The old man whose eyes already creased with wrinkles looked down at me, heartache plain on his face. "How's a little thing like you out here all alone with nobody looking after you?"
"Don't be scared, sweetheart. This old man will keep you safe."
I assumed his kindness was a passing impulse. I never imagined he would go on protecting me for years.
The year I pieced Soulreaper back together, I was nine.
I planned to make one last trip to the Nine Heavens and drag Aldric down with me, even if it killed us both.
But the night before I meant to leave, my master brought me a beggar's chicken. It wasn't particularly good.
He had no idea I was planning to go. He just scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, and said, "Lynara, you haven't been eating well lately. You're getting too thin. I went all the way down the mountain to learn this recipe from a famous cook in town."
"Go on, try it. If it's no good, I'll go back and learn again."
"And if you like it, I'll make it for you every single day."
I blinked, caught off guard. Suspicion crept in before I could stop it. "Why are you so good to me?"
My master stroked his beard and smiled. "Because I think of you as my own daughter."