{"id":1240,"date":"2012-05-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-28T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1240"},"modified":"2012-05-28T01:27:48","modified_gmt":"2012-05-28T05:27:48","slug":"autumn-chapter-12-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1240","title":{"rendered":"Autumn – Chapter 12 – 03"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He bowed his head, eyes sliding shut and fingers loosening their grip on mine.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBlood takes care of blood,\u201d he whispered again.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The pain in his voice was almost unbearable.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He belongs to us.\u00a0 <\/span>We belong to him.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d I said in a choked whisper.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I was beginning to, though.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just didn\u2019t <\/span>want<\/span><\/em> to.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan laughed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was a quiet, almost bitter sound.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes you do,\u201d he said as he shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou have all the pieces, you just don\u2019t want to put them together.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re trying to tell me that we\u2019re\u2014that all of us are\u2014\u201c<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I shut my mouth, unable to say the words.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019re all from the same blood and bone back through the centuries.\u00a0 <\/span>We share common ancestry, and it\u2019s ancestry that we share with <\/span><\/em>you<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s why the Shadow Man showed up before you came,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot because of the nexi or the power or the lines.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was because of us.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan didn\u2019t have to say anything for me to know it was true.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I sat back against my heels, shaking my head slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cUnbelievable.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs it?\u201d he murmured.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs it really?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Why didn\u2019t you say something?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow could I?\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>He shook his head again, brows knit, eyes tired.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His shoulders slumped as he leaned back again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat words could I have used to make everything all right, to make it not sound crazy and terrifying and utterly disturbing?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What could I have said?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tell me you don\u2019t suddenly feel strangely awkward knowing that you and your future husband come from the same Otherworldly bloodline, that you and almost everyone else here can be traced back to one line or another.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>One line or another.\u00a0 <\/span>Where do they cross?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re you\u2019re family.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He closed his eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tears glittered amidst copper lashes, sparkling in the light.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d he said hoarsely.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd I would die to protect you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Any one of you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All of you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I reached out and squeezed his uninjured shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat did this cost you, Phelan?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wasn\u2019t sure what I was asking about\u2014coming to us, surviving whatever he\u2019d done to Vammatar, all of it.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>One diamond tear trickled down his cheek as he opened his eyes and stared at me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNothing I wasn\u2019t willing to give up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked away, staring beyond the shelter of the tent, watching the work going on within the camp for a few long seconds.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can\u2019t go back to the T\u00edr, that\u2019s all.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not that I ever wanted to, but you asked and that\u2019s what I gave up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A fleeting, rueful smile touched his lips.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI had thousands of years by your reckoning to find someone.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Immortality, agelessness\u2014that\u2019s a small price to pay for people who love you, people you love in return.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Eyes stinging, I pulled him into a tight hug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He stroked my hair lightly and sighed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t cry, <\/span>leann\u00e1n<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Nothing\u2019s changed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Everything\u2019s the way it was before.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His arm tightened for a moment and then he let me go, gently pushing me back so he could hold me at arms\u2019 length.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou have every ounce of her strength,\u201d he murmured, \u201cand more than her share of compassion.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBrighid,\u201d I whispered, lending the name the unconscious lilt I\u2019d heard in J.T.\u2019s voice when he said it.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A puzzled expression flickered across his features before he smiled faintly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAye.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA legend.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Pour the tea.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll tell you the story if you want.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d almost forgotten the kettle on the fire, but apparently he hadn\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I got up and brewed a pot of tea, then poured two mugs of it before I sat down with him again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He smiled as he accepted one of the mugs, then raked his hand through sweat-damp hair, leaving it standing in unruly spikes.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBrighid in\u00edon D\u00fabhshl\u00e1ine was the chieftain of the Imbolg after her father passed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her brother Ciar was a druid-born, like Angie, though I imagine her life will be much less tragic.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The Imbolg\u2014her clan\u2014was reluctant to accept a woman as heir apparent to her father, but she proved herself in a great hunt when she was just fifteen.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Before he died, D\u00fabhshl\u00e1ine also made arrangements for her to marry the chieftain of another clan, and that put all murmurs of discontent to rest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He died a year after the great hunt and his daughter took his place as leader of the Imbolg.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe was without a doubt the greatest hunter and warrior I have ever known.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled wistfully.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd I don\u2019t say that because of the legends that made her into a goddess, I say it because it was true.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There was so much of her life that I only knew of through stories\u2014like how she reclaimed her brother after he was kidnapped so far south that her tribe feared that she would fall off the edge of the world seeking him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She made herself a legend and a hero from Egypt to the Caribbean to Ireland and back again.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan looked at me sidelong, smirking at my aghast expression as I struggled to process how someone back in the time he was talking about would have had any occasion to show up in the Carribbean.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s best not to ask, <\/span>leann\u00e1n<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s sufficient to say that you remind me of her greatly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You have her fire and her stubbornness and her dedication and that\u2014someday, Marin <\/span>leann\u00e1n<\/span><\/em>, that will make you a hero as great as Brighid <\/span><\/em>was, if the fates allow it to be so.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat happened to her?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I managed to ask.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAfter the battle when you slew\u2026whoever you slew.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThom told you, then?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not surprised.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He stretched a little and stared at the tent\u2019s ceiling.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe married her intended, Finn, and they had children\u2014many children.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>E\u00edre <\/span><\/em>was their first, though they adopted her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She washed up on the seacoast and they found her while they were out hunting. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The child had no one else and they took her in.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd she birthed a nation.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSometimes I think you\u2019re just making all of this up, you know.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOf course,\u201d he said, smiling now.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd then what?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I sighed, smiling lopsidedly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen I realize that it\u2019s just crazy enough to be true.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s my girl.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan patted my knee.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomeday, you\u2019ll know all my stories.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I imagine that your son will cut his teeth on them and more.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My stomach flip-flopped.<\/span>\u00a0 That\u2019s the second time he\u2019s mentioned something along those lines.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen it\u2019s\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSet in stone?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan asked softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOh, yes, <\/span>leann\u00e1n<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Fate doesn\u2019t take chances with some things.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Some things are simply meant to be.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He bowed his head, eyes sliding shut and fingers loosening their grip on mine. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBlood takes care of blood,\u201d he whispered again. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The pain in his voice was almost unbearable. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He belongs to us.\u00a0 We belong … 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":[38,35,50,14,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autumn","category-book-2","category-chapter-12-book-2","category-story","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-k0","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1240","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=1240"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1246,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1240\/revisions\/1246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}