Eyes of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready

be a grandfather. Go to sleep.”
    She lay in the dark with her hand over her belly and wondered how it would feel round and full of life.
    “It’s odd to have only one child, though,” she said.
    Her father’s sigh held more exasperation this time. “Galen never remarried after Arcas’s mother died in childbirth.”
    “But he doesn’t have a farm. Lycas and Nilo won’t stay around forever to help you. They’re not made for this life.”
    “Rhia, do you honestly want to come home in a year to find another woman in your mother’s place?”
    With that image in her mind, she tried to squeak out the lie of “Yes,” but couldn’t. “It’s not about what I want. It’s about what you need.” When he didn’t answer, she pressed on, “You’re not even forty. Please say you’ll consider it.”
    A long silence passed, filled with his choppy breaths.
    “No.”
    From the tone of his voice, she knew it was the final word. “I love you,” she said.
    “I love you, too. Good night.”
    Rhia pulled the blanket to her chin and waited for a slumber that refused to come.

10
    T he next morning, Rhia entered the hounds’ pen to feed them for the final time. As they finished eating, they approached her one by one for hugs. Her bonds with the current pack’s six members were not as close as the one she had shared with Boreas, but she could identify each of them with her eyes shut, by their barks or even the unique rhythms of their paws.
    “Will you miss them more than me?” her father asked.
    She looked up, startled, then shook her head, unable to speak.
    He entered the pen and scratched the closest hound behind the ears. “The dogs will be fine without you.”
    “Don’t let Lycas tease them.”
    “I won’t.” He squatted next to her. “Are you ready?”
    “There’s nothing to pack. Galen won’t let me bring any of my own belongings.”
    “He’ll bring everything you need. When I asked if you were ready, I meant, are you ready? ”
    Her thoughts flitted to Mayra’s death. “I’m long past ready, Father.”
    “Good.” He stood with a brisk movement, knees popping. “Because they’re coming right now to see you off.”
    “They?”
    “Galen, your brothers, other villagers.”
    “Oh.” She twisted her hand in her long skirt.
    “Arcas is with them.”
    “Oh!” Rhia scrambled to her feet and hugged her father. With a final pat for each of the hounds, she scampered out of the pen to the top of the hill.
    A crowd trudged up to meet her, nearly half the size of the multitude attending her mother’s funeral. Some carried baskets of food and flasks of drinks—they must have planned a celebration feast in her honor (and absence) after her departure. Tradition called for such, but Rhia had not expected such attention, given the tardiness of her Bestowing. She wondered how much of the food would fit in her pockets.
    Upon seeing her, Lycas and Nilo broke from the pack and dashed up the hill. Nilo scooped her up in his arms as if she were a child.
    “What are you doing?” she yelled through her laughter.
    Lycas grabbed her heels, and the twins carried her toward the woods, her body hanging between them like a dead deer.
    “We thought you wouldn’t go unless we dragged you,” Nilo said.
    “Please put me down.” A little-sister whine had come into her throat. She cleared it and deepened her voice. “I demand you release me.”
    “Release you?” Lycas said. The twins’ eyes met with a mischievous spark. “Interesting thought.”
    “Oh, no.” She jerked her legs. “If you drop me in the mud, I swear I’ll—”
    “Ah, you’re no fun anymore.” Lycas slowly lowered her feet to the ground. Nilo lifted her shoulders until she was standing, then he dusted absolutely nothing off the back of her coat. She turned to him.
    “I won’t miss you,” she said, and hugged him hard.
    “My life will be paradise without you, too, little bird.”
    When Nilo released her, she faced Lycas. “I really