Trials by Sean Ian O'Meidhir

Author:Sean Ian O'Meidhir [Braginsky, Sean Ian O’Meidhir and Connal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy
ISBN: 978-1-64405-628-8
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2019-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11—Theo

IT WAS the most violent nightmare yet. Robbie seemed to be fighting me, thrashing as he cried out in terror even as I tried to hold him. To comfort him. To chase away the demons that plagued his sleep. I was torn between insisting that we go home that next day and going forward with the plan to get through Thanksgiving dinner. I’m all about eating, but honestly I kinda didn’t want anything more to do with his family. Abi and Maggie included. They were fine enough and genuinely seemed to have Robbie’s best interests at heart. On the other hand, who knows? I didn’t know what kind of mind-magic shit they had hit him with that broke through the defenses I had prepared in his watch. And I didn’t know what to do about it, either. And being left helpless is not my style.

“Shhh, sugar,” I whispered, kissing his sweat-soaked forehead and tightening my grip around him, though I wondered if he was dreaming about being crushed constrictor-style.

He started to settle, whimpering sounds muffled against my chest. How the hell did I get to the point where I cared so much about this guy? He was such a different person away from San Diego. Funny, adventurous, inquisitive…. Here all of his defenses were either at the forefront or just under the surface, ready to fall into place at a moment’s notice. His smiles were tighter, more cautious. His demeanor was maddeningly deferential to Abi and Maggie and all the other snake bitches.

When his aunt had come after him, he had just looked at her. Resigned? Paralyzed? As if there was no fight. If Chris and I hadn’t intervened, I think he would have accepted anything she doled out, and I’m not sure what infuriated me more, his apparent supplication for death or his aunt’s abuse. And I thought my family dynamics were jacked.

The clock read just after five in the morning, and I realized I was now among the insane, as sleep was certainly not going to be making a return visit for me. Not with all the thoughts I had roiling around.

I mentally shifted into the Interface and dropped a few lines to my network, trying to get some information about why the watch hadn’t worked. Unsurprisingly, the best information I got was from Kat, who I pinged via private messenger.

Kat? You’re playing WoW…?

Yes. Why?

Without me?

I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this was a team sport.

That had me silently laughing.

Just took me by surprise.

What are you doing online? I thought you and Robbie would be sleeping at this hour. Wow! Is it already almost 5:00 a.m.? I have almost pulled an all-nighter! I haven’t done that for almost two decades.

Must enjoy the game. Hey, Kat, I’m putting out my feelers. The watch I made didn’t seem to work last night. They made Robbie go through some trial and stand up to his mom and aunt, and it didn’t go so well.

Oh my goodness! Did he get hurt?

You could just use OMG.

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