They slept for another few hours, until the sun rose in the east, peeking through bare trees. Aoife woke first, sitting up slowly and ruffling Gray\u2019s hair before she abandoned their blankets and started to roll back the tarp they\u2019d sheltered under during the previous day\u2019s storm. Gray grumbled softly, cracking an eye open and watching her work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it really morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed. \u201cThe sun says it is, anyway. Are you awake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy body says I am, but my eyes and my head want to go back to sleep.\u201d Gray stretched, squeezing his eyes shut as he yawned. \u201cAny insight on how far it is to get to your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s close,\u201d Aoife said, then shrugged. She couldn\u2019t be very precise\u2014her ability to sense her family wasn\u2019t an exact science. She knew they were close, knew which direction to go in, but beyond that, she didn\u2019t have much help to offer. \u201cThe feeling of him is pretty strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good, right?\u201d Gray started getting ready to rig up the sails. The breeze was relatively light, though there were occasional increases that promised a stiff wind was coming soon enough. \u201cYou were worried about him when we started all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been worried about him non-stop since I felt something stab him months ago,\u201d Aoife admitted softly. \u201cThe fact that I can feel him strongly and the fact that we\u2019re closer…that doesn\u2019t stop me from worrying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gray slid his arm around her waist and held her for a moment. Aoife sighed softly, resting her head against his shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming with me,\u201d she whispered. \u201cThank you for not letting me convince you to let me go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was never a possibility that I\u2019d have let you leave without me,\u201d Gray told her, then kissed the top of her head. \u201cYou\u2019re stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd glad of it,\u201d Aoife said, grinning as she reached for the rigging. \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s get this sail up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Home is where family is, and I\u2019m nearly home.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They slept for another few hours, until the sun rose in the east, peeking through bare trees. Aoife woke first, sitting up slowly and ruffling Gray\u2019s hair before she abandoned their blankets and started to roll back the tarp they\u2019d … Continue reading