I take Stella out of the car, strapping her to my chest so I can keep her close. Nash puts the clay jars of ashes into a backpack and puts it on, then takes my hand.
“Where is this ancestral cave, anyway?” Nash asks me.
“This way.” I’ll never forget the place we laid Caleb, my first mate, to rest. I lead Nash down a path through the pine forest, our footsteps muffled by the thick layer of pine needles blanketing the trail. Stella waves her little arms and babbles softly, clearly picking up on the fact that we’re about to complete our mission, or maybe connecting with the energy of the ancestral cave.
My heart feels heavy as we walk. The last time I took this path, we were saying goodbye to Caleb, and I was on the razor’s edge of being banished or killed. It’s daylight now, so the trai
