{"id":1214,"date":"2012-05-04T00:00:10","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T04:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1214"},"modified":"2012-05-03T18:35:48","modified_gmt":"2012-05-03T22:35:48","slug":"autumn-chapter-9-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1214","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 9 – 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T., Thom, and I took the graveyard watch that night.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom and I were supposed to watch the world outside the tent while Jay kept the death-watch on Phelan.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019d been little change since they pulled him out of the river, just his breathing getting slightly stronger.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He lay shivering under blankets next to the fire, face pale as death itself and his eyes still sunken into shadowed hollows.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline and J.T. had tended and bound his wounds, but the work had taken them hours\u2014mostly in the cleaning, Jacqueline had confided at dinner.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In addition to the old but healing rent in his side and the wound in his shoulder from the knife Vammatar threw, there was a shallow gash across his belly where she\u2019d tried to get the better of him along with a dozen other shallow scrapes and cuts.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There were twin wounds on his hand, deeper than the rest; one was a slash across his palm and second across the inside of his fingers.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The wound went down to the bone, looking like he\u2019d grabbed a blade bare-handed and held it as tightly as he could.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe he had.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We couldn\u2019t know, and wouldn\u2019t until he woke up and could tell us.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The clouds had cleared, leaving us with a frigid, starlit night.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My breath steamed in the night air as I stood at the edge of the big tent, watching for signs of movement in the darkness.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019d been nothing so far.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The moon was high and cold in the sky; it was after midnight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was almost disconcertingly quiet.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I turned at the sound of footsteps.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. looked like a ghost in the starlight, his eyes tiny, glittering dots ringed by deep shadows.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shivered slightly as he came to stand alongside me, zipping his leather jacket all the way up to his chin.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow are you out here in just that sweatshirt?\u201d he muttered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s fucking freezing.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI haven\u2019t been camped out next to the fire for as long as you have,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel as cold to me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. shivered again, staring out into the night.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI thought you were staying with Phelan,\u201d I said after a few moments of silence.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom\u2019s sitting with him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I needed some air and to stretch my legs.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Been sitting for hours.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I reached up and ruffled his still-damp hair.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAt least you got to clean up a little.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019d done it twice; once after making it back to camp and then again after he and Jacqueline had finished with Phelan\u2014J.T. had been full of blood from their work on the gash across Phelan\u2019s abdomen, from their attempts to make sure it wasn\u2019t any deeper than they thought.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDidn\u2019t get a vote.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jac wasn\u2019t going to let me help if I wasn\u2019t clean.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He gave me a brief smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t blame her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>River still stinks to high heaven.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Felt like my skin wanted to crawl right off my bones.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shuddered at the thought.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That he and Matt had both jumped into the Grand after Phelan spoke volumes about Phelan\u2019s importance to us all.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I forced a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd Tala wasn\u2019t going to feed you until you got cleaned up.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. managed to smile back, tapping a fingertip against the side of his nose.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou got it.\u201d His eyes drifted to the sky and he stretched, going quiet again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I smothered a yawn and shoved my hands into the pocket of my hoodie.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou two don\u2019t actually have to stay up,\u201d J.T. said, watching me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m grateful for the company, but I can keep an eye on everything and unconscious lovely over there.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We both couldn\u2019t sleep if we tried, Jay.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I rubbed at my eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEven if we\u2019re both tired.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I managed to doze a little before the watch\u2014that sucked, by the way, because I kept getting little mini replays of today every time I closed my eyes\u2014but he was just laying there staring at the ceiling.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. grunted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMust be worried like the rest of us.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A mist was starting to roll in, the sudden dampness making my toes curl inside my shoes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. shivered again, eyes half-glazed in the moonlight.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re here,\u201d he whispered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I asked, heart sinking as the hair on the back of my neck started to rise.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Shit.\u00a0 <\/span>Shit and goddamn, what now?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I started to turn away, to head back into the tent and start raising alarm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T.\u2019s hand snapped out to stop me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d he said hoarsely.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWait.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just\u2014just wait.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJay?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe ghosts,\u201d he whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI haven\u2019t seen them since that day the <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em> attacked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not like this.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She said we were on our own.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She was right.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I went rigid, suddenly out of breath, as if someone had punched me in the stomach and knocked the wind out of me.<\/span>\u00a0 The voice.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was the voice I\u2019d heard on that September afternoon five years ago, the voice I\u2019d heard again the day the world ended.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I sucked in a ragged breath, feeling like someone was sitting on my chest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T.\u2019s fingers tightened painfully on my arm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Eyes glowed somewhere in the mist directly ahead of us, amber-bright in the darkness.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A crow cawed, the sound so loud in the strange silence it made me jump.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The voice became a purr.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Seer and Spiritweaver, Spiritweaver and Seer.\u00a0 <\/span>Those who can see me and hear my voice without trying bar my passage.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Fitting.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The other Seer is beyond, too, isn\u2019t he?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Guarding our wandering son against the things that come in the night.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>My heart thundered against my ribs, mouth dry as the dust of a Michigan August.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I whispered, almost too terrified to speak.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A tall, willowy woman stepped clear of the mists, the gray of her robes making her look almost like a ghost herself.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A narrow band of worked silver held thick, curling silver-white hair back from her face, her amber eyes burning like the streetlights had, once upon a time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My breath caught in my throat and I took an involuntary step back from her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She laughed silently, though her shoulders shook with the motions.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You already know.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I swallowed bile and pressed against J.T., who stood firm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou won\u2019t take him tonight,\u201d he said, his words half a growl, half a command.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No,<\/em><\/strong><\/span> she agreed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not this night.\u00a0 <\/span>His death was written for a day where the sun is high and the hawks call to each other above.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen why come?\u201d I found myself asking.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To bear warning to my kith and kin who can see beyond the pale\u2014to the three of you.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A hand touched my shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I looked back to see Thom standing behind me, his breathing shallow and eyes wide in a face devoid of all color.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Someday, you will pay a price,<\/em><\/strong><\/span> she promised.<\/span>\u00a0 It is not this day, nor is it the next, but there is a price that will be paid.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 <\/span>A smile touched her wine-red lips.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You are stronger than any I have encountered before.\u00a0 <\/span>That is a victory for you, however small.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You have bent, but you have not broken.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That will not always be the case, <\/span><\/em>mo milse\u00e1in.\u00a0 <\/span>I promise.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The crow called again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She turned away and walked into the mist.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Good luck.\u00a0 <\/span>You shall need it.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 J.T., Thom, and I took the graveyard watch that night.\u00a0 Thom and I were supposed to watch the world outside the tent while Jay kept the death-watch on Phelan. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019d been little change since they pulled him out … 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":[38,35,47,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-9-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-jA","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214","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=1214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1215,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1214\/revisions\/1215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}