Roland's ears still felt hot, even though the sea breeze on the deck of the NRS Orion was cold enough to freeze spit.
On the mid-deck, two Sky-Hunters were tied down tight and wrapped in wet tarps, while the pilot Kaelen had selected slept curled up beside them, a hat pulled over his face. Roland leaned against the stern railing with both hands shoved in his pockets, staring at the white wake trailing behind the ship like an unbroken thread. Three days had passed since that snowy platform, but Seraphina's words still echoed in his head like a song he couldn't shake. I had already chosen you long before I even knew you were coming back. Unconsciously, his fingers gripped the edge of his coat, almost wishing the blue fabric currently draped over someone else's shoulders was right there with him.
"You haven't moved a muscle in ten minutes," a deadpan voice stated from behind him.
