Whitefish River this is how we heal:

She gave him her blessing. Not that he needed it; not that he'd sought it out. But it made things that much easier. He hoped the trip would be short, that he could return as soon as possible --

Of course I'll come back, he shot back, frowning. I've done too much running away. I'll take care of this, and then. . . What? Where would they go? Stay here, in Kaistleoki, much too close to Rusalka for comfort? And yet, he didn't want to uproot his children again.

He managed a weak smirk at her query in jest, shrugging. Like I could stop you, he drawled. If I've learned anything about you, bounkola, it's that you're unstoppable when your mind's made up. Stubborn. I've never figured out whether I love or hate that about you. Probably both.

That was Aure -- myriad contradictions. But at the end of the day, she was the mother of his children, and she would always be close to his heart for that. No matter the arguments, no matter the missteps.

They'll suffer for it, Aure, Verx murmured. I'm more sure of that than anything else in my entire life. Anything less than grievous punishment was yet another failure to add to his resume.