Silence answered her call. Aoife held her breath, she and Gray both staring at the trees, looking out for any sign of movement, any hint of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a bad feeling about this,\u201d Gray murmured, gaze slanting toward her for a bare moment. Aoife grimaced, hands tightening around the tiller.<\/p>\n
I really wish I didn\u2019t.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cJust hold here,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cDon\u2019t try to run. Hold position.\u201d<\/p>\n The only sounds they heard were the birds and the water and the faint whisper of the wind through the branches above them. Aoife chewed her lip, leaving it to Gray to keep them in place. He seemed disinclined to drop their anchor, instead quietly manipulating their sails to keep them in one spot.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis feels wrong, Aoife. I think we should go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust a few more minutes,\u201d she said, eyes still searching the winter woods, clogged with brush along the river\u2019s bank. \u201cJust give it a few more minutes. They might have sent someone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr they may be getting ready to attack us.\u201d<\/p>\n Aoife gave him a sharp look and Gray sighed quietly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re the one who told me that your brother has a bad habit of making enemies, Aoife. I\u2019m just pointing out that maybe we\u2019ve run into a situation where he\u2019s made some here and they\u2019re organizing to cut us down where we stand.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head hard. \u201cNo. No, I can\u2019t believe that\u2019s the case. The sense of him is much too close, Gray. This has to be the right place. I know it is\u2014it must<\/em> be.\u201d<\/p>\n Please. Please, I can\u2019t have gambled wrong.<\/em><\/p>\n Something rustled in the brush along the shore. Both of them held their breath. A slim, dark-haired man eased into view, leaves and other natural debris clinging to his sweater, mud staining his boots and his drab pants.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a landing further on,\u201d he called, pointing. \u201cMoor your boat there and come ashore. We\u2019ll bring you to the Wanderer but be forewarned. Should you be lying, should you mean him ill, you\u2019ll die where you stand faster than you can blink.\u201d<\/p>\n Aoife and Gray exchanged a look. His lips thinned. She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cDo as he says, Gray,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n Squeezing his eyes shut, Gray turned to his task. Aoife, shaking in relief, slowly knelt down in the bottom of the boat.<\/p>\n She had no doubt the man had meant the threat he\u2019d voiced. That didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n Phelan must have been here\u2014and they would be together again soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Silence answered her call. Aoife held her breath, she and Gray both staring at the trees, looking out for any sign of movement, any hint of life.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve got a bad feeling about this,\u201d Gray murmured, gaze slanting toward her … Continue reading