I walked right into the forge from the chill of the outdoors a few minutes later, Neve still trailing in my wake. “Jay, I need you.”
He glanced up from the sword he was sharpening for my brother and looked sidelong at my husband. “You hear that, Thom? Your wife needs me.”
“I heard her,” Thom said, closing his sketchpad and turning toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“Phelan’s still not awake,” I said, as if that would explain everything. “Put the sword down, Jay.”
J.T. blinked at me but did as I asked. “What do you think I can do about that?”
“She said you’re really the only one seeing ghosts right now,” Neve said as she edged closer to the warmth of the forge.
Matt frowned at her. “Careful, don’t get too close. Why’s that important, anyway?”
I looked at Neve and nodded for her to repeat what she’d told me. She winced and sighed.
“We talked to Thesan,” she said carefully, “and she told us that she did what we were afraid of.”
“What you were–” Matt stopped short, going pale in the forge’s dim. “What happened to m–to the Ridden Druid. To Ciar. That’s what she did to him?”
“Exactly,” Neve said, her voice barely audible over the sound of the flames and the bellows. “That’s exactly what she did. We need to–”
“Excuse me.” Matt abandoned the forge and the piece he was working on, ducking past me and stepping out into the snow. My heart dropped to my knees and my breath caught.
Dear god. What does he—
“Go after him,” Thom said.
I startled, looking at him, momentarily not realizing what he’d just said. “What?”
“Go after your brother,” he said. “Neve can fill us in on what Thesan said. She’s already told you. Go after Matt and figure out what the hell he’s thinking.”
“He’s right,” Neve said. “Hurry.”
I swore under my breath and ducked back out into the snow.
