Thirty-six – 08

Thesan sat sullenly in a tent that they’d leant out to the Wild Hunt, cross-legged on the cold ground with a blanket draped over her shoulders. The huntsman guarding the tent gave Seamus a slight nod and stepped away from the flap to let he and his two companions enter.

The woman looked up and smiled. “Father. You’ve finally come to free me? To come away with me?”

Seamus suppressed the urge to close his eyes and sigh. “Thesan, what did you do to Phelan?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you care? All he’s ever brought you is pain.”

“That’s your mother talking,” Seamus said quietly. “What did you do to my cousin, Thesan? You don’t want me to ask a third time. With a third time, there’s consequences.” Truth be known, he had no idea what those consequences might be, but he hoped that the girl would fold before he had to figure out what they might be.

She snorted, looking past him toward Neve and Jacqueline. “You two put him up to this, didn’t you?”

“It was our idea,” Jacqueline confirmed. “You’d best count yourself lucky that he decided to intervene. Answer his question.”

Thesan leaned back, her eyes sliding closed for a moment as she tilted her face toward the curved ceiling of the tent. “Why do you care?”

“Because he’s a good man and you’ve hurt him,” Jacqueline snapped. “Now tell us what the hell you did and why he’s not waking up. Marin poured his freaking soul back into him already.”

Her head snapped back into position and she sat up a little straighter. “Oh. You found it, then.”

“We found it and disarmed your trap,” Seamus said, crossing his arms. Come on, just spill it. Just bloody well tell us what we want to know. Damnation, Phelan, you always did find your way into the worst sorts of trouble.

“And you’ve discovered it wasn’t enough.” Thesan smiled. “It wasn’t enough because you’re missing something.”

“Oh hellfire,” Seamus breathed. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“That would be a lie, Father,” Thesan said softly. “And I don’t lie.”

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