Sisters Three (Completed)

52. Morna (2/2)

Alone, she realized once again that she was beneath the waves of an ocean. Her whole chest ached with wanting to breathe, and the pull of the water yanked so hard beneath her ribs that she doubled over. It was claiming her as its own.

She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. Let go, let go. She thought of her baby, how she wanted it to live. She wanted to Afton to see their child, and she wanted to hold it.

So she faced the water, and she let go of her resistance. She would not let it claim her as a prize, but she would greet it as a friend. Afton had been right to refer to it as such. It was a friend, desperately wanting her attention and throwing a tantrum when it could not reach her. So she let it know she was here, but she did not want to see it afterward. The waves seemed almost grateful for this, brushing against her skin softly, like a cat's tail. She held out her hands, as if waiting for someone to fall into her embrace.

Goodbye.

And then she was somehow above the water, gasping at the blue sky. Hair plastered to her face, she spun in place, finding that she was merely a few yards out from shore. Afton watched from a rock, his hand shielding his face. She saw the worry on his face, but smiled in response. Her hand shot up, waving at him.

"It's only an ocean!" she shouted, laughing. "It's only an ocean!" Only water.

She swam toward the shore, and when her feet hit the bottom she broke into a run. He met her about halfway, and she launched into his arms. They both laughed with relief. He brushed away what might have been ocean spray on his cheeks.

"I thought I might have sent you to your death," he said.

She shook her head. "I'm finished with it now. It's gone," she said. "Thank you for your part in it."

"I'm happy for you," he said, and his eyes drew down to her stomach. "And for our child. There's no more fear. You can both live."

"Yes," Morna said. "I feel as light as air."

Afton pulled her into an embrace that buried her, and she smiled into his chest. His jaw bumped against the top of her head, and his voice rumbled through their bones. "Where do you want to go? Anywhere in the world."

A surge of excitement mixed with fear flooded Morna's veins. She hadn't ever had the option of free travel. Hadn't even thought of it. But now the entire world opened before her, ripe for the traveling, and she could go anywhere she wanted. Those books from so long ago, telling of Whistler and Cameria, were now possibilities. She pulled back and covered her smile with her hands. Afton laughed, his eyes sparkling at the sight of her.

"I'd like to go back to see my home again," she said. "And then Quar, to see the meadows where the barbarians raise their horses. And Ittal, to visit my aunts, and... and..." she trailed off as names of cities and countries poured into her brain. But even as she thought of silks and spices and foreign languages, she also thought of a quest that she needed to complete.

"No, none of those now," she said. "We need to find my sisters. Wherever they are, we should bring them back together."

"That could be a very long journey," Afton said, eying her stomach.

She sighed and waved his gaze away. "I can do it, Afton. Honestly, it's as if I didn't survive an extended stay at an asylum and multiple near-drownings."

"Was that... a joke?" Afton asked, the corner of his mouth lifting up.

Morna shrugged and spun on her heel to trek up through the sand toward the road. "Keep up now!" she called over her shoulder.