Page 39 of Broken Veil
“Fair point,” Laura said. “I mean, our sea gods look like fishes and whales, so why not a weird old guy in rubber boots?”
Carys murmured, “Did I say that out loud?”
“Did you say what out loud?”
“Sea gods look like Poseidon in cartoons.”
Duncan looked at Carys with a smile. “You are very exhausted, aren’t you?”
“A little bit.”
Lachlan said, “She doesn’t sleep well in cars.”
Duncan shot him a look. “I know.”
“How do you know?” Lachlan asked. “You’ve only spent time with her in the Shadowlands, and there aren’t really any cars?—”
“Did you forget that I live here?” Duncan asked. “On this side. Where Carys was born and she lives? You don’t have any idea?—”
“I understand that both of you are still vying for the affections of the nêrys ddraig,” Godrik said, “but we have been traveling for many hours and all of us should sleep. We need to find an inn or some other kind of lodging.”
Duncan whipped out his phone. “I’ll do it.” He glared at Lachlan. “And there is no vying. The vying period is over. Done.”
Lachlan said something, but Carys didn’t really hear any of it because she was staring out the window and watching the surface of the river, which was now shimmering a brilliant green and blue.
It tookthem another twenty minutes to find a hotel with enough rooms, and it was nearly dawn by the time they pulled into the long drive of a large country house that sat on the turn of the River Ouse.
Carys didn’t care about the grand entryway or the hushed tones of the butler who showed them to their rooms. She only cared about the bed.
She collapsed onto the down-covered mattress fully clothed and barely registered when Duncan pulled her shoes off, then gently undressed her and pulled one of his large T-shirts over her head. He tucked her under the comforter, turned off the lights, and everything in Carys shut down.
She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but she woke sometime midmorning, saw Duncan sleeping beside her, and tucked herself into his side before she closed her eyes again.
His heavy arm wrapped around her, pulling her close, and his shirt smelled of wood with a slight hint of vanilla.
She closed her eyes and saw dancing lights before she walked toward the forest. The night folded around her, and it was warm and cold at the same time. Fog kissed her cheeks, and the smell of damp pine and eucalyptus filled her senses.
She was deep in the forest.
Birds watched from the trees as a doe lay on her side, her chest heaving and her legs kicking out as her mother laid her hand on the animal’s belly.
“Shhh.”
“Mama?”
“Wait, cariad. Shhh.” Tegan stroked the deer’s belly. “You can do this, my sister.”
Carys walked around the clearing, picking up sticks and tossing them in a small pile in the middle of the trees, but her eyes kept returning to her mother. “What is she doing?”
“She’s ready to have her baby, but she’s a little bit scared.” Tegan kept stroking the side of the deer. “She doesn’t know that she already knows how to do this.”
“If I don’t know how to do something, I ask you or Dad.” Carys jumped across the pile of sticks, then went to gather more. One of the birds flitted down and playfully flew around her head, making Carys laugh.
“I can’t tell her how to have her baby,” Tegan said. “Not with words.” Tegan stroked her hand down the doe’s side. “Come on, sister. You need to stand now.”
As if she understood every word, the deer flailed a little bit but managed to get to her feet. Her sides were still heaving, but Tegan stroked her hand down the deer’s neck.
“Good, good.” She whispered something in Welsh.
