Terrible Place, Arriving Home, Reminders
"It's a terrible place for Kalmon." She said, staring at the vast flat plains.
"That's why it's perfect." Teigan frowned at the landscape. "No one would expect us to settle here. You can't find something you aren't looking for."
The carriage stopped and Sray's stomach dropped. She never thought she could feel such horrible, mixed emotions at coming home. Home of all places should have been a relief, but Mishor was there and the rest of them and she couldn't just be home, she had to explain, Mishor insisted on explaining. Leaving the Brotherhood behind with the carriage was not possible this time.
Mishor got up and opened the door, holding it as Sray stepped out. Kayrin and Sray's siblings were already out the door and stepping down the stairs. Kallon and Kayrin held back when Mishor shut the door behind Sray and stayed outside the carriage, but Janef rushed forward. Sray braced herself for the usual enthusiastic greeting, but it didn't come, instead Janef reached up and put her hands on either side of Sray's face. Sray leaned down as Janef pushed up on her toes to press their foreheads together.
"You look good, how are you?" Janef looked anxiously up at Sray before flicking her eyes over to Mishor.
"I am well enough, you will hear all about it." Sray put her hands on Janef's and pulled them down as she turned towards Kayrin and Kallon.
There was a rough throat clearing and Sray looked up at Thelus. "You want to grab your things now or come back for them?" He asked.
"I'll get it!" Janef volunteered and wrangled the bags off the back of the carriage. Kallon had finally made his way over and took up the larger bag while carefully eyeing all the men in and around the carriage as if he were sizing them up.
"Thank you, Thelus." Sray said. He nodded back. She drew in a breath and looked between Mishor and her family. "This is Danrick Mishor, he wants to say something, but inside."
Mishor bowed slightly. "It will only take a moment, if you would, please Mrs. Hillenbohn."
"And the rest of them?" Kayrin nodded to the carriage and its occupants.
"They will stay exactly where they are and leave when I do." He replied.
Kayrin looked from Mishor to the carriage and then nodded. "Come along, then."
Kayrin held an arm out to Sray who gratefully stepped into it.
She stared at the ladder up to the bedrooms. She rolled her left shoulder slightly, trying to decide how much she could get away with. It wasn't that high, really. Just seven feet to the ceiling and the six inches to the floor of the upper story. She could almost make the jump straight up in her natural form, but she didn't trust her arm to handle catching her. As it was she settled on reaching up with her right arm and setting her feet as high as she could to push herself up and through. Not as hard as she feared, but still taking more thought than she wanted. She chaffed against the reminder of what happened when all she wanted to do was forget about it.