“Oh. Just like this.” Past Soren holds out his hand and Lyall takes it.
“You’ll never be alone again, Soren. I promise.”
And somehow, I believe every word.
I think Past Soren does, too.
Chapter 13
Lyall
I could stay inthe past forever and relive those precious childhood years, but the future calls. My future in my time, and Soren has responsibilities in his time as well. The longer I stay away, the more suspicious my brothers will be.
Once we return to Soren’s present, I accompany him home. Soren’s quiet beside me, eyes staring miles ahead. I bump his shoulder with mine. “Don’t think too hard. You’ll get a headache.”
A smile brightens his face. “Speaking from experience?”
“Thinking only hurts after one too many cups of mead.”
When he laughs, I feel the way Thor must have felt when he felled the great World Serpent itself. Of the two of us, Soren was always a touch moodier. He gets in his head, analyzes all possible outcomes. He’s amazing in that way, but he needs someone to ground him.
“Are you well?”
Soren hums, the sound light and easy. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
He shrugs, averting his gaze with a small smile. “How glad I am that we were friends. I have friends in this time. They’re great. But you and me, we go way back. It makes sense why you’re so easy to talk to. Why you know what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling just by looking at me.”
I feel a burst of pride at his words. “I do know you! Better than anyone, I’d wager.”
He snorts. “That so?”
“Aye. I can prove it.”
“Okay then. Let’s do this.” Soren suddenly takes a detour. Usually, we leave from Chelsea Piers and walk straight to his home along the Hudson River. Instead, he leads me down a stretch of pier until we’ve found a bench to sit on.
Soren plops down with a big sigh, eyes closing. I settle in beside him. At this late hour, the world is quiet. It’s just us, the seagulls, and the water. “What’s my favorite color?”
“Easy. Green, like my eyes. You told me so long ago.”
“My favorite food?”
“My Aunt Helga’s beef stew.”
Soren frowns thoughtfully. “Huh. I did ask Fergus for beef stew for dinner a lot. Okay. Favorite hobby?”
“A hobby?”
“That’s something you like to do.”
“Oh. I see. You always enjoyed fishing.”
He gawks at me. “Fishing?”
“Aye. You loved being out on the water. You didn’t often keep what you caught but that wasn’t what it was about. You enjoyed the experience. And I enjoyed seeing you happy. So I often went with you.”
“Fishing…” Soren looks out over the water with newfound intrigue. “It’s something I thought about, but I never committed to actually doing it.”
