The mention of her father tugged at Ashlynn like an anchor chain cast over the side. She felt the familiar pull of homesickness settle behind her ribs like a second heartbeat, steady and insistent.
For a moment, she would have given anything to hear her father's boots on the deck behind her and his laughing, boastful voice as he bragged about the fish he'd catch. She'd have given twice as much to see her mother's figure, standing on the docks and waving goodbye as they ventured out onto the water.
"I miss them," she said, closing her eyes and letting the tears flow freely down her cheeks.
"So do I," Isabell said. "I miss Casquas. If it weren't for… for everything," Isabell said with a heavy sigh. "I can see him holed up in one of the towers in the Vale, writing like mad to keep up with the poetry of this place and the people of the Vale. It's not like home, but he," Isabell started, only for her voice to catch in her throat.
