\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 Neve asked, brows knitting, hooding bright blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you\u2014did you\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSee something?\u201d\u00a0 Marin gave her a weak, wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cBoth Thom and I have and I suspect that your cousin knows exactly what we\u2019ve both seen.\u00a0 I think there\u2019s a reason he\u2019s staying here instead of moving on and it\u2019s not because your broher asked him to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFucking Taliesin,\u201d Neve muttered, then shivered.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be so hard on him.\u00a0 It\u2019s a heavy burden, right?\u00a0 He\u2019s shouldering it alone\u2014more alone than Seamus or any of his predecessors ever did<\/i>.\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSo you and Thom aren\u2019t staying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be here for a long time,\u201d Marin said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just not sure how long.\u00a0 Not forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Limping along next to her, Neve frowned and shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Marin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be sorry,\u201d Marin said.\u00a0 \u201cThink about who else you want to teach to do this besides me\u2014or if you\u2019ll be here for a long time, who you\u2019ll teach after<\/i> you teach me.\u201d\u00a0 Marin glanced at her sidelong.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d suggest Angie, eventually\u2014when she\u2019s older.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s the little one, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marin nodded.\u00a0 \u201cA druid born, if you listen to your cousin.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think he\u2019s wrong, either.\u201d<\/p>\n
If he says that, I doubt he\u2019s wrong.<\/i><\/p>\n
She could hear the laughter of a dozen others as they drew closer to the cookfire, their voices carrying down the corridor.\u00a0 Despite everything they\u2019d been through, the others were merry.\u00a0 Maybe Phelan was right.\u00a0 Maybe reminding them that we\u2019re all still alive is exactly what everyone needed.<\/i>\u00a0 She could hear Cameron\u2019s voice among them\u2014he was telling some story from when they were on the road.\u00a0 Neve smiled faintly.\u00a0 Marin squeezed her shoulder gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you\u2019ll stay a while, Neve,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Cameron\u2026you\u2019re already part of us.\u00a0 You could be safe here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Could we?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.<\/i>\u00a0 Neve nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s something that we\u2019ll have to think about\u2014talk about.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019d be hard to travel with a child, but we could do it if we had to.<\/i><\/p>\n
But do we <\/i>have to?\u00a0 Do <\/i>I have to?<\/i>\u00a0 It would be hard to let Cameron take to the road and leave her behind.\u00a0 But you knew that eventually that might be what had to happen.\u00a0 Especially in light of everything.<\/i><\/p>\n
Everything.<\/i>\u00a0 One hand strayed to her belly and she closed her eyes for a moment.\u00a0 Marin\u2019s arm slid across her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be that bad,\u201d Marin said softly.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d never be gone for that long, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
It was as if the younger woman could read her thoughts.\u00a0 Neve laughed weakly.\u00a0 \u00a0I wonder if it\u2019s written all over my face.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cI hope not,\u201d she said softly, eyes sliding shut for a moment.<\/p>\n
Then she straightened her spine and smiled again, eyes blinking open.\u00a0 \u201cBut that\u2019s a worry for another night, isn\u2019t it??\u00a0 Tonight\u2019s the night for celebrating life and teaching you to sing the dead home on the longest night of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marin grinned.\u00a0 \u201cLet the teaching begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Together, they headed for the warmth of the fire and the laughter of family and friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 Neve asked, brows knitting, hooding bright blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you\u2014did you\u2014?\u201d \u201cSee something?\u201d\u00a0 Marin gave her a weak, wry smile.\u00a0 \u201cBoth Thom and I have and I suspect that your cousin knows exactly what we\u2019ve … Continue reading