[This post is from Marin’s point of view.]
There was no small measure of concern in Thom’s gaze as we came to the fire. Maybe it was something in my expression or Phelan’s, or Matt’s, or maybe it was just the sight of Seamus that did it. His eyes met mine, a question in the look he shot me. I shook my head almost imperceptibly, heading back to my spot next to him and the coffee cup that sat abandoned there, waiting for me.
Thom watched me for a few seconds before looking at Seamus and Leinth, brow furrowing.
“You, sir, look like utter and complete shit,” he said with a completely straight face, watching as Leinth helped Seamus to a spot even closer to the fire.
“Do I?” Seamus smiled as he slowly, agonizingly, lowered himself to the ground to sit against another log. “That’s an improvement, then, I think.”
“Tala,” Leinth said quietly. “Do you have any tea on?”
“I do,” she confirmed. “Two cups?”
Leinth nodded, sitting down next to Seamus. “Please.”
Hecate separated from Matt long enough to get a blanket from the bin near the dish storage shelves. We always kept a few near the fire, just in case. She brought it to Seamus and Leinth, draping it over the former Taleisin’s shoulders but letting Leinth fuss with it as she saw fit. “You promised a story,” Hecate said softly as she withdrew, coming to sit with Thom and I. Matt was getting a fresh cup of coffee by the fire, but he’d join us soon enough.
“I did,” Seamus said quietly. “I suppose I owe you that and more.”
“And more?” Thom asked, his brow arching. “What’s going on, exactly?”
“The story relates to that,” Seamus said, gently brushing aside Leinth’s fussing over his blanket. Tala came to them with two mugs, the tea still steaming in them, and Seamus reached for one. “For better or worse, I suspect I know more and better than any what’s out there and I fear it’s my fault this time that they’re here.”
“Well,” I said quietly. “We do seem to have a knack for helping people with enemies. What is it this time? Another god of war?”
“No,” Seamus said quietly. “Another god of death.”
