The word warmed her. But that feeling was fleeting as she saw the massive swarm of beings there to escort Dancer from the skimmer to the infirmary.

Thia hadn’t been joking. Their family was terrifying and huge.

“Sumi!”

She barely registered the call before she was practically bowled over by Darice. His entire face alight with joy, he seized her in a tight hug that left her breathless. Then he kissed her cheek and released her.

“We were so worried about you. Especially when Thia told me that Dancer and Bastien were down. We didn’t know if you’d been hurt or what… I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Shaking her head, Thia walked up behind him with a huge smile. “You must have performed an exorcism on Darice while you were on that mountain.”

He snorted before he playfully shoved at Thia, like any pesky little brother. He turned back to Sumi and sobered. “While we waited in the caves, we made these for you and Dancer.” He pulled a feathered necklace from his neck and placed it around hers. The other two matched perfectly. Each one had a single feather and bone.

Like father and son.

Darice bit his lip nervously as he showed her the one he’d made for Dancer. “You think he’ll like it?”

“He’ll love it, Darice. I can’t wait to see his face when you give it to him. And I can’t thank you enough for mine. It’s absolutely beautiful, sweetie. Thank you for the honor.” She kissed his cheek.

His eyes proud, he glanced from her to Fain, who tensed visibly.

For several heartbeats no one moved.

Darice fingered the feather around his neck before he finally spoke. “Did you slip and fall on your Endurance climb, Uncle Fain?”

Fain couldn’t have looked more stunned had Darice slapped him. He stammered for several seconds before he finally answered. “Um… no. Keris knocked me down a couple of times, but I didn’t slip on my own.”

“Were you scared?”

Fain was still casting his gaze about as if this whole conversation was terrifying him, and he expected someone to attack him for having it. “Not really. I was too pissed over being kicked in the head and face every time I got within striking range.”

Darice glanced to Sumi. “I slipped at one point and thought I was dead, but then I didn’t really fall. Sumi caught me and we climbed up and I stood by the nest. You could see everything for miles and miles. It was so awesome! I felt like I could do anything!”

Thia met Fain’s stunned, bewildered gaze. “Told you. She performed an exorcism. Weird, huh? She took a brat up the side of the mountain and came down with a sentient being. Who knew it’d be that easy?”