{"id":1383,"date":"2012-08-27T00:00:11","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T04:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2012-08-26T12:00:07","modified_gmt":"2012-08-26T16:00:07","slug":"winter-chapter-19-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1383","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 19 – 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron jerked awake with a gasp, pain stabbing through his guts from one side of his body and through his belly and lower chest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He peered up through tears and his lashes at Neve, who bent over him, pale, her face streaked with tears.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>His jaw worked for a moment before he managed to speak.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She swallowed hard, meeting his gaze.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tears welled up in her eyes and she leaned down to hug him, her hands bloody from tending him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCam.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He went quiet, slowly reaching up and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His collarbone hurt, his back hurt, his side hurt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t even remember something hitting me in the side.\u00a0 <\/span>When did that happen?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>He drew a shaky breath, comforted by the smell of Neve\u2019s hair.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey weren\u2019t what we thought.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI know,\u201d Neve said, giving him a gentle squeeze before letting go and setting to work again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHold still, I need to finish.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow bad?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDeep enough for muscle but not anything else.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was a short knife.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA <\/span>knife<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What got a knife into me?\u00a0 <\/span>None of those creatures\u2014<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The one that caught the sword?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The one with a maybe-human face?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you sure it was a knife?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She held it up where he could see it, a small, dark knife with a short blue-steel blade and an ebony hilt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron shivered, then winced.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat was still in me?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIn the snow next to you,\u201d she said, leaning back down to resume stitching him up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her bad leg was stretched out at an angle that looked uncomfortable, her face locked into a grimace.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She shook her head, a few swift stitches completing her work.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t have anything to be sorry for, Cam.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You saved our lives.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He craned his neck to watch as she knotted the threads.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The fire cast a flickering glow on her face, making the tears that still lingered on her cheeks sparkle in the dim.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid they get close to you?\u201d he asked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Did I fail?\u00a0 <\/span>Did they hurt you?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She shook her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou kept them tied up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Two of the kills are really yours.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I got one and feathered the one that stabbed you and ran.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She crawled over to a bucket and cleaned her hands in what must have been meltwater from snow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There was no way she\u2019d have gotten as far as the creek, especially in the storm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And a storm it had truly become.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron could hear the wind howling hungrily outside the lean-to.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He rolled onto his side, trying to figure out how to sit up.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0 Have to check the horses.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t, Cam,\u201d Neve said, crawling back to him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust stay right where you are for a few minutes more.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He considered protesting and discarded the idea, nodding and staying where he was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He curled one arm under his head and lay on his side until she came back with a cold, wet rag and started to clean his side around where he\u2019d been stabbed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat were they?\u201d he asked as she washed away the drying and fresh blood, his flesh prickling with the water\u2019s chill.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you have any idea?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve never seen creatures like that before,\u201d Neve said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut the last one…maybe.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But I\u2019m not sure why he\u2019d be here unless it was only to make trouble\u2014trouble he\u2019s either borrowing or trouble with some kind of hidden agenda.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho,\u201d she corrected gently, her lips thin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She wiped her hands on the rag and then reached for a roll of linen bandages from the kit Kira had assembled for them before they\u2019d left all those weeks ago.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou can sit up now.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He pushed himself up gingerly, wincing slightly as the flesh across his shoulders protested and his collarbone twinged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAll right, who, then?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She started to wind the bandages around him to protect her work on the wound, shaking her head slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnother one like Teague and I and our cousins, but I can\u2019t be sure if it\u2019s who I thought it was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s no reason for him to be interested in any of us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her lips thinned again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cUnless one of us did something to piss him off.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou still haven\u2019t told me who,\u201d Cameron said, lowering his arm as she secured the bandages.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t get a good look,\u201d Neve said, \u201cbut it could have been Cariocecus.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sounds Roman.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDoesn\u2019t ring any bells.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t see why it would,\u201d Neve said, smiling wryly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the ones that\u2019s mostly forgotten, from one of the pantheons that\u2019s mostly forgotten.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her fingers laced through his.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut I don\u2019t know why he\u2019d be interested in us.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her gaze met his.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t think he\u2019s interested in you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You think he\u2019s interested in me,\u201d Cameron said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He wasn\u2019t sure how he knew\u2014perhaps it was something in her eyes.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Neve bit her lip and leaned into his chest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, ignoring momentary flashes of pain.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know why,\u201d she whispered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ll figure it out,\u201d he said, resting his chin against her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOne way or another.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>And if he wants to hurt either one of us, we\u2019ll be ready for it.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019ll be surprised by what he gets.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Next time\u2014if there is a next time\u2014I\u2019ll be ready.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And he won\u2019t like what he faces then.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not at all.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cameron jerked awake with a gasp, pain stabbing through his guts from one side of his body and through his belly and lower chest.\u00a0 He peered up through tears and his lashes at Neve, who bent over him, pale, … 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":[35,58,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-19","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-mj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383","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=1383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1384,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1383\/revisions\/1384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}