{"id":1416,"date":"2012-09-12T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T04:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1416"},"modified":"2012-09-11T19:10:30","modified_gmt":"2012-09-11T23:10:30","slug":"winter-chapter-21-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1416","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 21 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The wind started howling out of the north an hour before dusk.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The sound of it set J.T.\u2019s teeth on edge and made every muscle tighten.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tight muscles sent new fire lancing through his shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Even the bottle of brandy he\u2019d obtained from their stores of supplies at Rory\u2019s suggestion didn\u2019t take the edge off.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sleep had come slowly, fitfully, but it had eventually claimed him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The coming storm hit with all its fury just after full dark descended.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One second, it was only the howling wind, the next the sleet and snow began, like tiny knives from the sky.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. had come awake at Carolyn\u2019s prodding, schlepping over to the fire to have some dinner as the storm raged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They ate in shifts, and after the last, some of the others headed to batten down the hatches while others headed to bed or various other nocturnal tasks, leaving J.T. seated next to the fire with Phelan, Jacqueline, and a pot of tea.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline glanced between the two men and unfolded from her seat on the ground near the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m going to go check on Thom and Marin and make sure everything\u2019s okay with them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey should be in their shed,\u201d J.T. said, trying to smother a yawn.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI told Marin it\u2019d be okay to help him there after he woke up.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re already there,\u201d Jacqueline said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI heard him swearing every step of the way, the big baby.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He acted like they shot him in the leg, not the side.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. chuckled weakly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably muscles.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Remember, everything\u2019s all connected.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Jacqueline snorted. \u201cI still say he\u2019s acting like a big baby.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She stooped to pour two cups of tea before she headed off, away from the fire and the tent where it backed up against one edge of the shed-city and down one of the \u2018corridors\u2019 between the sheds.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan shook his head as J.T. stretched and leaned back against a bin of clean dishes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe shouldn\u2019t go so hard on him when he\u2019s actually admitting to being hurt,\u201d Phelan said as he reached for the kettle.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf she keeps ragging on him, he\u2019s never going to admit to being hurt and eventually, it\u2019ll get him killed.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy, because he\u2019ll quietly bleed to death?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. asked, lifting his head from where it drooped against his chest.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBecause his wife will kill him,\u201d Phelan said, setting one mug of the steaming brew near the fire before he poured a second.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One hand dipped into a pouch hanging from his belt and he crushed a pair of dried leaves into one of the mugs before handing it to J.T.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDrink that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe it\u2019ll do the trick where the brandy didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. sniffed the mug, but all he could smell was the heavily spiced black tea.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t want to know what this is yet, do I?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s scribbled in the back of Jac\u2019s herbiary.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve used it before and it seems to do the trick.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Has in the past, anyway.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan settled down nearby, the fire making his hair glow against the darkness.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re unnerved.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m always unnerved when the ghosts come,\u201d J.T. said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He sipped his tea and tried to ignore the howling of the wind, noise that sounded too much like the shrieking of the ghosts that had saved he, Carolyn, and Drew from the <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em> months before.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRegardless of why.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t need to fear them,\u201d Phelan said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re here to help you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If they weren\u2019t, I\u2019d tell you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The ones that have stayed, the ones that decided to linger, they made a choice, Jameson.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They decided not to cross this time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I can\u2019t tell you why, but I can tell you that you\u2019ve got nothing to fear from them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI try not to,\u201d he said quietly, eyes focusing on the flames.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean that I\u2019m not terrified half the time.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEveryone\u2019s terrified,\u201d Phelan said, shaking his head briefly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEvery last one of you, and I don\u2019t blame any of you for it, either.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. glanced at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEveryone?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEveryone,\u201d Phelan said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIncluding me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The wind started howling out of the north an hour before dusk.\u00a0 The sound of it set J.T.\u2019s teeth on edge and made every muscle tighten.\u00a0 Tight muscles sent new fire lancing through his shoulder.\u00a0 Even the bottle of … 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":[35,60,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-21","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-mQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416","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=1416"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1418,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1416\/revisions\/1418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}