Page 279 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Hallie had waited to speak, letting him get it all out, but she’d wiped away the solitary tear that escaped his hold when he spoke about his father’s final moments, his conflicting feelings, and the life he would now lead.
But now, in the afternoon light of the next day, it was time to say goodbye to Valora. They'd eaten an ashy late breakfast at the tavern, the bartender with the deep blue eyes and solemn voice whipping up orange juice and his best recreation of the old chef’s bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich—the chef Jack loved had decided to move on after Jagamot’s defeat. It’d been a decent first go, according to Jack, but Addi would need to practice.
Afterward, they walked back to the cottage as a group, Jack tucking Navara’s parchment into his satchel with an uncharacteristically solemn expression. No one else would be able to tell, but Hallie was his sister, his twin—she knew the casual scrunch of his nose and the way he swatted at his eye and his vague mutters aboutmosquito seasonwere part of a show to hide the tear he shed for the woman he’d calledGranwith such disgruntled affection.
Hallie stalled as long as possible, but the waning daylight told her they needed to return to Kyvena. There were people who needed to know what had happened, and Ben, the lost heir to the Cerl throne, was needed to halt any future attacks on Jayde.
That Ben was not only the future king of Cerulene, but also Ezekiel’s son—Kase’s cousin—was still quite the shock. But that revelation could be handled more privately. Slowly. When it no longer felt like they might all die at any moment.
Kase kept his hand on the small of her back as they stood before the archway, staring out at the world they’d left behind. It was full of sorrow and pain and darkness, but it was where she belonged.
They all stood staring at it, no one wanting to be the first.
It was Jack who finally broke the silence. “Welp, guess it’s time. I would sayhope to see you soon, but I think that’d be in bad taste.”
Her stoic, stern mother promptly burst into tears.
Jack groaned, wrapping his arms around her and patting her back, rolling his eyes over her shoulder where only Hallie could see. “Now, Ma, I ain’t saying you’re old, but if I had to guess, you might be showing up first. Don’t worry. I ain’t going nowhere, and I might even let you name one of my chickens.”
“John Carl Walker, I know I raised you better than that,” Zelda hissed, but her brother just laughed. Zelda obviously didn’t appreciate his gallows humor, but she hugged him tightly anyway. Her father joined, and Hallie followed.
One last time, the Walker family was together again. It ached, but it was a good ache—a healing one. The scents of mint, coffee, and unsurprisingly, bacon, filled her. This was a gift she never thought she would get. She hugged her family tighter.
She wished Kase could’ve had the same.
He deserved it more than anyone.
Wait.
She hadn’t seen Zeke or the girl she’d glimpsed in the portrait in Shackley Manor, and Kase hadn’t said he had either, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here—or had been here.
When the hug ended, Hallie stood on tiptoe to whisper in Jack’s ear, “The letters. Could you find one or two for me? If you have them?”
She knew not everyone wrote them for loved ones, but if there was even a chance Ana or Zeke left something behind…
Jack raised a red brow. “Depends. They’re technically only for people who need the motivation to pass on to the beyond.”
“You owe me,” Hallie quipped.
He narrowed his eyes, and she continued, “Mama still doesn’t know you’re the one who set fire to the begonias, and…”
She looked back at their parents. Her father was wiping away her mother’s tears while not bothering to brush away his own. She kept her voice low. “If you let Kase read the letters hissiblings might have left him, I will continue to keep your little secret.”
“Why do I—hey. Look at me when I’m rolling my eyes at you. Why do I care if you tell her? I’m already dead.”
Hallie glared at him until he finally sighed. “Fine, but if Gran ever found out, she’d scruff me and toss me right smack into the beyond.”
Hallie kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
She turned back and waved Kase over as Jack dug out Navara’s notebook and golden quill. “Now, what were their names?”
Kase looked at him questioningly. Hallie tapped the notebook impatiently. “Ezekiel, or Zeke, and Ana Shackley.”
Kase shook his head. “What’re you doing?”
Jack tapped the quill on the notebook, and after a moment, he frowned. “Ezekiel Shackley never came through. Probably was ready for his death. I’m sorry I can’t help there.”
Hallie’s heart sank, though she wasn’t entirely surprised. Zeke had chosen his end. And after getting to know him over the months they’d been on theEudoramission, it made sense the steady, smiling man had been ready to move on.
