on. He suggested that it was not worth their finding lodgings for such a short stint. The more deaths to come from a disaster meant more work for the Portents. The worst disasters could take them a month to tie up and with those longer ones, Portents found it necessary to take lodgings to assist in their assimilation with the mortals. This made it easier to gather the names. Eventually, the Portents broke away from each other to begin searching for their first name to gather. The Portents would return to the site the next day and so on until the very last name was gathered and the disaster was to fall. They were eternal witnesses to human tragedy.
At the exact hour of when the disaster would fall for exactly eleven minutes, the Portents would gather together for all the days leading up to it. They would stand in a silent vigil each day until the disaster was to fall. By the time the disaster occurred, their vigil lasted as long as it took to affix the names to the threads from the web. Often, they stayed a little longer out of respect. The Portents could already feel the impact that the impending disaster was to make as to them, the wound had already begun. Each day that they gathered, they could feel it. This is why they were always solemn as they silently stood watch.
As Meraud turned from the group to leave, she felt a pressure on her arm. She looked up and straight into Fearghas' eyes. The two were standing apart from the rest and were unlikely to be overheard.
"Meraud, I'm sorry for being abrupt with you before. I know the little boy in the train got under your skin. He got under mine too. The things that we have to see when we perform our duties are very difficult. If you ever need to speak to anyone about it, please, I would be honoured if you would come to me."
Meraud studied his face for some hint of irony but he was serious. She slowly gave in to a smile and said simply, "Thank you Fear." The physical contact made her feel awkward and self-conscious. His close proximity forced her to examine his attractive features. He then gave her arm another squeeze before letting her go. For some reason, Meraud wished that he did not let her go but as he had, she felt compelled by him to leave.
"Be kind to yourself." He said by way of parting.
Fearghas stood for a while in contemplation after Meraud disappeared. He had seen her face when she came to realise that the boy was to die and the look of horror reminded him of himself, when he was younger; before he had steeled himself against the plight of the mortals, their loves, their hate, their tragedies and their pain. He knew that Meraud had begun the path to losing her natural optimism from that moment. All of the Portents became jaded. It annoyed him more than his own right of passage, as devastating as that had been to him. He wished that it need not be so but immortal or
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
