Page 110 of Warrior of the Wild
“I’m over here!” I call out.
There’s a smattering of wet footsteps on the rocks, and then both boys come into view. First Soren, with his hair mussed, and his eyes tired. Then Iric, his taller frame hunched slightly and his cheeks red.
I launch myself at Soren. I’m not alone. I never was. Not since the first time I met Soren in the wild.
These boys are everything to me, and they came through when it mattered most.
“Did you run all the way here?” I ask.
“Yes,” Soren says irritably, looking at Iric. “We had to make up for lost time. I tried to make him hurry, Rasmira.”
“Hurry?” I ask.
Iric’s smile stuns me. It’s the first I’ve seen that isn’t mocking. It’s honest and sohappy.
“Someone insisted he join us,” Iric says.
I was only looking for the faces of my two boys, so I failed to spot a third hiding behind them.
He’s at least a couple of inches shorter than I am, with hair so dark it’s almost black. He wears a short beard, and his eyes are a striking green. Strapped to his waist are throwing hatchets. A large pack bulges on his back.
“Aros?” I ask.
He throws himself at me, squeezing me against his chest. For one so short, I hadn’t expected such strength.
“Thank you,” he says, “for bringing this one back to me. I heard what you did, and I can’t ever repay you for it.”
I think to shrug off the words. To tell him it was nothing. Instead, I say, “You’re welcome. It’s nice to meet you.”
He steps back. “I apologize for delaying them, but I wasn’t about to let Iric out of my sight again.”
I look at Soren. “I can understand that. I’m glad you decided to join us, Aros. I’ve been wanting to meet the man who willingly puts up with Iric.”
“Hey, now,” Iric says.
Aros grins and slides an arm around Iric’s waist. “He can be an ass, but I love him anyway.”
Iric glares down at him, but he can’t hold it. Soon it morphs into a goofy grin.
“Why don’t we give you two a moment to get yourselves situated,” Soren says. “Rasmira and I are going to head to the tree house.”
Iric and Aros don’t hear a word he’s saying. They’re already drawing closer.
Soren threads his fingers through mine and leads me down the trail.
“Sorry we kept you waiting,” he says. “I couldn’t leave the two of them to make the trip here on their own. They’re too busy looking at each other to keep an eye out for danger.”
“You made the right choice. I should have been more patient. You both just took so long, and you seemed so happy to be with your parents again. Iric had Aros. And you—I saw a girl. Anyway, I thought you’d both have to be mad to want to come back out here anytime soon.”
We stop at the base of the tree house, and Soren pulls me close. “My girl is right here in front of me. The girl you saw in Restin?”
“The blonde.”
“Yes, the blonde. She was looking to get some attention. Iric and I were declared village heroes, and she was looking for fame by association. I never spoke to her, except to assure her she was unwanted, and her attempts were petty.”
I squeeze my eyes shut tight, a wave of embarrassment taking me over. “I’ve never been jealous before.”
“You never need to be again.”
