Page 86 of Salt Between the Wolves

"You came a long way for someone simply visiting family."

The words were mild, though the meaning beneath them was not.

Eira remained quiet while Maelin waited, and when no explanation came, she continued.

"Your letter said almost nothing."

"It wasn't safe to write more."

That answer only deepened the concern in her sister's eyes.

"No," Maelin agreed quietly. "I suppose it wasn't."

The wind rattled through the broken stones above them, and neither woman spoke for several moments before Maelin finally asked the question she had clearly been holding back.

"Does Soren Ironfang know you're here?"

The name settled heavily between them.

Eira's gaze dropped, and that was answer enough.

The silence stretched, and when she finally looked up again, Maelin had gone very still. She wasn't shocked, at least not yet; instead, she seemed to be thinking, calculating, and trying to understand.

"Does he know where you are?"

Eira shook her head slowly.

The concern in Maelin's face deepened.

"And did you tell him you were leaving?"

Another silence served as another answer.

The realization arrived visibly this time, and Eira watched it unfold as her sister began assembling pieces she didn't yet possess: the marriage, the road, the lack of escort, the secrecy, and the unanswered questions. One by one they fell into place until the shape beneath them became impossible to ignore.

Maelin leaned back slightly.

Her expression had changed completely now. The warmth remained, and so did the relief, but fear had joined them—real fear, not for herself but for what all of this meant.

"You didn't run away from Frostvein."

The words emerged slowly and carefully, sounding more like an observation than a question.

Eira said nothing.

"You ran from Ironfang."

The silence that followed felt louder than any answer.

Far below, the mare shifted and shook snow from her mane, and the sound seemed unnaturally distant.

Maelin stared at her, and for a long moment neither of them moved. Then her sister lowered her eyes and exhaled slowly, the breath trembling ever so slightly. When she looked back up, something very close to disbelief lingered there.

"Eira..."

The name sounded different this time, heavier than before.

"What have you done?"