{"id":1326,"date":"2012-07-30T00:00:42","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T04:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1326"},"modified":"2012-07-29T16:09:49","modified_gmt":"2012-07-29T20:09:49","slug":"winter-chapter-17-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1326","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 17 – 04"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan smiled a bleak, weary smile as he came into the glow of the fire\u2019s warmth and light.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomeone got it into his head far too long ago for me to remember properly to spin a tale about me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I count myself lucky in some ways that I didn\u2019t land in very many eddas and sagas\u2014at least not by name.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But Wanderer\u2026that one stuck.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His eyes focused on some faraway point that I couldn\u2019t see.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOften the solitary one \/ finds grace for himself \/ the mercy of the gods, \/ Although he, sorry-hearted, \/ must for a long time \/ row alone \/ along the waterways, the ice-cold sea, \/ tread the paths of exile.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom squeezed my knee and cleared his throat.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou always made it sound like your exile was self-imposed.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt was, to a degree,\u201d Phelan said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy uncle might have exiled me had he the chance, but he was dead before he could take any action.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The hunting accident that wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He knuckled his eyes and sighed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHis son and I buried him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Teague and I.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My lord buried deep, and I left.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wandered alone, often too late to save anything important to me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe woman in J.T.\u2019s dream,\u201d I said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan winced.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAye.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I winced with him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Another thing he views as a failure.\u00a0 <\/span>I shouldn\u2019t have said anything.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Daniel cocked his head to one side, studying Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe spoke so well of you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I think she cared a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe did, though it was never love,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI sometimes wish it was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps things would be different if it had been.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My hands tightened around my mug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019d talked about love before, though not often.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He envied his cousin, his best friend\u2014that much was clear.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I leaned against Thom and let him slide his arm around my shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 Poor Phelan.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf you could have gone back, why didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy stay out in the world and be alone?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomeone had to,\u201d Phelan said simply, shrugging slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow could we abandon our isle, the people we knew, that had been our allies?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That was part of why my uncle and I went rounds.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t see how we could just walk away and leave them to their own devices.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His eyes roamed, falling on the kettle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He heaved himself upright and got himself a mug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI was the logical choice to wander.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Teague had to do\u2026what he had to do\u2026and we were always protective of our sisters.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Something about the words struck me and I saw a flash of the girl and the man from my dream, leaving my head ringing like a bell in its wake.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s who it was.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I looked at Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDragon.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Have you ever heard of someone called Dragon?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He froze in the middle of reaching for the teapot.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDragon,\u201d I repeated.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Now everyone was looking at me strangely.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t care.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s who I saw.\u00a0 <\/span>Dragon is his name, even if I don\u2019t know who <\/span><\/em>she<\/span> was\u2014but I\u2019m willing to bet if it wasn\u2019t Phelan\u2019s sister, then it was Teague\u2019s.\u00a0 <\/span>One of them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That must be it.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I was going on gut instinct and intuition, but often those were all I had when it came to these visions.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you know someone called Dragon?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot in two hundred generations and more,\u201d Phelan said, nerves betrayed by the slight tremor in his hand as he wrapped it around the teapot\u2019s handle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I looked at Thom.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He frowned.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe dream from this morning?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI realized why the man was familiar.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I saw him in another vision.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You and I were talking about someone named Dragon in that one, but I\u2019ve seen him in others.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019ll come here, and we\u2019ll welcome him, ask him to share our fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s an ally\u2014or will be, someday.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Someday, though I can\u2019t tell how far in the future that\u2019ll be.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>My hand drifted unconsciously toward my belly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It would be sometime after we conceived our first child\u2014but when would that be?<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom gave me a strange look even as he squeezed me tighter against his side.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDragon,\u201d Phelan said, then shook his head slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said softly, then shuddered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I bit my lip.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Why is he lying about it?\u00a0 <\/span>What does he know about this Dragon person?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI think he was with one of you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan just stared at me and I blew out a breath.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t your sister or your cousin\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He swallowed hard.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can\u2019t be sure which it would be,\u201d he said after a few long moments of silence.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI suppose we\u2019ll be finding out, won\u2019t we?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen you <\/span>have<\/span><\/em> heard of someone by that name,\u201d Thom said, his tone faintly accusing.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan winced again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust in the way that Teague talked about someone by that name joining us someday.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Nothing solid.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2026I\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He blew out a frustrated breath and shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe didn\u2019t anyone everything.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not Kira.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not his sister or Aoife.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not even me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Always with secrets.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI just have to keep hoping that those secrets aren\u2019t going to get us killed someday.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Whatever he knew, whatever he saw\u2026I just have to hope that whatever you two can see will give us enough warning to act in the years to come.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That sent shivers up and down my spine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I felt Thom swallow.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s not comforting.\u00a0 <\/span>Not at all.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI guess we\u2019ll just have to hope.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phelan smiled a bleak, weary smile as he came into the glow of the fire\u2019s warmth and light.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone got it into his head far too long ago for me to remember properly to spin a tale … 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":[35,56,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-17","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-lo","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326","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=1326"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1328,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1326\/revisions\/1328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}