\u201cI haven\u2019t touched them in months,\u201d I lied.<\/p>\n
Phelan sighed, rubbing at his temple. \u201cIt\u2019s not a talent you forget or lose because you\u2019ve let it lay fallow for a few months, le\u00e1nnan<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you say.\u201d I crossed my arms. \u201cWhy now? What\u2019s changed?\u201d I don\u2019t want to do it\u2014mostly because I\u2019m afraid of what they\u2019ll tell me. That\u2019s par for the course these days, I guess. That\u2019s why I left off reading them the last time, too. Something\u2019s just screaming at me if I spread those cards, none of us are going to like what I see there.<\/em><\/p>\n He winced. \u201cJust…Jac and I were out taking a walk and we ran into Cariocecus. He\u2014he said some things\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n I sighed. \u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019d managed to corner me in my cot, and now I watched him in the lamplight. My cards, tucked carefully into a niche between the bed and the wall, were easily within my reach as I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, watching him. He looked away, lips thinning.<\/p>\n \u201cThings that make me decidedly uncomfortable,\u201d Phelan murmured. \u201cLike the Hecate being on the move again. Like we made a mistake in letting Thesan live.\u201d<\/p>\n I grimaced. There was a pretty big part of me that thought we really had<\/em> made a big mistake in letting Thesan live. \u201cThat\u2019s enough to make you want me spread the cards?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I really hope you\u2019ll say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n I sighed, knuckling my eyes, trying to fight down the queasiness that suddenly sank its claws into my belly. \u201cI don\u2019t know, Phelan. It…it just doesn\u2019t feel right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoes anything feel right anymore?\u201d he asked softly. \u201cLike I said. You don\u2019t have to say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019ll hurt you if I say no.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be lying if I said it wouldn\u2019t worry me.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. \u201cAll right. Go get me a cup of something hot, then I\u2019ll spread the cards for you and we\u2019ll see what the fates have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI haven\u2019t touched them in months,\u201d I lied. Phelan sighed, rubbing at his temple. \u201cIt\u2019s not a talent you forget or lose because you\u2019ve let it lay fallow for a few months, le\u00e1nnan.\u201d \u201cSo you say.\u201d I crossed my arms. … Continue reading