Page 94 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"Is that going to be Yaaf's?"

She wondered why Tomek had grown so attached to her childhood friend in the short time they had spent together. Was it because he sensed that Yaaf was important to her, or because he saw him as a potential playmate?

The bedroom they entered had been transformed. The big bed was gone, replaced by two narrow ones with a nightstand between them, and the same had been done in all the other bedrooms in both houses.

Tomek walked into the bathroom and began arranging the towels the way he'd seen her do in their house, while she started on the bed.

He hung each towel on the rail with both hands, then stepped back to examine his work.

"It's crooked," he announced. "Should I fix it, or is this okay?"

"Fix it. We want everything perfect."

"For Yaaf." He went back in to straighten the towel. "So he likes his house and wants to stay, but we don't know which bedroom he will choose. Can we choose for him?"

Sullha stopped with a pillowcase in one hand and the pillow she was about to stuff into it in the other. "I'm sure he's going to love it no matter which bedroom he chooses."

"Because he'll be close to us," Tomek said from inside the bathroom. "He can come to our house whenever he wants, and he can play with me in my room. He can play with my toys. I counted the steps, but there were too many, and I don't know how to count over a hundred, so I started from the beginning and counted eighty-two more."

She set the pillow down, walked to the bathroom, and crouched in front of her little boy. "You counted the steps."

He nodded, his serious expression so adorable she had to kiss him.

"Mama!" He wriggled out of her arms because there were other people in the house, and he didn't like it when she kissed him in public.

Sullha laughed, then her phone buzzed in her pocket, and as she pulled it out and saw the message, her smile turned into a frown.

Come to Kian's office. Now. Burda called, and she's waiting for a call back.

"I have to go, sweetie." She kissed Tomek again. "Mirumah will watch you."

"I don't need watching. Our house is that way." He pointed in the opposite direction.

"Fine. You watch Mirumah. See if she needs help."

That satisfied him, and he nodded.

Sullha found the other woman where she'd left her, still organizing the pantry. "I have to go to Kian's office right away. Can you watch Tomek and finish the beds?"

"Go," Mirumah said. "I'll take care of everything. Don't worry."

"Thank you."

She ran the length of the village, grateful for her new, comfortable shoes, past the café, the square, and the faces that turned to watch her go for the second time in less than a week. She wondered if they knew why she was running.

This time, she didn't need anyone to point the way to Kian's office.

The door stood open, and inside were Kian and Onegus, as she had expected. They sat at the conference table, and Kian motioned for her to sit right next to him.

"Thank you for coming so quickly." He pushed a can of sparkling water toward her.

"Thank you." She popped the lid and took a sip.

Onegus told someone on the other end of the line to make the connection, and a moment later, Burda's voice crackled over the speaker.

"Are you there, girl?"

"Yes. Are you all right?"