Page 9 of Keeping Sarah

She gave me a knowing face that said,see? Then, she declared, “If you go fight for Sarah, you’ll die. Plain and simple. If you were to trip and fall, you could die. If you ran, the bouncing alone—"

“I get it, Ode,” I said, cutting her off in an irritable tone. “I get it.”

“Are you sure?”

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had to make her believe that I would stay put. “Yes. Thank you.”

She nodded once, satisfied. “Good.”

But Silence must have known better. She had a glint in her eyes, before she left the room.

Father glanced my way pointedly. “Just imagine what Sarah would do, if we didn’t make you convalesce.”

None of that matters. The only thing that matters is her.

“I know, Father,” I said in a placating tone. “I will try to behave, but no promises.”

Silence returned with my slumbering baby brother and unceremoniously put him in my lap. “Perhaps you will stay seatednow.”

I quickly pulled him into the crook of my arm so he didn’t slide off my knees. “Why would—"

Silence braced her hands on her curvy hips. “He’s sleeping, and whoever wakes him has to be the one to put him back down. That’s the rule for the twins.”

I glanced down at the little fellow in my arms. His sleeping face was so peaceful. I wondered when was the last time I slept that well. Faint wisps of gray hair blew when I exhaled. His skin was still ivory—too young to be tanned. His tinge was like mine—pink. He would look like me and Father, if he had the chance to grow up.

He was the reason Sarah was on Halla. He was why she was the only thing that mattered. As the last living conduit, Sarah had the power to control ghosts, though we never knew to what extent until she had subsumed Rex. Sarah would be able to use the ghosts to train my brother and my sister. With any luck, she would be able to tap into that lifeforce and accelerate their growth, as well.

Staring at him in awe, I softly asked Silence, “When is the naming ceremony?"

"We’re not sure. With everything that has happened, we keep postponing it, coming up with new names—"

“But how do you name children whose father is dead?” My father asked with a smirk.

Silence nodded and smiled at him. “We have consulted with Wave about how to do all of this without Valor being able to participate in the ceremony…there are a lot of facets to consider.”

My father spoke on about the logistics of the ceremony, the details, even the names they were considering were not enough to gather my attention. My mind and heart were with Sarah and Jac. Where were they? How was she faring with Rex inside of her? Had they…had he…my gut sank with my thoughts, deeper into the recesses of my mind. Where dark and terrible things lived.

During the war, I had seen men do things I did not abide, including Rex. The horrors of war. The cost. The penalty of it all. Those atrocities were seen as the price of peace. At least, that was what soldiers told themselves as they did them. Our ghosts were marred by the actions of our bodies.

Rex Terian’s ghost was one of the most marred, and now, it resided in the body of my consort.

A hand waved in my vision, shaking me back to reality. I glanced up to find Silence now standing in front of me. “Apologies, what?”

“I’ll take him now,” Silence said, her eyes on her son.

My eyes fluttered as I came around and passed him to her. The parlor was empty, my father gone. “Did I drift off?”

She smiled and took my brother. “I believe so.”

“I didn’t mean to—"

“Not to worry.” She held him and sat on a rocking chair across from me. “How are you holding up?”

I laughed lightly. “Which part?”

Her full lips tightened. “I know what it’s like.”

“What what’s like?” I asked, unsure what she meant.

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