[This post is from Thordin’s point of view.]
Thordin watched the metal shift slowly from a dull orange closer toward bright white, shifting his weight every so often to pump the bellows, adding oxygen to the flames, fanning them to greater heat. It was an old, familiar rhythm that he’d hoped would take his mind off his friend.
It wasn’t working, but working at least helped the time pass.
He didn’t hear Phelan enter, but he did see him out of the corner of his eye and shook his head slightly.
“If you’ve come here to talk about your sister’s cockamamie plan—”
“Ah, so she’s gotten to you, too.” Phelan sighed, shaking his head and stepping in out of the spring sunshine. The Taliesin leaned his staff up against the wall near the door and sat down on one of the benches, reaching for a sword and a whetstone. “I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
“She’s not, not really—not clearly.” Thordin straightened, looking at him with a slight frown. “But I think she’s dead-set on this. How are you going to stop her?”
“I’ve never been able to stop her from doing anything in my life,” Phelan said, staring at the sword resting across his knees. “What makes you think that I’ll be able to do it this time?”
“Maybe because it’s a matter of life and death?”
“That has never made a difference before and I really don’t think it’s going to now.”
Thordin stared at him. “Are you going to sit there and tell me that you’re not going to do anything to stop your sister from going out there and probably getting herself killed?”
Phelan looked up. “I’ve already done several things, including telling her that I think she’s carrying this too far.”
“I assume she didn’t take it well.”
“She never does.” Phelan started honing the blade, his expression grim. “I love my sister, Thordin, but I can’t control her. She’s a grown woman who probably won’t learn her lesson this time until I let her make a mistake.”
“And if it gets someone killed?”
“I’m hoping it won’t get that far.”
Thordin shook his head. “And if it does?”
Phelan winced. “Then the fates and powers forgive me for not being strong enough to stop her myself.”
