Wheeling Gull Isle when i was a child, i caught a fleeting glimpse

She nodded at mention of another healer, ignoring a double set of heartaches—the absence of Hemlock, her once teacher, and the mention of children in the spring. Keeping busy would be good for them both. She glanced at Mou with a little smile, pleased that they were to be invited into the fold without much fuss.

Thank you, Maegi murmured, voice barely audible above the rhythmic rush of waves. With quiet but confident steps, she followed the leader—she'd never gotten her name, but she'd only realize it later—and the pair eventually broke off from the seawolf.

Home, home again. How long they would remain this time was up to cruel fate; if it were kinder, these short days and endless winter nights, they might find themselves on the island living comfortably for longer than they could imagine.