\u201cWhat were the terms?\u201d\u00a0 Thordin rumbled, eyeing the two men as they returned to the relative safety within the camp\u2019s walls.<\/p>\n
Phelan was the one to close the gates and lift the bar back into place as Thom answered.\u00a0 \u201cNot good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot good or not good enough<\/i>?\u201d\u00a0 Marin asked from her perch, keeping half an eye on the goings-on beyond the walls.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth,\u201d Thom said.\u00a0 \u201cMostly the latter.\u00a0 He wants us to leave and forget we ever lived here.\u00a0 I told him no deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t seem to be attacking yet, though,\u201d Matt observed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave us half an hour to stew.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure why he thought we\u2019d change our minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan shook his head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cI doubt that he actually does.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think his ego is quite that impressive.\u201d\u00a0 He frowned briefly.\u00a0 \u201cOr that confident.\u00a0 The threats were designed to scare you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom stared at him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the offer to you, to let you leave unharmed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan winced.\u00a0 Was hoping he\u2019d keep that under his hat.\u00a0 No such luck.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got no idea what it means.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe offered to let you<\/i> bail?\u201d\u00a0 Thordin grasped his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would he do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething that Aoife did,\u201d Phelan growled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what she did and I\u2019m not sure what she had to give to exact that promise from him, but she did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re going to squander it,\u201d Thordin surmised.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows better than to pull stunts like that,\u201d Phelan said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the master of my fate.\u00a0 Not her.\u201d<\/p>\n
That assumes that anyone\u2019s the master of their own fate.<\/i>\u00a0 His eyes slid shut for a moment and he sucked in a breath, fingers flexing around the staff in his hand.<\/p>\n
Steady.<\/i>\u00a0 He opened his eyes and looked at Thom.\u00a0 \u201cWe can beat him,\u201d he said simply.\u00a0 \u201cHe can\u2019t cross the wards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThey just have to hold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll hold,\u201d Kellin said, eyes narrowing dangerously as she headed toward the wall to take up her firing position with the rest.\u00a0 \u201cYou said yourself weeks ago that Marin makes wards strong enough to rattle your teeth.\u00a0 I believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got a point,\u201d Thordin said.\u00a0 \u201cThe wardings are strong.\u00a0 You can feel them even if they\u2019re not supposed to stop you from coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan glanced toward the gates again, lips thinning.\u00a0 \u201cI wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled wryly at Thom.\u00a0 \u201cIf I can leverage my own immunity into immunity for a few more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The younger man frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWhat kind of good would that do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan looked him square in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cIt could save you and Marin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom opened his mouth, then closed it again, a muscle in his jaw twitching.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the second time in the last ten minutes, he took Phelan by the arm and dragged him away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat were the terms?\u201d\u00a0 Thordin rumbled, eyeing the two men as they returned to the relative safety within the camp\u2019s walls. Phelan was the one to close the gates and lift the bar back into place as Thom answered.\u00a0 \u201cNot … Continue reading