19. ReunitedAiden desperately wanted the journey to be over, yet he dreaded the return as much as he longed for it. Andor filled his thoughts waking and sleeping. He could not imagine arriving at the Ahote Village and not seeing his little brother’s grinning face, green eyes sparkling with excitement. His mind repeated Tristan’s words on a loop, testing the truth of them over and over again. But there was no hidden meaning. Andor was lost.
Aiden walked alone at the rear of the group, his eyes constantly rising to the sky where Iolair flew. He wished he could fly away with her and leave everything else behind. Only the thought of Branwyn kept him on the ground. She was the one piece of home he had left now and he could not abandon her. She needed him. He needed her.
He was startled from h
