When Dylon opened the wooden gate, it squeaked on its hinges, alerting Chicha to our arrival. The familiar sound of herexcited barking had my heart swell, and as the door flew open and my father appeared, she darted between his legs, bounding toward me and yipping with joy.
"Kailin! My sweet girl!" The surprise and delight on my father's face made my throat tight. "Dylon said he was bringing a guest, but?—"
I barely heard the rest because Chicha launched herself at me. I dropped my pack just in time to catch her, her wiggling body and enthusiastic kisses the best welcome home I could have asked for.
"I missed you, too, girl," I murmured into her fur.
She squirmed to get to Dylon next, who scooped her up and let her lick his face all over. Alar was next, getting the same treatment from Chicha as if he were already part of the family.
The sight of her covering his face with licks while he laughed made warmth bloom in my chest.
Ravel, on the other hand, got a slightly less enthusiastic welcome.
She sniffed him curiously, tail wagging slowly, and allowed him to pet her head, but she didn't offer licks or demand to be held.
"Dad, I would like you to meet Commander Ravel Nidar," Dylon said. "I invited him to join us for lunch."
Our father extended his hand. "Jayron Strom. Welcome to our home, Commander."
Ravel clasped my father's offered hand. "Thank you for having me."
My mother appeared behind my father, her eyes going wide when she saw me. "Kailin! Oh, sweetheart, what a wonderful surprise!" She squeezed by my father's bulky form to get to me and pulled me into a fierce hug.
"Hi, Mom," I whispered against her shoulder, inhaling her familiar scent.
"Let the girl breathe, Milly," Gran's voice came from inside. "And bring them in before the food gets cold."
My mother leaned away, her expression turning worried. "What happened to you? You are skin and bones."
"They are working us hard," I deflected her question. "Conditioning is brutal."
"It is," my brother confirmed. "I remember going down two pant sizes after basic training."
My mother didn't look convinced, her eyes darting to Alar, who hadn't changed nearly as much as I had.
We filed into the house, the familiar scents of home wrapping around me—herbs from Gran's work, baking bread, the lingering smell of Dad's pipe, even though he only smoked outside. Everything was exactly as I remembered, yet it was changed somehow now that I was different.
Mom bustled about adding more place settings while we shed our packs by the door. The dining table was laden with enough food for twice our number—roasted mountain goat with Gran's special herb crust, Mom's potato casserole, fresh bread, and pickled vegetables.
"It's good to be home." Dylon eyed the food hungrily. "As always, you've made enough to feed an entire squadron."
"That's how it's done in the Strom household." Mom smiled at him. "Too much is always better than not enough."
We took our seats, with my parents sitting at the opposite ends of the table, Dylon, Alar, and I on one side, and Ravel next to Gran on the other.
Dad's expression grew serious as he looked us over. "Is there a reason for the dress uniforms? I hope there weren't any additional deaths."
We all turned somber, remembering that many of the wounded were still fighting for their lives, and the list of casualties was still growing.
"Not as far as I know," Ravel said. "We had a grand celebration in the Citadel in honor of the victory over the Shedun and flew here right after."
"What a miracle it was," Gran said. "Thank Elu and his divine providence."
Divine. Right.
Could I ever tell my grandmother that the god she worshiped wasn't a divinity? That he was flesh and blood just like us, only immortal and powerful?
"You should thank Kailin, Mrs. Strom," Ravel's calm voice cut through my thoughts. "Your granddaughter has rendered an extraordinary service to Elucia. She saved countless lives in Podana."
