His hands trembled around the haft of his battleaxe, jaw so tight it hurt his teeth. The ice was broken, perhaps a dozen yards out from where he stood closer to shore. All was quiet.<\/p>\n
Deceptively quiet,<\/em> he thought.<\/p>\n The worm was here for him. In the instant Vasily had begun to talk about it, he\u2019d known what it had been like for Phelan when Vammatar had attacked, when her sisters had sent the skinwalkers after them. Everyone was in danger and it was because of him<\/em>.<\/p>\n No wonder he walks around in some kind of cloud of guilt and depression.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThordin!\u201d<\/p>\n He winced at the sound of Matt Astoris\u2019s voice. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be here, Matt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike hell.\u201d The younger man\u2019s boots crunched on snow and gravel. \u201cYou\u2019re not facing this thing alone. I don\u2019t care what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s personal,\u201d Thordin said, glaring at him as he came up alongside. \u201cGo back.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think I just said no.\u201d Matt rested his hand on the pommel of the sword hanging against his hip. \u201cThom went to find Phelan, so you can bet they\u2019ll be here soon enough\u2014probably with Sif and Marin.\u201d<\/p>\n Bugger me.<\/em> Thordin\u2019s jaw clenched tighter. He thought he felt a molar crack. \u201cDamn the lot of you,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n Matt clapped him on the shoulder. \u201cWe haven\u2019t let Phelan face a goddamned personal vendetta alone. What makes you think you\u2019re any different?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a monster.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Vammatar wasn\u2019t? The Hecate isn\u2019t<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n A shiver crept down Thordin\u2019s spine. His mouth tasted like bile. \u201cYou make a valid point,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut this is different. We have some vague hope of reasoning with them. This\u2014this is different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI fail to see how.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a monster<\/em>, Matthew. It kills. It eats. It doesn\u2019t negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we kill it and move on with life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wish it was going to be that easy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be,\u201d Matt said, voice weighty with conviction.<\/p>\n Thordin shivered again and wished his friend was right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" His hands trembled around the haft of his battleaxe, jaw so tight it hurt his teeth. The ice was broken, perhaps a dozen yards out from where he stood closer to shore. All was quiet. Deceptively quiet, he thought. The … Continue reading