[This post is from Cameron’s point of view.]
Cameron reined up within sight of the settlement to the south, his lips thinning slightly. It looked just the same way it had the last time they’d been here more than a month before—almost dead from a distance.
They’re fine. We’d know if they weren’t, right?
Right?
He exhaled quietly, fingers tightening in his reins for a moment before he nudged his horse back into motion.
Leaving Neve behind hadn’t been easy, especially with things as tense as they were back home. He was fully expecting to come back to people mourning—though he wasn’t certain who they’d be mourning for.
You can’t worry about that right now. You have other things to worry about. He glanced back, reassuring himself that the pack horse tethered to his saddle was still with them, laden with trade goods and a handful of gifts for their neighbors to the south—all in the interest of good relations.
Just be home well before Neve has our twins and everything will be okay.
He started to see signs of life when he was a few dozen yards away from the edge of the settlement. Then, a slender girl darted from one building to another, obviously rushing to tell someone what—perhaps who—she’d spotted.
Cameron stopped at the edge of the settlement and waited, stretching his legs as much as he could while still in the saddle. It had been a long ride—at least it felt that way.
Lara came boiling out of one of the intact buildings, the dark-skinned teenager who’d made the dash to alert her jogging to keep up. Cameron could see the alarm on Lara’s face in the instant before it melted into a smile.
“Dragon,” she said, grinning as she walked toward him. “What took you so long?”
I’ve been looking forward to seeing more interaction with neighbors.