“Let’s go tell the others, if Harenn hasn’t already. See who wants to go.”
“You go ahead,” Ben told him. “Just save me a space on the crew roster. Father Kendi.”
Kendi flashed a bright grin and left. Ben watched him go, then wandered over to the window, opened it, leaned outside. The air was cool and damp on his face. Leaves rustled in a very slight breeze. Far below the house, amid the foggy ferns, lay his mother’s grave. Ben had had her buried at the foot the talltree, and already it seemed as if he could feel her presence in the leaves and branches.
“Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
He stayed at the window, staring out into the foggy night. A long moment passed. Then Benjamin Rymar firmly shut the window and turned back to his life.