Seamus just stared at them, looking forlorn and lost for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he whispered at last. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize. I didn\u2019t…I couldn\u2019t<\/em> imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n Phelan shook his head. \u201cYou knew the mantle you\u2019d settled on my shoulders,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m shocked that you can\u2019t imagine it.\u201d<\/p>\n Seamus closed his eyes, exhaling a sigh. Neve reached for his hand and squeezed it hard.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll find a way,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI promise you, dearth\u00e1ir m\u00f3r<\/em>, we\u2019ll find a way to win you from them.\u201d<\/p>\n He gave her a grim smile, gazing at her through his lashes. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice thought, Neve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll make it happen,\u201d she said stubbornly. \u201cYou know us, we\u2019ll find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n He only nodded, seeming distracted for a moment as he gazed into the shadows of the ravine, at the branches like ink against the snow and sky. Neve\u2019s hand tightened around his and he sighed softly, looking like he was about to say something.<\/p>\n \u201cSeamus!\u201d<\/p>\n He went rigid at the sound of Leinth\u2019s voice, his eyes springing wide, breath catching in his throat. \u201cPhelan,\u201d he rasped, \u201cwhen you said she was alive\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n \u201cI told you she was here,\u201d Phelan said. \u201cProbably pissed as hell at me, too, since I had her guarding the fucking gates.\u201d<\/p>\n Seamus\u2019s breath came in ragged gasps as he sucked in two deep ones before he turned toward the sound of Leinth\u2019s voice. \u201cMo ghr\u00e1 daor<\/em>,\u201d he said in a bare whisper, moving away from his sister and his cousin, turning the face the ball of rage and pain moving quickly in his direction.<\/p>\n She slapped him. \u201cThat\u2019s for letting me think you were dead<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n He rubbed at his stinging cheek. \u201cI thought they killed you,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you\u2019d lived until Phelan told me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s no excuse,\u201d she said, voice shaking. Tears sparkled in the dim light. \u201cI can\u2019t believe she didn\u2019t lord it over you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was the one who told me.\u201d Seamus took her face in his hands and kissed her hard, wrapping one arm around her waist and drawing her tightly against his chest. \u201cNothing could have stopped me from escaping then if I\u2019d known, mo ghr\u00e1 daor<\/em>. I swear it.\u201d<\/p>\n Phelan sighed quietly, giving Neve a gentle squeeze as they watched Leinth return her lover\u2019s kiss, his embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should go,\u201d he murmured to his cousin. \u201cI don\u2019t like feeling like a voyeur.\u201d<\/p>\n Neve snorted humorlessly. \u201cI\u2019m afraid if we let him out of our sight, he\u2019s just going to vanish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t,\u201d Phelan said. \u201cHe\u2019s here for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDid he tell you what it was?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t even know.\u201d<\/p>\n Neve shivered, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. It almost felt like they were being watched, though she knew that wasn\u2019t possible. She glanced toward the end of the bridge, toward camp, then back behind them. An unseasonable mist rose beyond the end of the bridge, near the arboretum and the pathway to the barrows.<\/p>\n \u201cPhelan, look.\u201d<\/p>\n He glanced back and swore, sweeping her up into his arms. \u201cSeamus, Leinth, ward lines, now<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n Seamus jerked as if he were a puppet on strings, staring at Phelan. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBloody Grays,\u201d Phelan snapped. \u201cThey were Vammatar\u2019s puppets and now they\u2019re back.\u201d<\/p>\n He pushed past his cousin and headed for camp and the safety of the wards.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you waiting for? Move<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Seamus just stared at them, looking forlorn and lost for a moment. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he whispered at last. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize. I didn\u2019t…I couldn\u2019t imagine.\u201d Phelan shook his head. \u201cYou knew the mantle you\u2019d settled on my shoulders,\u201d he said. … Continue reading