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‘Why can’t you be happy for me? Why can’t you understand? I never thought this was possible. Not after all this time. Let me enjoy it for what it is, please, Emma?’

‘It breaks you,’ she’d rejected. ‘Every time. It breaks you. And I have to witness it. That’s not fair on me, Jon. It is not fair on you either. And in your heart, you know it.’ She’d retorted, furious at being angry.

‘Erann is gone,’ had come Jon’s hot reply. ‘He is gone, and I’m pleased he’s gone.’

‘He’s not gone. And if he were gone, Jon, then what would that mean for us?’

‘Why should I care what it means for us, Emma. This is my home. It will always be my home.’

‘No,’ the single word had ripped from her. Jon couldn’t be correct. She couldn’t allow it. Not now. Not after everything. ‘Erann will return,’ she offered more calmly. ‘Too much depends on his survival.’

Once more, Jon had stalked from her presence. Now, she glanced down at the script all but discarded on the table before her. She saw the shapes of the words, but they were indecipherable to her troubled mind, even though they would have reinforced the arguments she’s shared with Jon. She didn’t truly need to read them. They were etched into her mind. They’d been her only comfort for so many rotations. Until now. Now, she realised, the arrival of Pal, and her interactions with Sereh and Erann, had pulled her from the tranquillity and tedium of her imprisonment. It wasn’t all Jon’s fault.

Her eyes came to rest on Pal. He was such a beautiful, jolly child.

She’d thought long and hard about the implications of the child and his attraction to Sereh. Surely he couldn’t be her baby? Yet it was clear Pal knew Sereh. And Arrow. Emma hadn’t questioned the girl about it. Their relationship was complicated enough as it was. Sereh couldn’t understand Emma’s antipathy towards her and her new bond with Jon. Emma couldn’t enlighten her because she’d been sworn to secrecy by Skaldi in his desperate desire to be reunited with Erann.

Emma wished she could chip through Sereh’s reserve towards Pal. There was a secret there she didn’t wish to be pressed into revealing. Emma feared to know what it was. She didn’t want to have to reassess her feelings towards the girl. She already had, more times than she cared to think. Emma hoped once more that whatever the truth of Sereh’s bond with the baby, it wasn’t worse than she imagined.

‘Here, you try this,’ Elen offered Brand. Warily, he took the cup, sniffed the contents, and then spluttered at the sharp bite of the spicy drink.

‘How many times must you be told not to take anything she offers you?’ Emma laughed. All of Emma’s people were gathered in the common room. Everyone was more jovial than they’d been for a long time. It was delightful to see everyone so relaxed, but Emma knew it wouldn’t last. Tomorrow, change would come. There was no way of stopping it.

Still laughing, as Brand coughed, and young Finn hurried to pat him on the back, she didn’t see Jon approach with Pal until they were both in front of her. She looked questioningly at Jon but couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she reached upwards and kissed the nearly sleeping Pal. He gurgled softly and reached out to tweak her hair. She gently disentangled his chubby hand and placed it back near his body.

Under the cover of the laughter, Jon took the opportunity to whisper, his tone incandescent with fury. ‘Why can you not be happy for me? Can you not see it’s not going to happen again? She’s with me now, and that’s how it will always be. He’s gone. He’s lost. He’ll be dead by now.’

Instantly Emma’s ire returned. Jon was such a fool.

‘It’ll happen tonight. Promise me you’ll take precautions.’ Her response was heated and overly loud, drawing the eye of all, as the laughter faded as though a flame had been smothered.

Uncaring, she reached out and gripped Jon’s hand where it held the baby close to his body. Jon wrenched free from her touch, anger blazing so orange as to be almost red in his eyes. He looked away from her towards Sereh who’d halted briefly on her path out of the room, having overheard their exchange. Jon forced a smile to his face and then walked away without even a backwards glance at Emma. With a quiet sense of purpose, Emma stood, aware Elen’s expression was mournful.

‘I will be prepared, and so will you, even if you refuse to accept it. Now, Finn, off to bed with you, and ensure you keep an eye on Arrow as well.’ She instructed, and aware that Brand, Elen and Gunnar would speak of this after she’d gone, she swept from the room. She didn’t like to be the only one who accepted the truth, but it had often fallen to her in such a way. She refused to offer useless platitudes.

12

SEREH

Sereh felt Emma’s eyes on her. Her anger blazed. The woman had proven to be as mean-spirited as she’d always thought. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t be happy for her. She was falling deeply in love with Jon. The feeling was exhilarating. She’d never felt like this about anyone before, but the hag couldn’t be pleased for her. Emma spent most of her time quietly seething in anger at what was happening.

Sereh couldn’t understand the reason behind her harsh words and looks.

‘Am I imagining Emma’s rage towards me?’ she asked Jon, curious to see what he’d say.

‘Not at all, but don’t worry about it. I’ll speak to her about it,’ he’d reassured, and yet, nothing seemed to have changed, despite the conversation having taken place.

On her knee, Pal smiled endearingly up at her. She felt lighter and happier than throughout the last long seven rotations of her life. Here she was wanted, warm and needed. Here she was helpful, talked to and not ridiculed. She’d come home at last. Well, apart from Emma’s contempt.

Pal let out a long and protracted yawn. Sereh smiled.

‘Is it time for bed, young man?’ she crooned. He was a good sleeper but woke early. She often found herself the only one awake out of their small community. She didn’t mind, enjoying the quiet of the early morning. Perhaps tomorrow Jon would join her? She turned towards him with a huge smile on her face, which he mirrored.

‘I take it it’s probably time for bed. If you hand Pal to me, I’ll take him to Emma to say goodnight.’ His inflexion was light-hearted. She appreciated his efforts in distracting Emma’s attention away from her. She handed the slowly limping baby to Jon.

She watched him walk to where Emma sat alone, mired with her deep thoughts, although there had been some laughter at Brand’s expense.

‘Come on, girl,’ she called to Arrow, standing and stretching. She shook her head. Arrow had a new friend. The wolf-dog practically sat on young Finn’s lap. He beamed at her as he brushed through her rapidly moulting fur. But when Sereh moved she abruptly stood. With a lick for the boy’s face, she padded softly over.