There wasn\u2019t a barrier that he could see in front of them, but he could feel it\u2014feel it like a real, physical thing, like it was an object he could reach out and touch, run his fingers along its surface. Gray imagined it to be like a seamless stone wall, ivy-draped at the top, smooth and cold as if it was made of polished marble. Whatever it was, it felt solid, felt like safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho put together your defenses?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n
Aoife looked at him sharply, a glance he ignored in favor of watching Seamus\u2019s shoulders stiffen. A dozen yards away, Phelan stood with a blonde woman just shy of where Gray could sense the invisible barrier, apparently waiting for them.<\/p>\n
Seamus\u2019s shoulders relaxed slowly. \u201cA little of Phelan,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cBut most of it is Marin.\u201d His gaze flicked toward Aoife. \u201cTeague\u2019s line, by way of Mair\u00e9ad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aoife swore under her breath in her native tongue and Gray\u2019s arm tightened around her. He thought of the stories she\u2019d told and shook his head slightly. So her brother found his way to family after all\u2014generations removed, but family nonetheless. Maybe she didn\u2019t need to worry as much as she did.<\/em><\/p>\n Still, he was glad they\u2019d come\u2014at the very least, he\u2019d get to meet someone who could build invisible walls like the one he felt.<\/p>\n Seamus looked amused by whatever Aoife had said, shaking his head as he grinned over his shoulder at them. \u201cYou\u2019ll like her well enough, Aoife. At the end of the day, I think her line got the best of them both.\u201d<\/p>\n Gray frowned slightly, but didn\u2019t ask the question that rose to the front of his mind. He\u2019d find out what that meant soon enough. \u201cI take it Marin is part of \u2018the rest\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n The blonde with Phelan barked a laugh, apparently having heard his question.<\/p>\n \u201cMarin leads<\/em> the rest,\u201d the woman said, grinning. \u201cWhether or not she believes it yet, she leads them as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell,\u201d Gray said, forcing lightness into his tone. \u201cI look forward to meeting her, then.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs well you should,\u201d Phelan said, his staff braced against the side of his foot. \u201cIf we don\u2019t hurry up, though, they\u2019ll be meeting us halfway across instead of by the fire and no one wants or needs that.\u201d<\/p>\n His staff moved, touching the invisible barrier. Gray sensed a ripple, heard a clear, bell-like tone echoing through his head.<\/p>\n Then it was gone, like the memory of a dream carried away on waking, like dust in the wind.<\/p>\n Phelan turned and stepped through the barrier, the blonde and Seamus a step behind.<\/p>\n Gray took a deep breath and followed with Aoife at his side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There wasn\u2019t a barrier that he could see in front of them, but he could feel it\u2014feel it like a real, physical thing, like it was an object he could reach out and touch, run his fingers along its surface. … Continue reading