“Here,” he said roughly, holding out the largest bottle of buttertap I had ever seen. “A going-away present.” Grinning roguishly, as soon as I had taken the heavy bottle out of his hand, he squeezed me in a big bear hug. It was shocking enough to make me smile at him. We said our final farewells.
The trek through town was uninterrupted. Most people stopped in their daily activities and stared, but no one dared get near when Levent was walking just a few paces behind me. I stared at the ground, mostly.
The last people I encountered as I left were Gorn and his family. As I approached, his young son waddled up to me and tugged on my skirt as he had yesterday. Reluctantly, I crouched to look him in the eye.
“Come back soon, Naiweea.” The child stumbled over the syllables in my name. It was just enough to make my heart give one painful thump, and the tears welled in my eyes again. I rewarded him with a cheerless smile and a pat on the head before sending him back to his father.
Gorn stared at me with a deep sadness in his dark eyes, but I knew he would not go back on his word now. I just nodded at him as we passed. He had an obligation to see this through.
It was about ten minutes later, when the village passed out of sight around a bend in the path, that my emotional control finally gave way. My heart was suddenly very heavy in my chest, and tears ran uncontrollably. The pendant that had been strangely warm before was now uncomfortably hot under my shirt.
It was a terrible feeling, made even more so by the guilt I felt. There was no one to blame except myself. I had only felt like this once before, and it annoyed me that I had put myself into this position again.
I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand rest on my head, briefly tousling my hair and sending my ears waggling back and forth, before retreating. I listened to Levent's cloak drag on the ground beside me. Sniffling, I found a small smile on my face. At least I was not alone this time.