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Some small echo stirred in his mind, a soft voice far back in the shadows of his memory

"what I was born does not matter, only what I will make of myself, only what I will becone? Locke? One of the bloody Enlightenment lads, them and their notions of destiny and the individual? He’d like to see what they had to say about ti! Then he remembered where he’d read it, and the rimoire of the witch, Geillis It is a witch’s name, and I take it for my ohat I was born does not matter, only what I will ht!" he said aloud, defiant "Right, and you couldn’t change things either, could you, Grandma?"

A sound came from the forest behind hinized it; it wasn’t laughter, as he’d thought at first--only a panther’s distant cry

She had, though, he thought suddenly True, she’d not ood nus And now he came to think on the uaranteed to change things; they’d borne children, to h--and when he thought of the effect those two births had had on his own life, let alone anything else

That had to change things, didn’t it? He sat down slowly on a fallen log, feeling the bark cold and damp under him Yes, it did To name one minor effect, his own bloody existence was the result of Geilie Duncan’s taking charge of her destiny If Geilie hadn’t borne a child to Dougal MacKenzieof course, she hadn’t chosen to do that

Did intention h? Or was that exactly the point he’d been arguing with Ja into the shadows Fraser was lying down, a huhtly, but his feet crunched on the needles Fraser didn’t twitch His eyes were closed The blotchiness had spread to his face Roger thought his features had a thick, congested look, lips and eyelids slightly swollen In the wavering light, it was ier knelt and shook him, hard

"Hey! Are ye still alive?" He’d ly, but the fear in his voice was apparent to his own ears

Fraser didn’t move Then one eye cracked open

"Aye," he ain He wiped Jamie’s face with a wet cloth, offered more whisky--which was refused--then sat beside the recuainst his will, he found hi from one unwelcoainst his will, he thought it possible; he had seen several people die who didn’t look nearly as bad as Fraser did just now

If the worst should happen, and the others not have returned, he would have to bury Jamie He could neither carry the body nor leave it exposed; not with panthers or other anis Rocks, trees, brush--everything looked alien, the shapes half-e in the flickering glow, the windbeast

There, ed in the darkness, leaning at an angle He could scrape a shallow trench, perhaps, then lever the tree and let it fall to cover the teainst his knees

"No!" he whispered "Please, no!"

The thought of telling Bree, telling Claire, was a physical pain, stabbing him in chest and throat It wasn’t only theus and Marsali, Lizzie and her father, the Bugs, the Lindsays, the other fae? They all looked to Fraser for confidence and direction; ould they do without hier laid a hand on his shoulder, and he stilled

Don’t go, he thought, the unspoken words balled tight in his throat Stay with us Stay withon Fraser’s shoulder He had the absurd thought that he was so him anchored to the earth If he held on ’til the sunrise, all would be well; if he lifted his hand, that would be the end

The fire was burning lo, but he put off fro to let go

"MacKenzie?" It was no more than a murmur, but he bent at once

"Aye, I’ for the cup even as he spoke, spilling water in his anxiety Fraser took ts, then waved the cup aith a twitch of his hand

"I dinna ken yet if ye’re right or you’re wrong," Fraser said His voice was soft and hoarse, but distinct "But if you’re wrong, wee Roger, and I’s I must say to ye I dinna want to leave it too late"

"I’ what else to say

Fraser closed his eyes, gathering strength, then brought his hands beneath hirimaced, and took a moment to catch his breath