Page 96 of Between Soul and Vessel
You can have an army of ten thousand, but it is the brave acts of one that will bring them home, spoke a strong, male voice from a time long forgotten.That, my dear daughter, is the warrior.
My brow furrowed. Was that something my father had once told me?
If so, why didn’t his voice sound like . . . his?
In the distance, across the lake, flame arrows shot into the sky toward the winged horse riders. I looked down, tracking where they had come from. Through the trees I could see them—
Harper. Ryker. Lyra. My heart performed a mighty kick, emotion choking me up.
It wasreallythem.
“Sage,” sniffled a voice from behind me.
Iknewthat voice.
It had been there ever since we were children. Strong and steady.
Unable to stop the tears from bubbling up, I turned around. Kaleb walked toward us. He looked exhausted, likehe’d been dragged through a forest for weeks on end. And yet, he was here, before my very eyes.
“Kaleb,” I choked out his name.
We raced toward one another, embracing and sobbing.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Kaleb spoke through his tears.
“Me too,” I said, sounding equally as pitiful as him.
Pulling back, I wiped at my wet cheeks as we smiled at each other like idiots.
“I have someone I need you to meet,” I told him, taking his hand. I pulled him over to Artemesia. “Kaleb, this is my sister, Artemesia. Artemesia, my brother, Kaleb.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Artemesia gritted her teeth as she got up, wincing as she put too much pressure on her injured arm. I rushed to her side, helping her. Kaleb came over.
When she was standing, she killed the distance between her and Kaleb and tossed her good arm around him, giving him a tight hug as she whispered, “Thank you, Kaleb.”
“For what?” he asked, hugging her back.
“For taking good care of our sister.”
There was something full circle about this moment, about seeing Artemesia paying Kaleb respect. It made my heart proud. Warm.
My lips wobbled. I sucked them in, trying to get ahold of my sappy self.
Gently, Kaleb pulled back, his eyes puffy and swollen from our sob fest. He placed a hand on Artemesia’sshoulder. “Thank you for taking care of her first.”
Tears pricked my eyes.
And thenall threeof us were sobbing.
I knew from that moment on, regardless of blood or birth, of parents or origin, the three of us would forever be connected.
Family.
Sage
Large branches snapped like brittle twigs as a blur of white fell no more than twenty feet from us, colliding with the ground. Feathers exploded into the air like a wagon full of pillows struck by cannon fire. A winged horse laid there, unmoving, no rider in sight.
“Is it dead?” Kaleb inquired, daring one step forward.
