But there still was no sign of Qeenan. And she could tell that was concerning Nibo by the way he watched the horizon and clutched his crook.
“What do you think your brother’s up to?”
He let out a tired sigh. “I wish I knew. Ever have a feeling something is so wrong that nothing is going to make it right?”
“Every day I was in the body of a straw poppet.”
He pulled her closer. “Understood.”
The two of them fell silent as Circe’s ship pulled alongside theSea Witch. Barnet and his men hung back. A tense silence fell over the crew as they watched them cautiously.
Agrios didn’t appear much happier.
The pall over all the crews and dragons was tangible and was almost as thick as it’d been while they battled the Malachai’s demons.
Circe swung over to the deck of theSea Witch, but instead of rushing toward her son, she approached him slowly, almost cautiously.
Nibo watched the guarded way Agrios met his mother. He’d seen warmer receptions between rabid porcupines.
More affection, too.
Glad I’m not a rabid porcupine.
Or a son of Circe.
Circe passed a cool stare to Nibo. “Thank you for returning him.” Her words lacked the gratitude she professed.
Unsure of how to respond to that, Nibo met Valynda’s gaze. “Our pleasure.” Then he leaned in to whisper in her ear. “But I feel for the boy.”
Valynda nodded. She did, too, given this lackluster reunion. She’d expected so much more. Why had his mother been so hell-bent on having him back if this was all she wanted from him?
A bad feeling went through her. Was there something more to all this? What could Circe be up to?
Maybe she just wanted a chance to work things out with her son? To fix their broken relationship?
It was too late for her. Her mother was gone and had never had any interest in repairing their shattered hearts. It was a sad lot when a child broke from their parent. Tragic, really, and it still burned in her that she’d cut away from her parents the way she had. But that was on them. She had done nothing to deserve their hatred. And she would never understand how they could have turned on her the way they did.
Perhaps it was the dreamer in her that hoped that maybe, just maybe, they could pull together through this.
It sounded pithy even to her, but she would keep them in her prayers, because she wanted it to work out for them. For someone to have a happy ending. Because that gave her hope that perhaps such things weren’t dead.
And hope was something she desperately needed right now.
Circe moved to stand in front of them and held her hand out to Nibo. “I won’t forget your kindness.”
“What about Valynda’s body?”
“It’s hers now. But it will still take time for the soul to bind. Until then, she’s vulnerable to losing it again. Guard the bottle.” And then she and her son were gone.
Valynda hated the sound of that.
Guard the bottle.Great. She glanced over to Sallie and his rugged, weathered face as he grinned at her. It was a terrifying thought that she could lose her soul so easily.
But at least she was whole again.
Thanks to Xuri.
She kissed his cheek. “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?”
