{"id":1439,"date":"2012-09-24T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2012-09-24T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1439"},"modified":"2012-09-23T22:36:20","modified_gmt":"2012-09-24T02:36:20","slug":"winter-chapter-22-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1439","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 22 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Two days passed before the storm abated and they were able to dig their way out of their shelters, to even think about riding on. Neve spent those two days curled in the protective cocoon of Cameron\u2019s arms, limply exhausted and wrung out by the days spent on the road in pain and then the events of their first night in this camp, when they were attacked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her dreams, too, were troubled, memories and visions of a war now long ago and far away.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It was sometime before dawn on the second day when she woke to hear the wind beginning to taper off.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The fire was burning low.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>As she moved to tend it, Cameron\u2019s arms tightened around her.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLie quiet,\u201d he murmured in her ear.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll take care of the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Keep the blankets warm.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She made a whimpering sound of protest, but she stayed where she was as he gently disengaged his arms from around her and got up to stir the fire back to life and add another log to keep it going.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Neve watched him move, limed in the light from the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The bandages on his side were clean\u2014no sign of bleeding since they\u2019d changed the bandages yesterday.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked good.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Strong.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m lucky.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She lifted the covers so he could rejoin her underneath the blankets.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shivered slightly as he slid beneath and wrapped his arms around her again, smelling of smoke and <\/span>him<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Neve settled back into his arms and closed her eyes again, listening to the crackling of the fire, the wind outside, and his breathing.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron pressed a kiss to the back of her neck after a moment and sighed softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt sounds like it\u2019s getting better out there.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She nodded slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It does, a lot.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We should be able to ride today, I hope.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He nodded, resting his chin against the top of her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His arms tightened slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTell me about this war I\u2019ve been sucked into, Neve,\u201d he said, his voice quiet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYour brother said that there was one I\u2019d become a part of as soon as I woke up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tell me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She winced slightly, twisting toward him in the dim, moving so they lay chest to chest rather than her back to his chest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron ran his fingers through her hair, eyes glittering in the firelight.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTell me,\u201d he whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt must be bloody well important if people are hunting us both.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Neve winced again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cUs, them, my cousins\u2026a lot of people are going to be hunted because they\u2019ve been sucked into this, whether they like it or not.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She rested her forehead against his.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPromise me that you won\u2019t think I\u2019m crazy?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAcch, Neve,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf I thought you were crazy, I\u2019d never have left with you.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s nothing you could say now that would change my mind.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s what you say now.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She brushed her thumbs against his cheeks.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cEvery time you ask that, I begin to wonder whether or not I should be.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIn for inches, in for miles, Neve.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tell me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Please.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His smile faded. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cBefore it gets both of us killed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That man two nights ago, he wasn\u2019t here to play games.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He put that knife in me for a reason, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut I don\u2019t know what it was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He hadn\u2019t taken sides.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIn the war,\u201d Cameron said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d Neve said, her voice a bare whisper.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIn the war.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment, took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly before she felt steady enough, strong enough to speak.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt actually started well before I was ever born, but open warfare\u2026that was forestalled for a long time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps that wasn\u2019t for the best, because it gave every side far too much time to build alliances, and I\u2019m ashamed to admit that we did not spend nearly as much time and effort at that as we should\u2014and we\u2019ve always been the types to make enemies easily.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s just in our nature.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She smiled a tiny, weak smile as she opened her eyes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThere\u2019s a reason that Puck is such a recurrent character in lit out of the Isles, you know.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRobin Goodfellow Puck?<\/span>\u00a0 A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream<\/em><\/span> Puck?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She nodded slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLike that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2014one in particular\u2014have a penchant for that kind of mischief.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019re not cruel by any stretch of the imagination, but\u2026well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes people take themselves too seriously.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My cousin Phelan, he\u2026well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s a story for another time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You asked about the war.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll admit that I\u2019m not sure how it started.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I imagine it was either over territory or an insult to someone\u2019s honor\u2014a few misspoken words or an imagined slight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It wouldn\u2019t surprise me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My uncle had arranged a very uneasy peace with the northron clans of Otherworlders\u2014you\u2019d probably find them familiar as a lot of the Norse deities and some Russian and Finnish deities.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The interconnections are really hard to keep track of sometimes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sufficient to say that by the time I was old enough to understand what was really going on, we were in dire need of allies.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHowever the war <\/span>started<\/span><\/em>, it resumed over territory.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s a myth among Otherworlders that the more mortals that believe in your power, the more powerful you are\u2014the more people who think you\u2019re a god, the more powerful you become. It\u2019s hogwash, but the northron clans and some of the southron clans are bred on this shit.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They cut their teeth on it and believe it with their whole hearts.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs that what\u2019s going on now?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron interrupted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre they all waking up because the world\u2019s broken and they\u2019re seeing this as some kind of grand opportunity to relive their glory days?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Neve laughed a weak, broken laugh that made her ribs ache more than they had any right to.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI wish it was that simple.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s a prophecy, too.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA prophecy?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes,\u201d she said, staring into the depths of his eyes in the dim.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOne that the Oracle of Delphi, the Pythia, Cassandra, the druids, my mother, my brother, Mimir and every other Seer who\u2019d ever seen seemed to agree on.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen stone rains from the sky and the old world dies comes the time of gods and monsters and heralds the coming of a once and future king.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two days passed before the storm abated and they were able to dig their way out of their shelters, to even think about riding on. Neve spent those two days curled in the protective cocoon of Cameron\u2019s arms, limply … 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":[35,61,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-22","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-nd","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439","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=1439"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1441,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1439\/revisions\/1441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}