Echoes Read Free Page A

flame with a breath from her lips. Daniel’s hand dropped away, and he turned to begin his silent return to the castle in darkness.
    Carly stepped forward, reached her hand up, and placed it on Dearra’s head. A small sob escaped her, but it seemed to go unnoticed by Dearra. Her face was blank and her eyes unblinking as she blew the light from Carly’s candle. Carly removed her hand from Dearra’s head and caressed her cheek gently before she turned to follow Daniel.
    Again and again, Dearra repeated the process, until only Darius and Phillip remained. She bent lower to better allow her brother to touch her head, and then she put her hands on the top of his head as well. She didn’t really need to lower her head for him. He wasn’t the little boy he had been a year ago. She blew the light from his candle and released him quickly. He tried to speak to her, but she shook her head and turned away from him.
    “Dearra, you’ve got to allow us to help you,” Darius said quietly.
    “I don’t need any help. I’m fine.” Dearra pulled her head back as Darius reached to touch her. “What are you doing? You are not Maj.”
    Dearra! Brin said sharply. He is one of us. You have lost your father, it’s true, Brin ignored the tremor that ran through her , but that does not mean you need to push the rest of us away as well.
    She didn’t argue, she didn’t warm either, but she took a step nearer to allow Darius to place his hands on her head. He tried to caress her face as Carly had done, but she blew his candle out and stepped away.
    Brin spoke only to Darius and said, You can go back, Darius. She will stay here until morning and watch over her father until the fire burns itself out. Others will come later tomorrow and work the ashes back into the ground. Do not speak to anyone until morning. The Maj will maintain silence until dawn out of respect for Hugh’s memory.
    I won’t leave her, not when she’s like this, Darius thought to Brin.
    I will be with her, Darius. You have nothing to fear.
    Can you protect her if she chooses to step off the cliff? Darius thought. No, I won’t leave her.
    She wouldn’t— Brin paused. She had been so incredibly sad. The spark that was Dearra had been extinguished. In its place was an empty shell. Brin thought about it, and he couldn’t argue that, in her present state, she might be capable of almost anything. All right, but keep out of sight. She is supposed to do this alone, so that she can grieve and heal, and move on with the new day.
    Darius walked into the darkness and found a tree with sturdy branches in which he would keep his watch. I don’t think she is going to move on, Brin.
    There was a long pause before Brin spoke and said, I know.

Chapter 2
     
    Darius followed behind Dearra as she stumbled toward the keep. She had sat on the ground, without moving, all night. At one point, he thought she had fallen asleep. He was going to check on her, but Brin warned him to stay where he was, and so he did.
    The Dearra he knew seemed to be gone, and he worried he might never see her again. As much as he had grown to care for Hugh, Darius did not understand the unrelenting pain Dearra was experiencing, until Brin had asked how he might have felt had the bolt struck Dearra instead. That was when he had started to watch her anytime she ventured too near the rail of the ship, or walked anywhere near the cliffs after arriving home.
    ***
    Dearra watched her feet as she walked. She concentrated on picking up one foot and placing it in front of the other. She was so tired that she could think of nothing else but her next step. That was good. Not thinking was very good. Thinking was pain, and anger, and guilt.
    Dearest, please. It’s time to come back now. You’ve been away too long. Your father wouldn’t want this, and you know it.
    Dearra stumbled and fell. She gazed at the ground before her. She traced her fingers through the dirt, grabbed a fistful of earth, and clutched it in her hand.