\u201c<\/i>D\u00e9ithe agus arrachtaigh,\u201d Neve breathed, eyes widening as she saw Thom and I. \u00a0\u201cMarin!\u00a0 How\u2014when\u2014is he with you?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t sure if she meant our son, her son, or her husband.\u00a0 Thom, though, appeared to know the answer and shook his head slowly.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not with us, Neve.\u00a0 We haven\u2019t seen Cameron in years.\u00a0 Not since we left.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Her gaze flicked toward me.\u00a0 \u201cHow long ago was that?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cFive years,\u201d I said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI know, it\u2019s been a long time.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cFive years and you\u2019ve not found him,\u201d she said, looking away.\u00a0 I stumbled forward a step and grasped her arm.\u00a0 She caught me before I dropped to my knees.<\/i><\/p>\n
Neve swore softly under her breath.\u00a0 \u201cYou haven\u2019t found it yet, either,\u201d she said, her eyes wide, bright with unshed tears.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWe hoped that you\u2019d be able to help,\u201d Thom said gently as he slid his arm around my shoulders to help me straighten again.\u00a0 \u201cThere was something that you told Mar once and something that Phelan said\u2014\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cHow is he?\u201d Neve interrupted.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cPhelan?\u201d\u00a0 I asked.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s\u2026himself.\u00a0 He\u2019s looking after him.\u00a0 After both of them.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Neve nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cGood.\u00a0 Good.\u201d\u00a0 She stared at me for a moment, then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI think I know where to find what you\u2019re seeking.\u00a0 It\u2019s taken a long time to sort it out, but I think I finally know what it is.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced down at her boots.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2026before we\u2026before I show you the way, I\u2019ve a favor to ask.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cYou want us to help you find Cameron,\u201d I said quietly.<\/i><\/p>\n
She met my gaze and nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Thom\u2019s arm tightened around my shoulders.\u00a0 All he wanted was me well again so we could go home.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t say no to Neve, though\u2014he couldn\u2019t.<\/i><\/p>\n
As much as I wanted to see our son again, I couldn\u2019t say no to her, either.<\/i><\/p>\n
It\u2019ll all work out the way it\u2019s meant to be, Marin.\u00a0 Trust in that always.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course we\u2019ll help you find him,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cWe love him, too.\u00a0 We\u2019ll do whatever it takes, and then we\u2019ll all go home together.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
She hugged me breathless and all I could do was hug her back and pray, just pray, that all three of us knew what we were doing.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Phelan touched my arm and I snapped back to myself, fingers uncoiling from around the bucket\u2019s handle as he coaxed it from my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you all right?\u201d he asked softly as he set the bucket down next to the fire.\u00a0 \u201cOr were you seeing something?\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed the bile that fought to rise in my throat and shivered.\u00a0 \u201cI was seeing something,\u201d I murmured, glancing around.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t another soul in sight, which surprised me.\u00a0 I\u2019d been expecting Tala to be by the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was getting some potatoes,\u201d Phelan said.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s going to try to make a hash this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d I said, silently grateful that I wouldn\u2019t have to face her just yet on the heels of that vision.\u00a0 Somewhere in the back of my brain, I was aware of the memories of that future self of mine, fond memories of children playing in the fields beneath the walls, chasing each other and laughing\u2014a girl and a boy that looked painfully like Tala, two more boys with them.<\/p>\n
Tala\u2019s.\u00a0 Mine and Neve\u2019s?<\/i>\u00a0 It seemed likely.\u00a0 Somewhere in the back of my brain, I knew they weren\u2019t the only children, but they were the ones I thought of immediately.\u00a0 I swallowed, my throat dry.\u00a0 Phelan squeezed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit down,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re pale as that snow out there.\u00a0 I\u2019ll make you some tea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTala\u2019ll get mad at you,\u201d I said quietly as I obediently sat down near the fire.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s protective of her teakettles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe won\u2019t get mad at me,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went to the forge,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cHe said he\u2019d come down for breakfast, but he promised Matt that he\u2019d take a whetstone to some of the blades up there, check to see if they\u2019d take an edge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get him after you\u2019ve got some tea,\u201d he said, filling one of the kettles and then digging some herbs from a leather pouch inside his jacket.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u00a0 I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan glared at me as if he could sense the lie without trying.\u00a0 All I could do was sigh and look away.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell him,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll just worry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure it\u2019s not something worth worrying about?\u201d\u00a0 Phelan asked.<\/p>\n
I shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing we can change anytime soon.\u00a0 Nothing to worry about yet.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe nothing to worry about ever.<\/i>\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re going to go get him, do it to tell him the news you gave me<\/i>, not because I saw something that made me go seven shades of pale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re sure,\u201d Phelan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d\u00a0 As sure as I\u2019ll ever be, anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n
No sense in making him get all bent out of shape over things he can\u2019t do anything about\u2014that none of us can do anything about.<\/i><\/p>\n
At least not yet.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cD\u00e9ithe agus arrachtaigh,\u201d Neve breathed, eyes widening as she saw Thom and I. \u00a0\u201cMarin!\u00a0 How\u2014when\u2014is he with you?\u201d I wasn\u2019t sure if she meant our son, her son, or her husband.\u00a0 Thom, though, appeared to know the answer and shook … Continue reading