Phelan grated out a curse in his native tongue, glaring at Cariocecus as the blood drained from Marin\u2019s face.\u00a0 Thom sheathed his sword without thinking and went to her, ignoring everything else.\u00a0 Something inside Matt made him think that he should go to them as well, but one look from Jacqueline ended all thoughts of moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cHold him still,\u201d she said, nodding to Phelan.\u00a0 \u201cJay\u2019s going to start cutting and it\u2019s not going to be pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t numb him or anything?\u201d\u00a0 Matt asked, looking dubiously at the wound.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d she asked bitterly.\u00a0 \u201cThe snow?\u00a0 That\u2019s about all we\u2019ve got right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt muttered a curse under his breath.\u00a0 She was right, of course.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t been thinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust do it, damn you,\u201d Phelan said, gaze flicking toward J.T. and Jacqueline for a moment before he resumed glaring at Cariocecus.\u00a0 \u201cAnd since you\u2019re the apparent expert on power transference, you<\/i> keep explaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt leaned down against Phelan\u2019s shoulders, holding him in place while Jacqueline and J.T. got ready to cut the spearhead out of him.\u00a0 The wound was still bleeding and looked painful, the skin around it smeared with enough blood that it was hard to tell if the flesh was already inflamed or worse.\u00a0 Matt had to look away, focusing instead on Cariocecus, who actually looked contrite for once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose this wasn\u2019t the best time to bring it up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, the cat\u2019s out of the bag now,\u201d Phelan said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.\u00a0 \u201cYou might as well\u2014\u201d\u00a0 He gave a strangled cry as J.T. started in with the razor-sharp scalpel, jaw clenching and lips thinning.\u00a0 Matt winced sympathetically.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might as well keep talking,\u201d Matt said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re really the only one who could explain right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot so,\u201d Cariocecus said, his boldness already fading.\u00a0 \u201cNeve could probably\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she said softly as she limped closer, leaning heavily against her crutches.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 None of that was ever my forte.\u00a0 I was the one that had to keep track of artifacts and prophecies, not people and prophecies.\u201d\u00a0 Her gaze drifted to Cameron for a moment, raking over him as if reassuring herself that he was all right.\u00a0 There was blood on him, but it was hard to tell if any was his.\u00a0 He was steady enough on his feet, so if any of it was, it couldn\u2019t be much.<\/p>\n
As Matt\u2019s gaze drifted toward Thom, though, he realized that his brother-in-law was leaning as much on Marin as she was leaning on him.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re both hurt.\u00a0 Shit.\u00a0 We can\u2019t do this over again.\u00a0 Not if shit\u2019s going to keep coming, keep hitting us.<\/i>\u00a0 He swallowed bile and hoped against hope that it wasn\u2019t as bad as he feared.\u00a0 The amount of blood on Marin\u2019s clothes told him it might well be worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell them, Cariocecus,\u201d Neve commanded.\u00a0 \u201cTell them what we all want to know.\u00a0 What do you know about these children we\u2019re carrying\u2014how do you know that theirs is going to be powerful?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the bloodlines,\u201d Phelan interrupted, speaking through clenched teeth.\u00a0 \u201cThe bloodlines coming together would make a difference without a doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cariocecus studied him for a moment, looking vaguely puzzled, then shook his head, returning his attention to Marin and Thom.\u00a0 \u201cThere have been stories,\u201d he said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cStories passed down through the generations about what will happen when the world breaks, what will happen with those who have managed to survive, like all of you.\u00a0 It\u2019s said that children will be born with power that far outstrips any power that\u2019s been seen since the times of old, since the death of Atlantis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAtlantis is a myth,\u201d Matt said, a queasy feeling settling over him.\u00a0 It has to be.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not entirely true,\u201d Kellin said, chewing her lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cWhile a lot of what we thought we always knew about it may well be, there\u2019s no proof that it didn\u2019t <\/i>exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s no proof it did,\u201d Matt said, regretting the words as soon as he\u2019d said them.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t an argument you\u2019re going to win, especially when you\u2019re kneeling on the shoulders of someone that\u2019s older than the dirt beneath your feet.\u00a0 Stop thinking in terms of what\u2019s impossible.\u00a0 Focus on what there is to be learned.<\/i>\u00a0 He took a deep breath.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot to learn.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cIt did,\u201d Neve said softly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s where \u00c9riu came from.\u00a0 It\u2019s part of why so many wars happened when Phelan and I were much, much younger than we are now, why everything broke down.\u00a0 There was too much imbalance, too much jockeying for power.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some that would say it started long before the fall,\u201d Cariocecus said, sounding vaguely regretful.<\/p>\n
Thordin snorted humorlessly and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cMore than some.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does this have to do with our children?\u201d\u00a0 Marin snapped, her face pale as she leaned against Thom.\u00a0 \u201cMythology become real is all well and good, but it doesn\u2019t help us understand what\u2019s happening in the here and now\u2014not at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be responsible for rebuilding the world,\u201d Phelan whispered, almost too quiet to hear. \u00a0He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, body tense as J.T. kept on working on freeing the spearhead.\u00a0 \u201cFor good or for ill.\u00a0 Every power that\u2019s out there will want them\u2014either to control them, to guide them, or to kill them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s important, le\u00e1nnan.\u00a0 That and nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Phelan grated out a curse in his native tongue, glaring at Cariocecus as the blood drained from Marin\u2019s face.\u00a0 Thom sheathed his sword without thinking and went to her, ignoring everything else.\u00a0 Something inside Matt made him think that he … Continue reading