I had always wondered what it might be like to have a sister. I realized in that moment that I’d found one in spirit if not by blood. The kinship Neve and I shared was different than the relationships I had with my friends—regardless of how close Kel or Jack or Care and I were, it would never be a bond quite like the one that Neve and I would share for the rest of our days. Part of it would have to do with the destinies we shared, part with the children we carried—a legacy that Tala would enjoy, to some degree, though none of us would realize it until much later—but it went far beyond that.
“I’m scared,” she whispered after we sat in silence for a few long moments, each of us staring at the flickering lamp. “I’m scared of what’s going to happen next, that I’ll lose Cameron, that something terrible will happen to everyone here. That something will happen to Teague or Phelan or—or anyone I’ve ever dared to care about.”
“Cam will be fine,” I told her. “I’ve seen it—seen enough to know that he will be. You don’t have anything to worry about, just don’t let him do anything incredibly stupid and everything will be fine.”
“And you and Thom?” she asked quietly. “And Phelan and my brother and your brother and all the rest?”
I exhaled, squeezing my eyes shut as they started to sting without my permission. “I don’t know,” I said, my throat tight. “I’ve seen…I’ve seen things, but I’m not always sure what they mean.” How much do I tell her? I chewed my lip, hoping Thom and Cameron didn’t suddenly show up at the wrong moment. “I know that Thom and I will have to leave,” I told her. “But I already told you that.”
She nodded. “When I wanted you to learn how to sing the dead to their rest. I still don’t…I don’t think it matters that much. You’ll eventually come back.” Neve straightened a little, studying me. “And until then, you’ll be here and you’ll take care of our children when Cam and I can’t.”
I stared at her for a long moment before I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my face away. She wrapped a hand around my arm and squeezed it with all her strength.
“I know you will,” she whispered. “Don’t doubt it for a heartbeat.”
I sucked in a breath and nodded. “Right,” I said in a bare whisper. “You’re right.”
Remember, not even a Seer can see everything that will be in the future. Never forget that, Marin. Never, ever forget that.
Neve hugged me again and it was all I could do not to cry.
