Upon his arrivaland knowing time was of the essence, Duncan had driven straight to see Tully without getting a hotel room first.
Now he went to the place he always used and checked in, dropping everything on the bed closest to the door before stepping into the shower.
He leaned against the tile and let the hot water sting his skin.
Such a simple, modern pleasure.
During his time in the wilderness he’d remained a wolf, rarely bathed, other than jumping into the river on hot days to cool off, or getting wet from rain.
And now here he was, still learning about the world.
Tonight, that meant learning there was apparently far more to it than he’d ever witnessed before or even dreamed possible.
I never mentioned Chelsea to her.
Either one of them. Heknewit. And he knew he hadn’t let it leak to Tully through their mental connection, either.
While perhaps Efa or Amstel might have mentioned Charlie and Chelsea, no one else knew about the old woman and her connection to him.
Duncan wasn’t one to waste time arguing about hypotheticals.
He also knew what he’d witnessed for himself through Tully’s gaze. It wasn’t an artifact from his own brain, something Tully could pluck from his dusty memories.
I wonder how much else there is, ancient knowledge, that I don’t evenknowthat I don’t know?
Duncan recalled that night so long ago. How he’d sought the old woman after Charlie and Badger thought he’d headed home.
The mysterious old woman who’d approached them in the pub and offered to read for them in exchange for coins. No doubt to immediately turn around and buy drink.
How Duncan knew Charlie and Badger had been ready to laugh and shoo her away, but there’d been…something about her.
And Duncan had dug out a couple of coins for her.
When she’d touched his hand, clasping it when he gave her the coins, he saw the truth.
The drinking was the only thing that quieted the voices in her mind.
Voices that were usually right.
And drinking was the only thing that helped her forget about her agonizing pain for a little while.
How after parting for the evening with Badger and Charlie, he’d double-backed to the pub and found her stumbling away from it, barely vertical.
“Yer gonna get yerself hurt,” Duncan said, gently taking her arm.
She squinted up at him. “Yer the man from earlier.”
“Aye. Which way we headin’?”
“I’m not gonna tup ye.”
“Not lookin’ for it. No offense intended, but I have a wife, thanks. Just want to help ye home. Doin’ a good deed for an honest broker.”
She stopped, wobbly on her feet. “Aye.” She poked him in the chest. “Only reason he’s still alive, the red-haired one, is that youngin’ beside him tonight. Hadn’t been for him makin’ him promise to carry on, becomin’ blood brothers, he’d be gone.”
Duncan fought back the chills. That wasn’t common knowledge.
In fact, it wasn’t knowledge anyone knew except the three of them. “What else do ye see?”
