Whisper and Rise Read Online Free Page B

provide for Rhiannon,” said Mother, emerging from the pantry. She took the coins from my fingers and dropped them into the purse. “There will be no use for these at all.”
    I glanced at Father, who nodded his intention that I keep his offering.
    Mother didn’t argue. Instead, she grabbed my hand and pressed the pouch into my stomach. “I suggest you keep this hidden if you intend to keep it. There’s no need to attract attention in a new place.”
    “Rhiannon will get plenty of attention there.” Ethan appeared at the end of the hall and grinned at me as he teased. “They might even laugh at you.”
    I groaned. My brother had confirmed my fears from the night. DarMattey was foreign and I would be a stranger there. I suspected they would accept me as much I wanted to go. As my stomach twisted tighter, Mother released my hand and returned to the kitchen.
    Father scolded Ethan and then reached out with a large hand and pulled me close to him. The scent of sunflower soap from the horse brushing lingered on his arms. It gave me as much comfort as his embrace. “You’ll be safe,” he said, warmly. “That’s what matters. DarMattey is a different place, but the people there are as kind as you’ve known here. They would be fools not to love you.” When he wanted to, Father could calm a bear.
    My stomach eased its grip enough for me to thank him and I squeezed him tight. “I’m going to miss you.”
    Mother placed a smoking plate of bacon on the table. The smell curled and beckoned us to inhale.
    “I’ll miss all of you,” I said, smiling at the food that had lured me downstairs. “And I’m going to miss your cooking, Mother.”
    “Yes, you will.” She grinned. “Sianna taught Nia how to cook.”
    The twisting in my stomach returned. Nia had always been a horrible baker. Despite my mother’s efforts to help my best friend improve, Nia’s cooking had progressively worsened every season. I rushed to the table and fought Ethan for the thickest slice of pork.
     
    ~ O ~
     
    While I finished my preparations for the journey, earlier doubts returned and took up residence in my stomach, making me feel like I was falling from a tall tree without landing on the ground. I closed my eyes and waited for the feeling to pass—but it never left me. Unsure of what to pack, since I had never been on a journey, I added three more dresses, my favorite sandals, a brush, and a tiny jar of rose powder to the leather satchel that Father brought me from the barn. Then I took a final look at my room. I hadn’t meant to stay in this house forever, but I never imagined leaving this way, under threat. I dropped my bag and crawled under my bed, retrieving a written memory of Sean from behind a broken board. His letter to me. I held it close and allowed his voice to whisper in my mind.
    “Our love follows fate.” His voice sounded so close, so real. If I opened my eyes, he could have been standing next to me. I knew better, but I savored the memory.
    As I tucked the parchment into a satchel pocket, the peace was broken by Leila’s excited squeals downstairs. For a moment, I tried to recapture the feeling Sean’s letter had ignited, but my sister’s voice was too loud to ignore. I left my room and stepped slowly downstairs.
    My good friend Madeline rushed toward me when I passed through the front door. “You’re going to have a wonderful journey,” she said. Her voice carried exhilarating refreshment, like a fulfilling song.
    The stomach flurries left me. Suddenly, I was excited again. I dropped the satchel and welcomed Madeline’s hug; she was warm and full of energy. I accepted all she offered. “Thank you for coming,” I told her with a smile. “I was nervous until now.”
    Madeline leaned back and held my hands. “It’s a beautiful day to travel, and DarMattey is fantastic. I look forward to joining you soon.”
    “Is your bag ready?” Father leaned behind me and lifted the satchel.
    “Yes, Father,” I answered,