Page 141 of An Archer's Reckoning

I turned at the sound of Larinda shuffling up behind us on her porch. “Ya be leavin’ t’day? Goin’ to see t’ Keeper?”

I nodded. “I love being here with you and our family, but my people on the continent need me, too. And . . . well . . . Ayden and I have business with the Keeper.”

“Well, fine. Go up to yer mountain, but I wan’ a day when ya come back down, before ya go home. I fear we won’t see ya much after this visit.”

I surprised the old woman, wrapping her in a tight embrace and lifting her off her feet. Ayden wrapped his arms around us both, and Larinda squealed in delight. “You might be surprised,Mother Larinda. I don’t like staying in one place too long. I might just come back every winter to avoid the cold—and to see a few people I’ve come to care a bit about.”

“A bit?” She cackled, a sound that always warmed my heart. “Ya do t’at, boy. Ya hear?”

Children raced around us as we left the village, grabbing at our fingers or jumping on our legs. They begged me to make my tunic flare, clapping and cheering wildly each time the golden Phoenix glowed so brightly they thought she might take flight. Ayden seemed to enjoy himself even more than the younglings, grabbing one and tossing him into the air before reaching down to tickle the next.

We reached the mountain’s base, and memories of a fuzzy little owl danced before me on the magical stones of the stair. As a tear rolled down my cheek, I smiled. Ayden gripped my hand.

“I didn’t know how much I loved that little owl until she was taken from me. I . . . I have no idea how to fill the void. I guess that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to come back to the island.”

Ayden’s arm wrapped around me as we walked up the path, the stones lighting their magical hues with each stride. “Thank you for bringing me here. This place is unlike anything I could have imagined.”

I smiled fondly. “Just wait until you meet . . .”

“Back so soon, young man?”

Ayden nearly leaped out of his boots.

The Keeper and I exchanged a quick glance, then both of us began to laugh.

The old man rose and hobbled to face me, gripping my arms with skeletal fingers. “It is good to see you again, Son of Magic. Welcome home.”

The Keeper laid one hand on Ayden’s arm and the other on mine. In a flash, the old man vanished, and the two of us stood inthe chamber of the Well of Magic surrounded by glowing crystals and curling magical mist.

“My baby boy, I missed you so much.”

My mother gripped my arms where the Keeper had just stood. Her smile beamed as she pulled me toward her into a warm embrace.

“It’s good to be home, mother.”

“Mother?” Ayden hissed beside me. When I looked up, all color had drained from his face, making him even more pale than normal.

Kelså reached up and cupped his cheek. “It is good to meet the man who stole my son’s heart. We will have words before this visit is done.”

He blinked.

His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

He looked to me, and I shrugged.

Kelså began to laugh.

“Come, boys, you must be hungry.” She cast a glance over her shoulder as she strode away, winking at Ayden. “I know Declan is always hungry. Good thing I have a pantry full of magic to help fill him up.”

Her laughter echoed off the cavern walls as she led us through the mountain maze to her kitchen. The confounding woman already had pots boiling and meat sizzling in a pan. The smell of pork, beans, and roasting potatoes with garlic assaulted my senses. She caught my eyes rolling back and giggled like a teenage girl.

“I am not sure how, but I knew you would come today. The currents speak loudly these days. Some days it feels as though they positively scream.”

“Bless the currents if they let me eat like this.” Ayden shook his head as he scanned the feast before us.

Kelså swatted his hand away with a wooden spoon just as she would if I had reached for a taste. The familiarity of her gesture toward him warmed my heart in ways I could scarcely understand.

“Go clean up. You are sandy from the walk across the beach. This should be ready in a half hour or so.” She swatted him again, then shooed me with her wooden weapon.

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