\u201cYou know, the tales speak of the Seers\u2019 offspring, too,\u201d Cariocecus said, his tone half musing as he stared out at nothing, lost in thought.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I should have made those connections sooner, but understand that I wasn\u2019t actually<\/i> trying to kill either one of you.\u00a0 Just scare you half out of your minds so you would be cooperative with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStrange,\u201d Thom said, eyes narrowing dangerously, \u201cseems you did a bang-up job of almost killing us both.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a temper,\u201d Cariocecus said with a slight shrug.\u00a0 \u201cIt got the better of me.\u00a0 For what it\u2019s worth, I apologize for that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
I snorted humorlessly and shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cYou were telling us about Seamus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was,\u201d he agreed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then Wanderer brought up his offspring, which brings us to\u2026your offspring.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s happening about eight months from now, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I rocked back against my heels.\u00a0 Thom\u2019s hand closed on my shoulder.\u00a0 How the hell does he know?<\/i><\/p>\n
Phelan swung around to face both of us.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.<\/p>\n
All I could do was nod, my heart going at three times its normal speed.\u00a0 How had Cariocecus known<\/i>?<\/p>\n
Thom\u2019s fingers tightened almost painfully.\u00a0 \u201cBreathe, Mar,\u201d he whispered in my ear.\u00a0 \u201cJust breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sucked in a breath, realizing I hadn\u2019t drawn one since Cariocecus had voiced his question.\u00a0 Phelan caught my face between his palms and stared me in he eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long have you known?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust since yesterday,\u201d I whispered back, shaking my head and feeling tears begin to well up and ooze down my cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cYou had so much you were already worried about, Phelan, I didn\u2019t want to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it was a possibility,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou could have told me it was a sure thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told her that I\u2019d tell you,\u201d Thom interjected.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my baby, too, Phelan.\u00a0 I told her I wanted that honor.\u201d<\/p>\n
That burden, <\/i>I thought, not a little bitterly.\u00a0 I\u2019d feared Phelan\u2019s reaction, especially in the wake of everything that had happened recently.\u00a0 He was unsettled enough by Neve\u2019s pregnancy and the apparently very real possibility that the time table or a half-dozen prophecies had suddenly been pushed up much further than he\u2019d ever been able to anticipate.<\/p>\n
That was part of his task as the Taliesin, he\u2019d told Thom and I.\u00a0 Anticipating what would happen when and trying to be at the right place at the right time to nurture those who needed it.<\/p>\n
His presence among us now, though, had everything to do with Thom\u2019s cousin and far less to do with chasing prophecies.\u00a0 The fact that everything seemed to swirl around to us, though\u2014that was just a bonus for him, two birds killed with one stone.<\/p>\n
Beyond Phelan, Cariocecus wore a puzzled expression.\u00a0 \u201cYou hadn\u2019t told him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cHe has enough of a burden to bear without adding that to his load.\u201d\u00a0 I drew myself a little straighter and gently disengaged Phelan\u2019s hands from my face, wiped away my tears, then stepped sideways to meet Cariocecus\u2019s eye.\u00a0 \u201cYou know too much, Shadow Man,\u201d I whispered.\u00a0 \u201cand we still have a lot of questions for you.\u00a0 You\u2019re going to be on a tight leash\u2014especially until I know everything I want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarin.\u201d\u00a0 Thom\u2019s fingers dug painfully into my shoulder and I glared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cJust\u2026listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shut up for a second and did as he\u2019d asked.\u00a0 At first, all I could hear was the sound of the wind and our breathing.\u00a0 Then, I heard what he wanted me to.<\/p>\n
Wolves.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh hell<\/i>,\u201d I breathed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHamrammr<\/i>,\u201d Cariocecus said simply.\u00a0 \u201cSounds as if I\u2019m about to start paying my debt and playing my role.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAye,\u201d Thom said.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like.\u00a0 Figure out where they are and report to the gate when you know.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be waiting there.\u201d\u00a0 He took me by the hand, caught Phelan by the arm, and started ushering us back toward camp at a jog.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I can\u2019t figure it out until they\u2019re almost on top of us?\u201d\u00a0 Cariocecus asked our retreating backs.<\/p>\n
\u201cImprovise something,\u201d Thom told him.<\/p>\n
The three of us broke into a run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cYou know, the tales speak of the Seers\u2019 offspring, too,\u201d Cariocecus said, his tone half musing as he stared out at nothing, lost in thought.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I should have made those connections sooner, but understand that I wasn\u2019t actually … Continue reading