Page 104 of A Monarch's Fall

We walked until the sun rose, and for the first time in weeks, it was sunny enough to feel the warmth of sunlight on my skin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever walked so much in my life. My feet are killing me. I can feel blisters forming bigger than my toes. I just want to sit and never stand back up —”

“Wait!” I interrupted Ana. “Can you hear that?” I asked.

“Hear what?” she asked.

“Listen,” I instructed, while listening closely myself. The land had flattened, and about half an hour previously, we had begun to see the sea. It had caused an excited feeling to form within me, but hearing the waves meant we were so close, and I could hear and see the beach.

“Hey! Percy!” Ana yelled as she chased after me.

I couldn’t help myself, the last mile I had to run. It didn’t matter how long we had been walking or how tired I was. Home was so close.

Ana caught up to me after I had reached the foaming lap of the waves on the beach.

“We’re,” she breathed in deeply, “here,” another breath, “where is,” another breath, “your village?” she asked, panting.

I knew where we were. I knew every inch of the beach and coastline for miles.

“This way,” I said as I began to march as fast as I could towards home, “The coastline bends there, do you see, where the cliff forms?” I pointed ahead of us. “We’re just behind that cliff edge.”

“Please, don’t run again,” Ana begged.

“Okay,” I laughed, “But walk faster.”

I saw someone on the cliff spot us. As a child, being a lookout for returning ships felt like such an important big grown-up job. As I got older, I realised it was just something to keep us busy and make us feel part of the community. But I knew two strangers approaching would be something to run and tell the adults about.

When we rounded the cliff edge, where the beach was more stone than sand, I saw them. My family, all three of them.

Midsummer had felt like a lifetime ago; it was only a few months roughly, but in that time, my brother had been born.

Father ran to me, and despite my agreement with Ana, I ran to meet him. When I reached him, he lifted me off the ground in a crushing hug.

“What are you doing here?” he roared so loudly and enthusiastically that it hurt my ears.

“Dad,” I smiled, “I’m so happy to see you,” I told him.

“Who do you have with you?” he asked, and I turned to see Ana standing awkwardly behind me.

“This is Ana, my best friend. We’re travelling together,” I explained.

He nodded in understanding and continued to look around.

“Selene’s not here,” I said, knowing who he was looking for.

“Why not?” he asked, and I was surprised that he sounded angered.

“You want to see her?” I asked, confused. My father had made it no secret what he thought of highborn purebloods.

“Never, but she should be with you! She can’t leave you unprotected. What is she thinking?” he asked.

“I was taken from her. A lot has happened. She would be here if she could be, I’m sure of it,” I tried to explain.

“Taken from her?” he asked, “You mean abducted? Again!” he asked, more shocked than angry. “How does such a thing happen twice?”

The sound of a baby crying made me look behind my father to Rosemary, who stood with a small baby swaddled against her, and half the village, it seemed, had followed them out to meet me.

“Is that my brother?” I asked, ignoring my father’s anger and questions. I didn’t have much time, and there were more important things to do than talk about what had happened.