But it was more than that for El. Through it all she could sense Callie’s fear, and she knew that her sister was lost to her just as surely as Howell had been lost to them all.
She looked up at the sky. The clouds were parting slightly, their silver linings hinting at the moon’s shining presence. The scrape of a spade, the faint thump of soil thudding onto wood drew her gaze down once more. Howell’s casket was now almost buried under the earth to which he would return. Shaken and grieving, she stepped between Stephen and Hal, needing the comfort of human contact. Stephen pulled her close in a brief hug, but Hal stayed rigid beside her. He’s blaming himself, El thought. How will he ever get over this? Now at last she could understand Callie’s reluctance to interfere with the past, her terr
