He lifted the tiny red shard toward his face. It glowed faintly, catching the first light of morning.
"That's how I was able to find you," she said softly. "It was drifting down with you."
He didn't answer right away. Just stared at it for a long moment, turning it between his fingers, saying nothing.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the one he'd gotten earlier, along with the four she'd given him. Five shards total, resting in his palm like tiny drops of frozen fire.
He held them out to her.
"Use them."
"But—"
He didn't let her finish. He took her hand, pressed the shards into her palm, and closed her fingers around them one by one. His hand stayed there for a second longer than it needed to.
He smiled. It was small. Tired.
"I can't use them," he said. "And even if I could—I'd still want you to have them. Think of it as birthday gifts. I missed the past five, so…"
The shards shattered in her palm and sank into her skin like water into sand.
