Page 85 of Salt Between the Wolves

The questions had arrived, and both of them knew it.

The wind had begun to pick up again, though it was not strong enough to drive them from the ruins and only persistent enough that Maelin eventually glanced toward the broken walls and gestured toward the shelter they still provided.

"Come."

They moved deeper into the remains of the tower, where the fallen stone offered some protection from the cold.

Maelin lowered herself onto a section of collapsed masonry with obvious relief, one hand unconsciously settling against the curve of her stomach as she adjusted her cloak.

The gesture caught Eira's attention again, reminding her of the years that had passed, the children Maelin had raised, and the child still on the way. An entire life had unfolded while they remained separated by mountains and distance.

For a moment neither spoke, and the silence no longer felt uncomfortable but merely strange, like something neither of them quite knew how to bridge.

Eventually Maelin smiled.

"I wasn't sure you'd actually come."

Eira raised an eyebrow.

"You sent the letter."

"That doesn't mean I expected you to be foolish enough to answer it."

The familiar dryness of the remark made Eira laugh, and it was a genuine laugh, the first in what felt like months. The sound surprised both of them, and Maelin's smile softened immediately.

"There you are."

Eira looked away as the laughter faded almost as quickly as it had come.

"You make it sound as though I've disappeared."

"Haven't you?"

The question was light, but the look accompanying it was not.

For a moment Eira found herself studying the snow beyond the ruined wall because she wasn't ready for that conversation yet. Fortunately, Maelin allowed the silence to pass.

"How long were you on the road?"

"Just over a week."

The answer came easily.

"Alone?"

"Mostly."

That earned her a look.

"Mostly?"

"There was a horse."

Maelin rolled her eyes.

"Good. At least some things haven't changed."

The warmth returned briefly before fading once more, and Eira saw it happen as Maelin's gaze drifted toward the mare waiting below the hill, then toward the travel satchel, the road, and all the details that didn't belong together. Her sister had always been observant, and the passing years clearly hadn't changed that.