He woke alone.<\/p>\n
Phelan blinked up at the rafters, at the herbs he\u2019d hung to dry from them, and counted his heartbeats for a few long moments before he stretched and groaned.\u00a0 The spot where Jacqueline had been was cool; she must have been gone for a while.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do to me?\u201d he murmured into the silence.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s never happened before.\u201d<\/p>\n
The suggestion to sleep had pressed down on him like a heavy blanket, wrapping him in its warmth and carrying him away.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt magic before, but nothing like that.\u00a0 His eyes slid shut again.<\/p>\n
I knew that she had a gift.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t realize how strong it was.\u00a0 Does she?<\/i><\/p>\n
She\u2019d healed him before\u2014at least twice, now.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember what it had felt like either time, but he did know that she\u2019d pulled him back from the brink of death both times.\u00a0 No one needed to tell him that; he knew without asking, beyond doubt.\u00a0 This hadn\u2019t been healing, though, not like those times.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t seem right for that.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s part of her power.\u00a0 There\u2019s no doubt of that.<\/i><\/p>\n
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again.\u00a0 \u201cEnough,\u201d he muttered to himself.\u00a0 \u201cGet out of bed, Phelan.\u00a0 Time to figure out what time it is and what needs doing.\u00a0 Laying around isn\u2019t doing anyone any good.\u201d<\/p>\n
He needed to check on Matt at the forge, to check on the wardings along the ravine and the wall.\u00a0 He needed to talk to Neve, to pick her brain about who might be the next to come\u2014her and Thordin both.\u00a0 He needed to track down Marin and Thom and find out if they\u2019d seen or sensed anything in the area that he might have missed in his addled and distracted state.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/i>\u00a0 He\u2019d said that to Jacqueline the night before.\u00a0 He remembered that.<\/p>\n
The howl of a lonely wolf reached him, even tucked safely into the heart of their shelter, faint and far away.\u00a0 He shivered.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He woke alone. Phelan blinked up at the rafters, at the herbs he\u2019d hung to dry from them, and counted his heartbeats for a few long moments before he stretched and groaned.\u00a0 The spot where Jacqueline had been was cool; … Continue reading