Thom greeted the dawn alone, standing outside their shelters with his sketchbook tucked under his arm, watching the sun rise.\u00a0 Even sore, even as worn out as he was from the events of the day before, he\u2019d found himself unable to sleep past the first light of dawn.\u00a0 Marin was still sleeping in their bed, tucked safely in their blankets, breathing deep and even.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt safe enough to leave her alone after testing her for fever and a quick glance at her stitched-up wounds.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll be fine,<\/i> he reminded himself again as he stood in the snow and watched the sky turn red with the dawn.\u00a0 They\u2019re fine\u2014or they will be after she\u2019s slept off yesterday.\u00a0 It\u2019s Phelan that should be worrying us.<\/i><\/p>\n
He smiled humorlessly to himself.\u00a0 Why should that surprise me at all?<\/i>\u00a0 The smile faded after a moment as he watched the red of the sky grow deeper as the sun continued its rise.\u00a0 There wouldn\u2019t be time this morning to repair any wards that had been broken or for Matt to work on anything up at the forge, or for work to continue on the rooftops and the walls.\u00a0 A storm was coming and it would be there before most of the camp was awake.<\/p>\n
His lips thinned.\u00a0 So much for a quiet day of getting work done.<\/i>\u00a0 He glanced down at his sketchbook and sighed.\u00a0 There was so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted them to be able to accomplish.\u00a0 If trouble kept coming in waves, that was never going to happen.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s got to stop sometime.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThom?\u00a0 What\u2019re you doing out here?\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned toward the sound of Kellin\u2019s voice and smiled weakly.\u00a0 \u201cWatching the sun come up.\u00a0 I was going to walk the perimeter before anyone got up, but seeing that sky makes me think it\u2019s a better idea not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She followed his gaze and winced.\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI agree.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be another day of taking stock of what we have and making things that we can trade when spring comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom blinked, glancing at her.\u00a0 \u201cTrade?\u00a0 With who?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kellin smiled faintly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not the only ones who lived, Thom.\u00a0 We knew that already.\u00a0 While our last encounter with people from outside this community wasn\u2019t exactly positive, there must be some other settlements out there that are more interested in trading than raiding.\u00a0 Once the weather breaks in the spring, I think that some of us will need to venture out, hit the road, see what\u2019s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d\u00a0 Thom asked without thinking, still staring at her.\u00a0 \u201cKel, who could we spare for that?\u201d<\/p>\n
She met his gaze with a weak, faint smile.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d figure it out.\u00a0 I could go, maybe with Greg and Brandon, one or two others.\u00a0 We\u2019d manage on the road and you\u2019d manage here without us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom\u2019s lips thinned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure I like that idea,\u201d he admitted quietly.<\/p>\n
Kellin smiled and patted his arm.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing that you don\u2019t make all<\/i> the decisions around here, then.\u00a0 You can\u2019t say that we won\u2019t need some kind of allies and trade from areas north and south of here\u2014that another settlement won\u2019t be able to produce things that we can\u2019t produce on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can produce a lot of things on our own,\u201d Thom said stubbornly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not everything,\u201d Kellin said, her tone gentle.\u00a0 She squeezed his arm.\u00a0 \u201cThis is going to happen, Thom.\u00a0 Whether you want it to or not, we need this.\u00a0 We\u2019ll find a way to make it all work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight,\u201d he murmured softly, gaze returning to the sky.\u00a0 An uncomfortable flutter went through his stomach\u2014nerves, he supposed, or something else.<\/p>\n
Intuition?\u00a0 Maybe.<\/i>\u00a0 He frowned to himself.<\/p>\n
Whether he liked it or not, Kellin was right.\u00a0 They needed allies, if only so they knew where it would be safe to run to if things got bad, if they were overrun.<\/p>\n
He winced.\u00a0 Pray that day never comes.<\/i><\/p>\n
Kellin squeezed his arm gently.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to put some hot water on,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cCome to the fire when you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI will soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded and left him there alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thom greeted the dawn alone, standing outside their shelters with his sketchbook tucked under his arm, watching the sun rise.\u00a0 Even sore, even as worn out as he was from the events of the day before, he\u2019d found himself unable … Continue reading