{"id":1407,"date":"2012-09-07T00:00:58","date_gmt":"2012-09-07T04:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2012-09-06T20:24:57","modified_gmt":"2012-09-07T00:24:57","slug":"winter-chapter-20-05","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1407","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 20 – 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>If it hadn\u2019t been so cold that day, the bodies might have started to smell already.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I tried not to look at their faces\u2014at the faces of the dead, of the men we\u2019d killed to defend ourselves.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is it going to get easier someday?<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I hoped it didn\u2019t, not really.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Killing should never be easy.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt slid his arm around my shoulders as we watched Rory make a slow circuit of the pile once, then again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My brother shifted his weight and winced slightly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d I asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA little sore.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Got peppered during the fight.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBy <\/span>what<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shot me a weak smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEdge of some birdshot from one of their rear rifles.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid you bleed?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>One shoulder hitched in a slight shrug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen it\u2019s not nothing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I shrugged his arm off and turned to look at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhere did it get you?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He gestured to his left side, the side opposite the one he\u2019d tucked me against.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not <\/span>serious<\/span><\/em>,\u201d he told me, nodding toward Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPhelan looked at it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s seen it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tell her.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan turned toward me from where he stood several paces away, between us and the pile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMatt, don\u2019t lie to your sister.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTraitor,\u201d Matt muttered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan only laughed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I glared at them both.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSpill.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How bad is it?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wasn\u2019t quite sure which one I was asking.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan answered.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019ll probably heal without someone looking at it, but I told him that either he was going to have Jac look at it or I was going to take tweezers to it myself.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head a little.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019d just be worried that there\u2019s little bits of shot that we can\u2019t quite see.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It can get a little dark up at the forge when the sun\u2019s at the wrong angle.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAfter this is over, you\u2019re going to go see Jac,\u201d I said to Matt, my tone firm, brooking no argument.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He made a face, then nodded with a sigh.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFine.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I looked back toward Rory, who was studying the pile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>After another moment, he turned to look at us.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI think I\u2019m ready,\u201d he said, his voice only a little shaky.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>If he wants to back out, I\u2019ll let him.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d rather have him be ready, be sure this is something he wants to do rather than force him into it just because he offered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/em>\u201cAre you sure about this?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You don\u2019t have to do it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We can find another way.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I want to know if I can do this.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd what it\u2019ll do to me when I do.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shot me a crooked smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWish me luck.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLuck,\u201d I murmured, then crossed my arms tightly across my chest.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory stepped forward, closer to the pile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He lifted his hands slowly, fingers splaying as he aimed them at the pile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The air around him warmed instantly, enough that I could feel it even from a few feet away, and the hum of energy around him set my hair on end.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cChrist,\u201d Matt muttered next to me, his eyes widening.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can feel that.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My hand found his, our fingers knitting together.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWait a second and you\u2019ll see it, too,\u201d I said softly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The first spark was weak, ember-red and fell a bit shy of the pile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It landed on what was left of the asphalt of the parking lot and died there with the faint smell of burning rubber and brimstone.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory\u2019s muscles bunched\u2014his jaw, his shoulders, everything knotting\u2014and then the fire began to flow like water from his hands.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Blue-white with hints of gold and red, it spilled from his hands like a waterfall, spattering against the ground before he gained more control.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He raised his hands slightly and the fire spattered toward the pile of bodies, finally resolving itself into a fluid line cascading toward the pile.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The bodies caught in a heartbeat and began to burn.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy god,\u201d a voice said softly behind Matt and I.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s he doing?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was one of the prisoners we\u2019d rescued, a woman with dark hair, college-aged and slender.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She hugged a borrowed jacket around her shoulders as she edged closer, the fire\u2019s light turning hazel eyes golden.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There were traces of fear in her expression, but they were mostly hidden behind slack-jawed wonder.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I smiled faintly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMagic.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She looked at Matt, Phelan and I sidelong.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t think it existed.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNow you know it does,\u201d Phelan said, his voice impossibly gentle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He extended a hand to her and she took it, stepping closer to the three of us, her gaze drifting back to Rory.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBurning all the way over on this side, too,\u201d Greg called to us from the other side of the pile, where he and Drew were stationed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was starting to get very warm standing near the pile, and my nose was starting to close up against the charnel-house smell.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At least the wind is blowing north, away from all of us.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I squeezed Matt\u2019s hand.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow does he know how to do that?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>the girl asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cInstinct,\u201d Phelan said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPractice.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Trial and error.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How do we learn how to do anything?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He eased around her, so she was suddenly sandwiched between him and Matt.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Matt looked at her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFor someone who wasn\u2019t sure that magic existed, you sure seem ready to believe it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She laughed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat was it that Sherlock Holmes said?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>When you eliminate the impossible, whatever\u2019s left, however improbable, must be the truth.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSounds like you don\u2019t think magic\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She smiled at Matt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s too many stories about it for me to think that.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He watched her for a long moment before he finally nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I guess you\u2019re right.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I looked past them toward Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He winked and we shared a secret smile that neither of them noticed.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Things falling into place indeed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If it hadn\u2019t been so cold that day, the bodies might have started to smell already.\u00a0 I tried not to look at their faces\u2014at the faces of the dead, of the men we\u2019d killed to defend ourselves. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is … 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":[35,59,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-20","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-mH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407","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=1407"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1408,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407\/revisions\/1408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}