Page 114 of Earthbound

‘Save me one!’ Lettle said.

The noise drew Mia to the door, and she opened it bleary-eyed. ‘Dart, what’s–Alder?’

A second pair of arms wrapped around him and Alder felt their love settle on him like armour.

Lettle was right, there are other ways to have a family beyond blood.

The embrace was briefer than he would have liked, but Dart quickly rushed Mia back into bed.

Farhan lay on a pallet by the fire, his leg raised up on Shera’s back. She opened her eyes to greet Ajax, before going back to sleep.

Farhan sat up as they entered. ‘You’re back!’

‘We are,’ Alder said.

It took a couple of minutes for everyone to get settled. The room was smaller than their previous resting room, but Alder suspected they had chosen it because it was closest to the waterfall.

‘So, what happened?’ Mia asked.

It was the question Alder had been dreading. He didn’t want to listen to it again, but when Lettle looked at him, he gave her the nod to begin.

Alder looked into the flickering flames of the fire and tried to drown out Lettle’s voice.

A touch on his shoulder startled him. He looked up to find Dart’s tear-streaked face. Time had passed and he hadn’t even noticed. Once more he was enfolded into Dart’s arms.

‘You are the best person I know, don’t forget that,’ he whispered.

Mia reached for his hand from her bed. ‘You are not Afa. OK?’

Alder’s mouth parted in wonder. Their loyalty was unshakeable. They didn’t blame him for any of Afa’s cruelty.

‘But how can I ever separate my deeds from my person?’ he said.

It was Mortah who answered. ‘Because you are not him. You may have his body, but your mind has been moulded by different people. Your memories make you who you are, and you do not have his–and he does not have yours.’

There was a snort and everyone looked to Farhan. The fae had fallen asleep.

‘Oh, to have no curiosity, how simple life would be,’ Lettle said dryly. It drew out a laugh from Alder but it dried up in his throat when he remembered what came next.

‘We have to leave, we need to go back to Mosima,’ he said.

‘Farhan can’t travel with you. We’ll send him back when his ankle heals,’ Mortah said. ‘And I presume you’ll be wanting to leave swiftly. Here, give me your packs, I’ll go resupply them.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Lettle said. ‘Alder, I’ll meet you at the entrance to Caperly?’

He nodded, recognising he was being given precious time alone with Mia and Dart.

‘Thank you for everything,’ Lettle said to them both, before following Mortah out. Ajax trailed in her wake.

‘So that obeah followed you the whole way?’ Mia asked. ‘The king must really love her.’

‘Yes.’ He understood that love, or perhaps the promise of it. He had the beginnings of it with Golan.

And, of course, Hady.

‘Come, sit,’ Mia patted the bed next to her. He lay down and Dart squeezed on the end.

‘Maybe I should stay?’ Alder said. ‘Lettle has the spell, she need only teach it to Rayan.’