drank it in, the air, the view, the sounds. When she looked down at Mallick, her eyes gleamed with power and emotion. “I’m getting pretty good at it.”
“You need more practice, but you did well enough.”
“Dad’s already in the field with the boys. Haying. Mom must be inside. Do you want to ride Laoch down?”
“I won’t come down. Go to your family.”
“You’re not coming? But—”
“I’ve seen you home, and now I’ll go back to mine. Go to your family.”
“Wait, just—Mallick.” She said it sharply, leaned down to grip his hand before he could leave her. “You’re my family, too. You’re family.” She squeezed hard, then let him go. “Bright blessings on you.”
“And on you, Fallon Swift.” He touched a hand lightly to her knee, then stepped back. And was gone.
“We’re going home.” She steered Grace away from the ridge toward the farm road.
In the field Ethan looked over—God, he’d gotten big! He shouted something, waved his arms, and began to run. They all began to run.
In the kitchen Lana felt something shift, drop away, open. And on a sobbing breath, rushed outside. She watched her child, her beautiful child gallop down the road with a huge white owl on her arm, a white wolf running beside her, and a massive white horse keeping pace.
Lana ran, hair flying out of its pins, her heart swelling and pounding. When Fallon leaped from the horse and into her arms, the world that had been just out of focus for two long years snapped clear and clean again.
“Oh, my baby, my baby.” She clamped around Fallon as if she’d vanish, swayed, wept.
“Mom.” Fallon burrowed into her, all but buried her face in her mother’s hair until Lana drew her back.
“Oh, oh, look at you! You’re so tall, you’re so beautiful. You cut your hair!” She ran her fingers through it, then over Fallon’s face. “I love it. I love you. God, I missed you. I missed you every day.”
Then Simon sprinted up, swept Fallon off her feet, swung her around and around. “There she is. There’s my girl.”
She laughed, chained her arms around his neck. “Dad.” He smelled like the farm. He smelled like home.
“Jesus, you’re gorgeous. What happened to your hair? I missed the hell out of you.” He pulled Lana in, gripped them both tight, tight. “My girls,” he murmured. “My beautiful girls.”
With shouts and hoots, the boys swarmed in. Reluctantly Simon let Fallon go so her brothers could surround her.
Overwhelmed, almost dizzy with it, Fallon tried to hug everyone at once. They peppered her with questions—Colin in a voice she almost didn’t recognize. A man’s voice.
It reminded her they hadn’t stayed still in her absence. They’d grown taller. Colin more solid, Travis suddenly gangly, Ethan no longer a baby.
Jem and Scout raced in, circled, pushed through to nuzzle in.
“The gang’s all here.” Fallon laughed. “Almost. Where are Harper and Lee?”
She saw it in Ethan’s head droop before Lana spoke.
“They died this winter. I’m sorry, baby. They went together, in their sleep.”
“Oh.” It cut at her that she’d never see them again, that she hadn’t been able to say good-bye.
“We buried them under the tree,” Travis told her. “With Grandma and Granddad. You can visit them.”
“I will.” She looked around, the hills, the woods, the garden, the bees, the fields. “It looks the same. I’m so glad it looks the same.”
“You don’t.”