{"id":1155,"date":"2012-04-02T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-02T04:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1155"},"modified":"2012-04-01T10:07:18","modified_gmt":"2012-04-01T14:07:18","slug":"autumn-chapter-6-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1155","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 6 – 09"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019d better get everyone over here for a few minutes, then,\u201d Thom said, then limped toward Matt, who was still working with Tala a few feet away.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan nodded as he splashed a few drops of water into the mortar and pestle, followed by a few holly leaves and berries.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His gaze lifted to Jacqueline, who watched him with a sort of shocked fascination, as if she couldn\u2019t believe what he\u2019d just said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cKneel down, <\/span>aingel<\/span><\/em>, and give me a hand here.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat are we <\/span>doing<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline asked as she dropped to her knees in front of him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan nodded to the holly he was grinding.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cD\u2019you remember what it felt like when you healed Kellin?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline looked vaguely uncomfortable but nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMostly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But holly isn\u2019t a person and I\u2019m not desperate.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He chuckled softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSame principle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Pay attention, now, and try to follow what I\u2019m doing, hm?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Seems like he\u2019s found himself an apprentice.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I turned away and joined Thom, Matt, and Tala.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The cluster was growing.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jack had appeared from somewhere, looking more than a little nervous about the prospect of another fight with something supernatural.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He stared at me for a moment and swallowed hard.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shot him a reassuring smile and then looked at Matt, who crouched at the center of the circle with a sharp twig, a vague sketch of the settlement in front of him in the dirt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He marked out Thom\u2019s proposed three lines of defense quickly as Kellin, J.T., and some of the others crowded behind Tala, Thom, Carolyn, and I.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTwo lines and a central fallback point here by the fire,\u201d Matt said, glancing up over his shoulder at Thom.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRight?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sounds like they\u2019ll be coming up from the ravines and not across open ground, which means we can arrange ourselves in a wedge instead of actual rings.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWill we be able to react in time if you\u2019re wrong about that?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jack asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf they come at us from the wall sides?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ll just have to hope that the walls slow them down enough that we\u2019ve got time for that,\u201d Carolyn said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re good, strong walls.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019ll take some effort to get over or through.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There were still spots where the walls weren\u2019t as high as we wanted, and there was a ten-foot opening where we planned for a gate someday.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShould we post someone in the gap?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory asked, crossing his arms and frowning down at Matt\u2019s dirt-sketch.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust in case?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin glanced at me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDavon, do you think?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe need someone sensitive in that gap,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDavon hasn\u2019t shown any sign of being able to see anything.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt comes and goes,\u201d Jacqueline piped up from what she was doing.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan made a displeased sound and her attention snapped back to their work.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin shrugged a little. \u201cGuess it\u2019ll be me, then.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll do it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Part of me was relieved she\u2019d volunteered for that duty.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>While her depression had eased, I was still a little concerned about the prospect of her being in the thick of a fight.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you sure, Kel?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin considered the question for a moment before she nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m sure.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s probably the best place for me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I can see them coming and sound the alarm if I\u2019ve got to.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, that means we just need people to watch the pathways coming up from behind that,\u201d Thom gestured to the ruin of Robinson Hall, \u201cand then the rest of the ring to the south.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A sound echoed off the ruins, off the trees, a cry mixed with a howl.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Everyone went silent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The hairs on the back of my neck and on my arms stood up on end and a shiver shot down my spine.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re coming,\u201d Carolyn whispered, eyes focused somewhere far away.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s the Greys.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re coming.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My hand covered the mark on my arm.<\/span>\u00a0 There are more of them than there are <\/em><\/span>camazotzi<\/span>, but how many?\u00a0 <\/span>How can we stand against them?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough people,\u201d I murmured.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom touched my shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut we\u2019ve got those wards.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Those have to do us some good, right?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWith any luck, they\u2019ll do more than a little good.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan twisted around and looked up at us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAt least with the initial wave.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Or waves.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He got to his feet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut we don\u2019t have much time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let me see those swords.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All of them, unsheathed, quick now.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He got some strange looks, but after a moment the sound of blades scraping out of sheathes filled the air.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline pressed a staff into my hand and smiled bravely before she turned away and scooped up a small bowl filled with a mixture of water and pulped holly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her eyes slid closed as she took up position alongside Phelan, her lips moving in silent prayer over the tiny bowl.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My heart skipped a beat.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan began to sing as he dipped his fingers into the mixture, a liquid tumble of Gaelic sounds, rising and falling like the wind before a storm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I swore that tattoo on the back of his neck began to glow as he swiped two fingers along the flat Matt\u2019s blade first.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My throat thickened.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Power rose within the circle like high tide.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt\u2019s eyes widened and his breath caught. He stared at Phelan, his hands shaking a little around the weapon\u2019s hilt.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled and moved on to the next blade, and the next, and the next.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Another cry echoed through the ravines as he finished with the blades and moved on to my staff, his, Jacqueline\u2019s and Rory\u2019s.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He gave me a tight smile.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEverything will be okay,\u201d I whispered, putting a hand gently on his arm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI hope you\u2019re right,\u201d he whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe gremlins coming means that <\/span>she<\/span><\/em> won.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d better get everyone over here for a few minutes, then,\u201d Thom said, then limped toward Matt, who was still working with Tala a few feet away. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phelan nodded as he splashed a few drops of water into … 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":[38,35,44,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-6-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-iD","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155","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=1155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1156,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155\/revisions\/1156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}