Seamus closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath, gathering all the strength of his will before he opened his eyes, turned back, met Marin’s gaze. She watched him quietly, one knee drawn up to her chest, her expression impassive.
“I know that they’re meant for something,” she continued, her voice quiet, barely audible over the crackling fire. “Even if I hadn’t seen it, I could feel it. This…these children…Seamus, tell me that they’ll be okay, even without us.”
“Of course they will,” he said, stomach dropping to his knees. How much had she seen?
The former Taliesin went to her and dropped to his knees by her side. He touched her shoulder and shook his head slowly. “You’ll be there when it matters the most. I know you will.”
“Do the stories say that?” she asked, a trace of bitterness in her voice. “The prophecies?”
“Cameron’s son will return his father’s sword,” Seamus said, his expression deadpan and his voice toneless. “Your bow never passes to your boy, but you’ll use it to save his life, Marin. Trust in that.”
“Assuming we don’t get ourselves killed first.” Her gaze grew distant. “What will they do, Seamus? How are they going to…to bring us back from the edge?”
“There’s a war coming,” he said.
“I know that.”
“They’ll end the war.”
“How?” She glared at him, eyes narrowing. “How are they going to do that?”
“I don’t know,” Seamus said. “But the prophecy said that they would—and that the Taliesin would be with them.”
“Phelan,” Marin said quietly.
“Or his successor,” Seamus admitted, then sighed, getting up to tend to the kettle and their tea. “He may decide to choose one.”
Marin was quiet for a few long moments.
“He would choose Angie,” she finally said.
“She’s a child,” Seamus said.
“And we don’t live as long as you do,” Marin chided. “He’d have to start early. She’d only have the mantle for a short time before she started passing along what he’d taught her to her own successor.”
“You assume that not everything’s changed,” Seamus said quietly.
Marin just stared at him, her expression blank, complexion pale with the shock delivered by his words. Seamus smiled weakly.
“Everything’s changed, mo chara daor. Everything. Maybe even that. Maybe even that.”
wow…….still awesome, can i make the really within-reason request that you never ever stop telling us this story? in fact i order you to not die, ever, just so you can fulfill my selfless demand :-p thanks in advance!
Well, if you guys keep reading, I’ll keep writing. Tell your friends, tell your family.
You might want to consider buying a book or two in the sidebar, to, if you’re so inclined 🙂