Page 43 of Salt in the Seas
With a sharp tug that shifted to a slice through her entire body, Aeliana was pulled from the memories. Cyrus and Gaeren once again stood before her, questioning looks in their eyes.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m not—I don’t know.” Aeliana took a step back from them, pressing her hand against her temple. An ache spread behind her eyes and her starlock felt hot, as if it worked to bring her back from her state of confusion. How had she seen all that? It obviously couldn’t have been Cyrus. But it had felt more controlled the last time Gaeren had given her memories of their past. And he’d asked permission then. Had he done it on accident this time in his eagerness to see her?
The others still milled around the beach, pulling supplies from the boats and securing them on the shore, as if she’d never left, but exhaustion swept through her as though she’d just finished the journey along with them. As if she’d just experienced the last eight weeks with Gaeren, Riveran, and Cyrus.
And her father.
“Aeliana?”
She turned to take in the older man standing quietly off to the side. He’d been there for a while, likely watching her. Grey hair peppered his black locks but extended past his shoulders, making it obvious he’d come from Lorvandas.
More than that, he was the man from the memories. The man they’d called Rildan. She knew him, and yet she shouldn’t.
“Father?”
His face broke into a grin, all hesitation gone, and he rushed forward, crushing her in his arms. A laugh rumbled through his chest and enveloped her along with his hold, the sensation nearly bringing her to tears with her confusion.
“I can’t believe they found you.” She pulled back and soaked in his weathered skin and hunched form, a frailness masked by a tough outer shell formed by unwelcome life experiences.
He glanced at the forest behind her. “Did anyone else come?”
The hope in his eyes made her know what he was really asking.
“Mother is back at the fortress. She’s doing better, but it’s faster for you to go to her than it would have been for her to come with me. Besides, I wasn’t sure you’d actually be here. I didn’t want to get her hopes up.”
His form hunched even more, but this time with relief. “Can you take me to her?”
“Of course.” She stared at him a moment longer, unable to fully comprehend that he was there. After so many years of assuming her parents were dead, it felt too good to be true to have both of them alive and here with her.
She’d envisioned riding back to the fortress with Gaeren by her side, filling her in on news from Lorvandas, but now that her father was here, she couldn’t leave him to walk. He’d waited long enough to see his wife.
Aeliana turned to Gaeren in apology. “I only have two horses in the woods.”
Gaeren grinned. “We all need to get our land legs back anyway.”
“I look forward to catching up later.” Her words came out shy, her hands suddenly feeling awkward no matter where she placed them. She scanned the shore for Cyrus and Riveran and quickly added, “With all three of you.”
“I don’t mind if it’s just us.” He bent to pick the daisies growing at her feet, and his grin widened. “I’ve had enough of Cyrus and Riveran these last two moons.”
He handed her the cluster of daisies, and her cheeks heated. Her bond mark twinged as his nearness left her flustered. Was he teasing her? Or reminding her they were childhood friends and nothing more?
“Felk is in the woods, too,” she blurted out.
He raised his eyebrows. “Just Felk?”
“Lilik and the others are back at the fortress. I didn’t want tooverwhelm the sailors. I wanted to make sure they knew the only winex still in the area are friendly.”
“Where did the others go?” Gaeren asked.
Aeliana shrugged. “I suppose there could still be some roaming free in the forest, but they’ve kept themselves hidden these last two cycles. Their numbers have likely dwindled now that Mayvus isn’t breeding them.” She pursed her lips at the memory.
“I’ll warn the others to keep their weapons to themselves,” he said.
“I was hoping you could share your memories with Felk.” The words came out far less confident, her plan for restoring Felk’s memories now tainted by her own strange experience.
“Of course. I’ll be sure to highlight all the ways he owes me.”
