Page 48 of Captured on Film
Caleb had his key ready, but hesitated.
“Been a while, huh?” Josheb mimed insertion and a twist.“Give it a few days. It’ll feel normal again in no time.”
“It’s just … different.”
“Nah. Not really.You’rethe one who’s changed.” Andwith a wink, his brother whispered, “Lots of changes ahead.”
Understatement.
Caleb opened the door, eased out of his shoes, and steppedinside. Everything was hushed and stale and dusty. He probably should have beenworried about the mail and the state of his portfolio. He even felt a littleguilty for not giving past priorities their former place.
He had a new job. One that involved film crews andinterviews and documentation. One that put a permanent smile on Josheb’s face,since he’d be delivering the scoop of the century on a weekly basis. Becausethe Amaranthine clans were their myths and legends come to life.
“Den sweet den,” quipped Josheb. He unclipped Nessie’sleash, and she trotted into her former domain, nose to the rug. “I’ll crack awindow.”
“Do me a favor?” Caleb pointed toward the loft. “There’s askylight up there, above the bed. See if it opens?”
Josheb shucked out of his own slippers, offered a jauntysalute, and hopped to it. “Gonna sleep under the stars tonight?” he called fromthe utility closet.
“Not sure we can see them from here.”
“But you’re hoping tohearthem.”
“Yeah.” Caleb could admit that much. “Yeah, we’ll listen forthem again tonight.”
It was cold. March was too soon to be sleeping under anopen skylight. But Caleb and Josheb unrolled a thick pad woven from fur—aparting gift from Oaken—and piled every blanket in the house on top. WithNessie sprawled between them, it was almost homey. And when Josheb grabbedCaleb’s wrist, it was even closer to normal.
But there was nopip-pip-pippingof figments, and noflicker of firelight. “I’m going to buy a candle tomorrow,” muttered Caleb.
“Cell phone, too. Hesper wants usbothto text.” Aftera lengthy pause, Josheb asked, “Getting anything?”
“Not really.” Compared to the mountains, the stars were dimand distant.
But as soon as Josheb retreated into sleep, a trickle ofmusic touched Caleb’s soul. As if the stars had been waiting for a privateword.
They sang of all that had happened, and they sang of thingsto come. Of dogs and dragons and foxes. Of embassies and treaties and pacts. Oflong-held promises and unfolding plans. And of seemingly insignificant moments withconsequences that would culminate in surprising ways.
Dare Together
“This the place?” asked Josheb, pulling into an openspace across the street.
The house was a century old, at least. One of those big,sprawling historical homes just a block off the main drag. The kind with awrap-around porch and three colors of paint on its filigree trim.
Caleb had memorized the map, but the neighborhood was nothinglike he’d expected. “It’s so … normal.”
“Well, sure. They’re shooting for normal.” Josheb hopped downand opened the back door to let Nessie out. “Hesper says they’re using Vale fora surname right now.”
“I remember.”
“Wouldn’t be so bad, moving someplace like this. Hesperwould have our backs. Drive for an hour or two, and we’d be up a mountain.You’d be okay, yeah?”
Caleb did spend an embarrassing amount of attention to hiscurrent elevation. He hadn’t realized Josheb noticed. He simply nodded andpeered around.
Hesper’s hometown wasn’t a big city by any stretch, but theyweren’t far from a more major metropolis. Close enough for this to count as asuburb. Plenty of people probably commuted from here to there.
Every house on the block had deep front yards with toweringtrees. Most had several cars lining their driveways, but thishadto be Hesper’splace. Bunches of yellow and gold helium balloons bobbed above the mailbox and alongthe porch railings, where two handmade banners boldly declared:
BETTERTOGETHER
