FaeLina just hovered in the doorway, unseen, watching them. She had spent her days wrestling with the terrifying implications of a divine spark. But as she looked at her friends, at their small, comfortable act of rebellion, a new, fierce, and deeply protective feeling bloomed in her chest.'My whole, ridiculous, wonderful life is full of sparks,' she thought. And for the first time, she wasn't just afraid. She was proud.
She took a deep breath, the smell of woodsmoke and simmering rations chased away the last of the library's cold, sterile air. She finally zipped into the room. "I'm back," she announced, her voice a little shaky, but full of a warmth that hadn't been there before.
Her arrival broke the quiet spell of the campfire. Pip jumped, nearly dropping his cracker. "FaeLina! You're back! You won't believe the two days we had!"
