Once I’m alone in my room, I flop into bed and sigh as all the tension slowly leaves my body. On my dresser, my phone pings. Who would be texting this late? I sure hope it’s not my boss. I’m supposed to have off tomorrow.
It’s of a pigeon perched on the air conditioner outside his window.
My phone rings.
“Hey,” I answer, unable to wipe my grin off my face.
“What type of bird is this?” Lyall asks, sounding so confused it’s hard not to burst into laughter.
“It’s a pigeon. They’re, like, the bird of New York.”
“Ah. I liked that picture you sent.”
Heat crawls up my cheeks. “Yours was better.” It was funny and authentic.
“Are you all right?”
I sigh. “I’m… okay. Today was just a lot. Do things get better for us in the past?”
“Aye. They do.”
“I sense a ‘but.’”
“Our story… it doesn’t have a happy ending. But I am working on it, Soren. I’m going to give us both the happy ending we deserve.”
I sure hope traveling into the past gets easier. The boat didn’t overturn this time, but man, my stomach feels like it got flipped upside down.
Lyall grins at me. “Looking rather green there.”
I rub my roiling stomach. “Hey, cut me some slack. It’s only my second time.”
Laughing, Lyall guides me from the shore toward the woods. “You’ll be a natural soon.”
“Where are we?”
We’re on an island now, but it looks different from the one I grew up on. The trees are denser; the beach is longer.
“The island where I grew up.” Lyall motions toward a port farther down the beach. “Look there. That’s my father Erik’s ship. You’ll be stepping off with him in a moment.”
Interest piqued, I hurry after him toward the longship. Rugged men disembark, bringing cattle, boxes of goods, and even some people in chains, I note with unease. A big man who shares Lyall’s golden hair leaves the boat and at his side is my younger self.
With a hand on my shoulder, Lyall’s father says, “Here we are, boy. This will be your new home.”
Past Soren bites his bottom lip. “Are you going to make me a thrall, sir?”
Lyall’s father snorts. “You’re far too scrawny for labor. No, you will live in my house with me and my boys. They’re around your age.”
Past Soren’s eyes widen. “Are… are they wolves, too?” Fear creeps into his voice.
“Aye, I told you, my whole village are ulfhednar. But we are nothing like the cravens who attacked your village, I assure you. We never target humans or those weaker than ourselves. In fact, we do trade with many human settlements,and quite a few of them are aware of our gift. You are safe here. I promise.”
Past Soren frowns down at his feet, not looking convinced. I don’t blame the poor kid. I’d be scared too if I were going to go live in a village full of wolves, especially after they killed my family and destroyed my home. I hope things will work out for him.
I hurry after the ghosts of the past. From the beach, it’s a short walk to the village. We pass several farms before we arrive at the gates. Lyall sighs beside me, a wistful sound that aches. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen our old home.”
The streets bustle with villagers shopping at the market stalls, herding cattle, and going about their day. I jump when two wolves race right through me, bounding through the streets like overgrown puppies. My younger self gasps and hides behind Lyall’s father as they run past.
Erik chuckles. “Be brave, boy. They will not harm you.”
