\u201cHow long has it been since you slept?\u201d Neve asked softly. \u201cReally truly slept?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Sif closed her eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t know, Neve. A long time ago, I think. Maybe too long. I feel so guilty, like this is my fault, like what happened to him is my fault. He didn\u2019t have anything to prove to me. He proved himself a long time ago.\u201d She took a deep breath and looked toward Neve. \u201cIt is<\/em> my fault, Neve. How could I have done this to him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t bring that lindworm here, Sif. This isn\u2019t your fault. Hell, you rode to his rescue with the rest of them, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Her friend uttered a strangled sob and turned away again. Neve reached for her arm, took it and squeezed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t do this to yourself, Sif. You just can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo late,\u201d Sif breathed, scrubbing angrily at her tearing eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s too late. I\u2019ve already done it.\u201d She glared at the driving rain, at the roiling clouds above. \u201cWanderer promised me that all would be well. I think my lover\u2019s out to make a liar of him.\u201d Her hands curled into fists even as Neve\u2019s fingers dug into the flesh of her arm. \u201cThat fool is going to die thinking I hate him. I don\u2019t, Neve. I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know you don\u2019t,\u201d Neve said, at a loss for what else to say, uncertain how to comfort the shield maiden\u2014or if she even could<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m sure he knows, too, Sif, and he\u2019s not going to die thinking you hate him. Add my promise to Phelan\u2019s. You\u2019re not going to lose him.\u201d She slid her arm around Sif\u2019s shoulders. \u201cCome on. I\u2019m putting you to bed. You need to rest. In the morning, maybe you\u2019ll see things differently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoubtful,\u201d she muttered, rubbing at her eyes again, but not resisting as Neve turned her away from the rain and started leading her back toward her cot. \u201cBut one must have hope. I want to look in on him one more time before I sleep, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Neve whispered, altering course slightly. A few minutes looking in on him wouldn\u2019t hurt, and if it let her get Sif into bed without a fight, all the better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cHow long has it been since you slept?\u201d Neve asked softly. \u201cReally truly slept?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Sif closed her eyes. \u201cI don\u2019t know, Neve. A long time ago, I think. Maybe too long. I feel so guilty, like this … Continue reading