Storm of Locusts

Chapter 46

The morning dawns bright and crisp on Keshmish, but I wouldn’t know because I slept in. Kai tells me later that he and Tah had been up for hours, putting the finishing touches on his new hogan. They wanted to get it done before Grace and the family come over for dinner. Ben’s been in the kitchen for hours, whipping up a feast, allowing me in only for a cup of coffee. The coffee is Grace’s Keshmish present to Tah for nursing Caleb back to health. Tah informed us that Caleb’s keeping his metal wings for now. The youngest Goodacre is still not convinced that Gideon was all wrong. I know Kai’s planning to talk to him about what happened, about Gideon’s Armageddon, and I’ll leave him to it. It’s not a conversation I’m interested in being part of.

I did promise Rissa we’d have a remembering ceremony for Aaron. She brought back his aviator’s cap and she thought it would be nice to make a memorial to him, back here in Dinetah, where he always wanted to be. Ben immediately volunteered to cook something special to feed his spirit, too, so after dinner, we’ll get together and do that.

There’s a blanket of snow on the ground. Not like we used to get back before the drought, but it’s a least a few inches. My dogs run crazy through the white stuff, barking and spinning and throwing themselves down hills. I watch them for a while from the window, sipping my coffee and wondering how I got this lucky.

“You okay?” Kai asks, coming up behind me. He presses a hand against my shoulder and his lips briefly brush the top of my head. I lean into him, just a little, and he takes my weight. Pours me more coffee and hands me a cookie that Ben made, dusted with cinnamon and anise. No idea where the spices came from, but there have been lesser Keshmish miracles.

I take a bite. It’s divine.

“Yes,” I say. “For once I think I’m okay.”