Silence stretched between them for a time. Then Danisan murmured, “Thank you.”
Fletcher allowed the smile to spread across his face, but said nothing. He merely nodded, relishing the peaceful quiet of the moment.
“What do friends do?” Danisan inquired after another length of unstrained silence.
“They talk, they laugh, they help each other when they need to.” Fletcher shrugged. “There are no real requirements, I guess.”
“I see.”
Fletcher would have said more, but at that moment Taeleia emerged from the cottage. Danisan sprang up at once, ready for action.
“Everything alright?” said Fletcher, also scrambling off the root and approaching her.
“More than alright, Master Earengale,” she replied, glancing at him with silver thunder crackling in her gaze. “I believe it is time for me to re
