Side Story 4.96 - All the Way Home

Lily's POV

The sun climbed higher as we walked, pushing golden light through the trees. The forest looked different now—less like a place where monsters lived and more like a path we’d walked a hundred times. I wasn’t sure if it had changed, or if we had.

Joha was walking beside me, his stick tapping lightly on the dirt. He limped a little, which made me frown every time I saw it. But he caught me looking once and said, “Don’t you dare offer to carry me, Lily. I have dignity.”

“Barely,” Brinn muttered from ahead.

“I heard that!”

“Good. Because I meant it with love.”

Aya giggled and dodged a pinecone Joha lobbed at Brinn’s back. Sari, who had been walking in front, glanced over his shoulder with a mock-serious look. “Focus, people. We’re on a journey.”<