Honeyed Pasture beta

Warmth suffused him, as it did any time Aditya spoke of his grandfather. That was one part of Aditya's history that Dutch knew rather well — as Easy remembered it, at least. It sounded like Aditya had been relatively happy in those days, and Dutch always had the same thought: he wished he could've seen it.

Another sideways glance was stolen.

"I don't see much of them, these days," he said, again in that careful tone. That, Did you take your medicine today, mawmaw? kind of tone. "I was traveling until recently. Bounty hunting." Had Easy never mentioned? Perhaps she hadn't, if she hadn't wanted to worry the man. "But, as I understand it, they are doing well. No bad news, at least." And no bad news as good news, as far as Dutch was concerned.

Speaking of concern: it was hard not to notice how old his father was getting.

"I wish we had been born brothers," he said, and then he wished he had not spoken at all. "Not because — " Not because he'd failed as a father, he'd thought to say, and then thought better of; "You would have come with us," he said. "With me and Valiant. But we traveled at different times, and we never had that. And now..."

They never would. Dutch's days of wandering had come to an end. And Aditya's days...