{"id":1104,"date":"2012-02-29T00:00:25","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2012-02-28T09:20:44","modified_gmt":"2012-02-28T14:20:44","slug":"autumn-chapter-four-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1104","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter Four – 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou know,\u201d Matt said as he plunged the shovel into the clay-laden dirt, \u201cthis would be a lot easier and a lot faster if you two could actually <\/span>help<\/span><\/em> with this part instead of just watching.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJacqueline said she would string me up by my toenails if I ripped my stitches,\u201d Phelan said, sitting cross-legged in the grass nearby, carving knife in one hand and his staff across his knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI thought Rory was going to help you dig.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt nodded toward Thom.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s got him coordinating the wall building instead.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI actually have him keeping an eye on Leah,\u201d Thom murmured, leaning against his crutches and letting the autumn sunshine warm his back.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe didn\u2019t wake up to all of that stuff last night, so she\u2019s not going to pay much attention if he\u2019s the one watching her instead of say, J.T. or Jac or I.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His nose wrinkled slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBesides, we can trust Rory not to pull any punches if he sees something strange going on.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt paused, frowning.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs it that serious?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah,\u201d Thom muttered, glancing at Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s that serious.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan rubbed his neck and grimaced.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t understand it,\u201d he said after a few minutes of silence between the three men, punctuated only by Matt\u2019s shoveling and his carving.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat don\u2019t you understand, Phelan?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt flipped another shovelful of dirt off to the side of the space they\u2019d gridded o<\/span>ut for the forge.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan kept frowning, eyes distant as his hands fell still against his staff.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u201cThe camazotzi<\/em> attacked you guys before I made it here. Whoever disrupted the wards then was probably being influenced by them or by the Shadow Man you guys have told me about. Now, I\u2019m not sure what or who that critter might be and I probably won\u2019t figure it out until the eleventh hour if I do figure it out. Anyhow, nothing happens around here until Vammatar shows her ugly mug and then all of a sudden Leah is potentially trying to kill me and make it look like an accident.\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>Thom frowned. \u201cWhich part doesn\u2019t make sense?\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, for one, Vammatar isn\u2019t the type that shares well and I\u2019m really not sure who she cold\u2019ve formed some kind of unholy alliance with.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>On top of that, she probably wouldn\u2019t have shown up here so fast if I hadn\u2019t been here– and gods and monsters, do not tell Marin that I said that because I think we\u2019ll all end up in trouble.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Whoever his Shadow Man is seems to have claimed the area as his demesne and I don\u2019t really foresee him being the sharing type, either.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>So what the hell is going on here?\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt frowned.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u201cWhen you put it that way…\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt sounds even worse,\u201d Thom muttered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked around slowly, half expecting Vammatar or the Shadow Man to appear out of thin air somewhere nearby thanks to their conversation.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t like this.\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t think any of us do, Thom,\u201d Matt said.
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan grimaced and went back to his carving.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe just have to be vigilant.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Keep our heads on straight.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs that all?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd watch and wait,\u201d Phelan said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe have to be sure before we move.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom shook his head slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd keep her from figuring out we\u2019re onto her, if it <\/span>is<\/span><\/em> her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Was her.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt stared at Thom.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd if it is?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom\u2019s expression went slack.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know, Matt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But we\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get there.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not just up to me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot yet,\u201d Phelan murmured, then ducked his head at Thom\u2019s sharp look.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s that supposed to mean?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan lifted his head and looked at both of them, gaze long and measuring.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It made Thom shiver, the way he felt like Phelan was looking into his very soul.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat did it sound like it meant?\u201d he asked quietly, laying his staff across his knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou tell me, Thom.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom swallowed hard, tasting blood where he\u2019d bitten his tongue in surprise.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLike you know more than you\u2019re telling.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled briefly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be the first time I\u2019d been accused of that, or the first time that someone\u2019s been right.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In case you didn\u2019t notice, there\u2019s a bloodline trait that we share.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWait, wait.<\/span>\u00a0 Bloodline<\/em><\/span> trait?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt grounded his shovel and leaned against the shaft, looking between Thom and Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat do you mean, bloodline trait?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan looked at Thom, who just shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Might as well tell him.\u00a0 <\/span>They both deserve to know, he and Mar both.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan nodded slightly, as if he\u2019d heard Thom\u2019s thoughts, then spoke quietly to Matt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom\u2019s descended from my blood.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Specifically from a girl whose husband died.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She wanted a child more than anything, and more importantly, needed the child so her husband\u2019s property wouldn\u2019t end up going to some cousin of his\u2014a real piece of work, that one.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The cousin, I mean.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI happened to be living in the village at the time and\u2026well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Don\u2019t think that I\u2019m wicked or awful, but I couldn\u2019t say no to her when she asked me to play stud for her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was close enough to her husband\u2019s death, and her hair was like mine, so no one thought anything of it when she had her son.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The boy ended up with his father\u2019s holding, the girl had a child to love, and everything ended happily enough.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shrugged helplessly, flinching a little under Matt\u2019s aghast stare.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou knew that?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt asked, looking at Thom.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt came up,\u201d Thom said carefully.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe talked about <\/span>a lot<\/span><\/em> that day, Matt.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cApparently,\u201d Matt said dryly. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHave you told Mar yet?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot yet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But I think you\u2019ll agree with me when I say it\u2019s not all that important to current circumstances.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>After a long silence, Matt nodded slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot yet, anyway.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not <\/span>yet<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou know,\u201d Matt said as he plunged the shovel into the clay-laden dirt, \u201cthis would be a lot easier and a lot faster if you two could actually help with this part instead of just watching.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cJacqueline said … 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":[38,35,42,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-4-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-hO","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104","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=1104"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1108,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions\/1108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}