And we will not let you fade.
Go softly on the dark water, Ruari.
The veil is thin. You know the way.”
Lara had a soft voice. Not as clear as Ren’s. Nor as powerful as Mor’s. Yet the emotion in it made his breathing grow shallow. He hadn’t been close to Ruari, not like Annis and Ren were, but he’d respected the seer.
The counselor and bard were both weeping now. However, although Lara’s eyes glistened, she continued to sing, her voice never wavering. Next to her, Bree, Cailean, and Roth stood, heads bowed.
Watching them, a hollow sensation filled Alar. He was intruding upon their grief. He didn’t move though, for he didn’t want to shatter the moment or draw attention to himself. Skaal, who’d been sitting next to Cailean, padded over to Alar then. She pushed up against him. Grateful for her show of affection,he put an arm around her shoulders. The fae hound’s warmth and musky scent reminded him of the wulvers—of a life he’d turned his back on.
How were his brothers and sisters faring at Dulross?
Eventually, the High Queen’s lament ended.
The swan bobbed away, sunlight catching the reeds.
Blinking, Lara stepped back from the water’s edge. “It doesn’t feel like enough,” she whispered. “He deserves more.”
“He died with honor,” Cailean said softly, glancing over at where Skaal now nuzzled Alar. His brow furrowed. “It’s the best any of us can ask for.”
“What now?” Bree asked. Her gaze still lingered upon the gently bobbing swan.
Lara sighed, drawing her cloak around her as a gust of wind whipped into them. “Now, we retrace our steps.”
She turned then, searching for someone.
Alar stilled as her gaze settled upon him.
“Fern has gone then?”
He nodded.
“And yetyou’restill here,” Cailean said gruffly.
Alar gave a soft snort. “Aye.”
Bree nudged her husband in the ribs with her elbow, cutting him a sharp look.
“It was a jest,” the chief-enforcer rumbled.
Of course, everyone here knew the reason he lingered.
Lara.
And he wasn’t leaving, unless she told him to.
His gut tightened then as her gaze burned into him. Perhaps that moment had arrived. He wasn’t going to ask though. He had his pride. If Lara was done with him, he’d let her spell it out.
“We’re heading south now,” she said finally. Her tone was veiled, her expression hard to read. “Are you coming with us?”
Alar cleared his throat. “Am I welcome?”
She nodded.
Warmth flooded across his chest, but before he could say anything else, she’d turned. He watched her walk away, back up the slope to where Bracken grazed. Fortunately, their horses and ponies hadn’t bolted into the darkness the night before; none of them would be walking back to Crask. She then vaulted onto the mare’s back and gathered the reins. “Let’s go.”
36: NO GOING BACK
