{"id":1070,"date":"2012-02-15T00:00:45","date_gmt":"2012-02-15T05:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1070"},"modified":"2012-02-10T09:52:02","modified_gmt":"2012-02-10T14:52:02","slug":"autumn-chapter-3-marin-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1070","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 3 – Marin – 08"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He looked away, as if unable to meet my gaze.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I touched his shoulder gently, above the bandages that swathed the wound there.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho\u2019s hunting you, Phelan?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 And why?<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He kept staring off into space, voice so quiet I almost couldn\u2019t hear him over the normal evening sounds of camp.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRemember a few weeks ago, when I told you that my being here could have drawn the <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em> to you more quickly, that the attack could have come sooner?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah,\u201d I said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut you really didn\u2019t explain much more.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan shook his head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI should have, but I just didn\u2019t expect what happened the other night.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t think\u2026well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just didn\u2019t think.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He finally looked at me again and offered up a weak smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI somehow kept thinking that maybe with everything broken, maybe I could be wrong, maybe they\u2019d stop, maybe they\u2019d just find places to be and build their own little fiefdoms and leave everyone else well enough alone.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I was a fool.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re not making any sense,\u201d I said gently.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I put my hand against his forehead and he flinched away.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGods and monsters, your hands are <\/span>cold<\/span><\/em>,\u201d he murmured, shivering.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou have a hell of a fever,\u201d I countered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho was she?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Vammatar?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Another shiver wracked him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat am I, Marin?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I couldn\u2019t stop the little laugh that escaped me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMortal.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A weak smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe\u2019s the same.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Different Otherworld, same idea.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ve been locking horns for a long time.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shifted, fidgeted with his blanket, then sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHelp me sit up, will you?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve got the worst crick in my back.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably because she stabbed you with something there.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I sighed and helped him sit up slowly, since he\u2019d try even without my help.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He was as stubborn as Thom and then some.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan winced, hunching as he reached gingerly around to touch the second set of bandages.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI guess I shouldn\u2019t be surprised,\u201d he mumbled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThough I\u2019m surprised I didn\u2019t feel that one.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His eyes, clearer now that he\u2019d been awake a bit longer, flicked toward me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHave you seen what they look like?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot infected or anything, if that\u2019s what you\u2019re asking.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He nodded slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIn part, yeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Small favors, at least.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He touched his injured shoulder again, almost unconsciously.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGoing to have to be careful,\u201d he murmured, half to me and half to himself.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you think she\u2019ll come back?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked softly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He looked at me sidelong and shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou already know the answer to that.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow long do you think we have?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAfter what happened?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled humorlessly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe can hope for weeks, maybe months.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That wasn\u2019t all me, you know.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Something twisted in my belly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d suspected that there had been a little more going on that night than just Phelan\u2019s work, but I wasn\u2019t at all sure.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe light, the brightness.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That wasn\u2019t you, was it?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>No it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen who was it?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked the question a little more sharply than I intended to, staring at him intently.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He just shook his head.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI have my suspicions,\u201d he said quietly, \u201cbut I don\u2019t have facts in evidence.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He rubbed a hand roughly over his face and shivered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wrapped an extra blanket around his shoulders.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m going to go get someone,\u201d I said quietly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan shook his head again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, just sit a while.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just sit a while with me so I can get my bearings.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Five days, you said?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Gods and monsters.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTurning into Teague,\u201d he muttered, almost too quiet for me to hear.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat does he have to do with anything?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked curiously.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cousins, of course, with some kind of power as well, I know that much.\u00a0 <\/span>But how connected is all of this?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs he why you\u2019re being hunted?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan snorted softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf we\u2019re being hunted, it\u2019s equally likely to be my fault, or Aoife\u2019s fault, or anyone\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re finally telling her?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom stood behind me, leaning against his crutches as if his ribs weren\u2019t bothering him at all, which either meant he was ignoring them or that our three-man medical squad had found something more potent to take the edges off.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wait a second.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I twisted to stare at Thom, though not before I caught sight of Phelan\u2019s guilty look out of the corner of my eye. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I blurted, blinking.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom knew and didn\u2019t say anything?\u00a0 <\/span>Why?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe talked about a lot that day,\u201d Thom said softly, limping forward a few steps before he slowly sat down with me next to Phelan, stretching his bad leg out with a slight wince.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIncluding Kira, Teague, and some kind of war that\u2019s been going on since well before we were even the barest glimmer of a glimmer in someone\u2019s eye.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>So yeah, I kind of knew.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t know what to expect, though.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWait, wait,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSlow down.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A <\/span>war<\/span><\/em>?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ve suddenly been caught in the center of a war?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t call it a war,\u201d Phelan protested weakly, then stopped, frowned, and sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOkay, maybe I would.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But it\u2019s the kind of war that you\u2019d get caught up in no matter what, Marin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em> were an opening salvo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You were a target before I ever got here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His fingers tangled in the blanket across his legs, knuckles going white as he squeezed his hands into fists. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe escalation is likely to be my fault, though.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just didn\u2019t\u2014I didn\u2019t expect her to show up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Any of them to show up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not here, not when there\u2019s so much power here to protect you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut you said that this area would be some kind of insane prize for anyone wanting that kind of power,\u201d I reminded him softly, slowly starting to understand.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe came for that instead of you, didn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan stared at me for a moment, pain in his gaze.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, Marin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She came because of me\u2014and now she\u2019ll come back because of all of us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This is my fault, and I\u2019m not sure how I can make it right.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Lord, but I wish he\u2019d lied to me instead.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom wrapped his arm around my shoulders and shook his head grimly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>When the day comes, we\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A shiver wracked both Phelan and I.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan managed a weak smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen we\u2019ll drink to that, every day between now and that day, and pray with every spare moment in between.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I have faith in you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All of you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I was glad that someone did.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He looked away, as if unable to meet my gaze.\u00a0 I touched his shoulder gently, above the bandages that swathed the wound there.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s hunting you, Phelan?\u201d\u00a0 And why? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He kept staring off into space, voice so … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,35,41,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-3","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-hg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1071,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070\/revisions\/1071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}