\u201cMarin\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan sighed and put his hand on Matt\u2019s arm. \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cLet her go. She\u2019s in a strange spot right now and it\u2019s best just to let her deal with it however she feels is best.\u201d I\u2019ll deal with her being out of sorts later. Right now, I have <\/em>this particular wrinkle to deal with.<\/em> Phelan turned his attention back to Leviathan, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. \u201cI take it that none of you noticed the dead lindworm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that what that was?\u201d Leviathan looked thoughtful. \u201cWe did notice something out of the ordinary, but I\u2019ve been slumbering for so long, it\u2019s hard for me to know what\u2019s normal and what\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d Matt said, his tone dry. \u201cBecause they were common<\/em> when you were running around wherever you were running around.\u201d<\/p>\n Phelan barely suppressed a wince. Leinth didn\u2019t bother to suppress hers. She looked at Matt.<\/p>\n \u201cMesopotamia,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cHe figured a bit there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA bit,\u201d Leviathan agreed with a faint, wry smile. \u201cThough I was chased out of Canaan soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat tended to happen when Jehovah\u2019s followers began filtering in.\u201d There was a trace of bitterness in Leinth\u2019s voice\u2014one Phelan noticed because he\u2019d heard similar traces of bitterness in the voices of others.<\/p>\n \u201cThey weren\u2019t common even then,\u201d Phelan said, forestalling further discussion on the subject. \u201cYou know that as well as any of us, Yam, and I\u2019m not sure why you would think things had changed so drastically.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long while,\u201d Leviathan said. \u201cThings could have changed.\u201d<\/p>\n Phelan was fairly certain he felt a migraine coming on. He suppressed the urge to massage his temples. \u201cNot that much,\u201d he growled. \u201cTrust me on that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOut of completely morbid curiosity, who reached that deep?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did,\u201d Phelan admitted. \u201cI knew that I\u2019d overreached, but I didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe lady said it was a matter of life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was,\u201d Phelan said, shifting uncomfortably.<\/p>\n \u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThordin,\u201d Phelan said quietly. \u201cIt was to save Thordin.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMarin\u2014\u201d Phelan sighed and put his hand on Matt\u2019s arm. \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cLet her go. She\u2019s in a strange spot right now and it\u2019s best just to let her deal with it however she feels is best.\u201d … Continue reading