Baby From Frost by Ashe Moon
Epilogue
Raka
The forestnext to Old Shore Port sat as thick as the buildings of Stonvale, a vast sprawl of never-ending green, and I had the best view of it from just below the clouds. I’d discovered I enjoyed flying by myself. It was a time to not just relax, but to push my limits one mile at a time, a daily exercise in releasing the last clinging tendrils of my fears. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to get rid of all of them, but I was okay with that. I wasn’t going to let them control me anymore.
I made my pass over the Watch training ground and saw Oli and Delos gliding around below. I came in for a landing, making sure not to disturb or distract my boy as he practiced. Delos had been teaching him how to use his ice abilities for the past month, and just like with his flying, he was picking it up fast. From the moment he got out of bed to when he went to sleep, Oli was thinking about practicing. He wanted to be a firefighter so badly. The only time I’d ever seen him show this much motivation was for sneaking out of his lessons at the Librarium. That life seemed so far behind us now.
Delos spotted me at the edge of the field, and he and Oli landed together and shifted forms, and he took the boy’s hand as they walked over. Oli looked up at his father with nothing but love and admiration shining in his eyes. The two of them looked so alike, and Oli had even asked for a hat like Delos’s.
“Hi, Dad,” Oli said, waving.
“Don’t stop because of me,” I said.
“We’re just about finished here,” said Delos, and he took off his hat and put it on my head. “Why don’t we go inside and eat lunch? Shen’s here visiting Thomas. And the Watch has a pretty good cook.”
Shen and Thomas had grown close since we’d moved here. He worked and lived at the local Librarium, but it seemed like he spent more time visiting the station, either hanging out with me or keeping Thomas company while he was on patrol. Though Old Shore Port was a much slower place than Stonvale, the pacing of my daily life had significantly changed. Every day had something new. Delos was teaching me alchemy and firefighting, and I’d joined them on a few calls. I sometimes helped Shen with his work, and I spent time with Grayson looking after the kids and the eggs. And every evening, we all would always find time from our work to gather at the station for dinner, just like the ones I’d enjoyed so much when I first met everyone. This was what life was all about—those little moments we all shared, with the family we chose to have.
