{"id":1467,"date":"2012-10-12T00:00:13","date_gmt":"2012-10-12T04:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1467"},"modified":"2012-10-11T19:48:14","modified_gmt":"2012-10-11T23:48:14","slug":"winter-chapter-23-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1467","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 23 – 04"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We\u2019d decided that it would take ten evenly spaced wards to fully secure the wall and thus our borders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>In some ways, it was easier to set the wardings along the edge of the ravine even though those could be accidentally knocked over or otherwise disrupted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We worked quietly, efficiently at the next wards.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>We were three wardings in when I started to feel light-headed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I leaned against the wall, swallowing hard and staring at nothing for a moment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. grasped my arm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head, which turned out to be a bad idea as pain and dizziness spiked with the motion.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDammit,\u201d I mumbled, putting a hand to my head.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was Kellin, this time.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI must be putting too much in,\u201d I said, staring at the ground and hoping the world would stop spinning.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLightheaded and dizzy.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The three exchanged a look.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat isn\u2019t good, is it?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cProbably not,\u201d J.T. said, reaching over and gently taking me by the arm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhen did it start?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cJust a couple minutes ago,\u201d I said, knuckling my eyes and hoping that would help.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I swayed slightly against the wall, sucking in a deep breath as nausea sunk its claws into my belly and twisted.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I cursed again under my breath, swallowing a groan along with bile.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat the hell is this?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. asked, glancing at Kellin.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou think <\/span>I<\/span><\/em> know?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I saw her jaw tighten out of the corner of my eye.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She came around to the other side of me and put her arm under my shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCome on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe you\u2019ll feel better if you lay down.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Feel better if I lay down?\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d feel better if I knew what was wrong with me.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe I really had just dumped too much into the wards\u2014or maybe they\u2019d just sucked too much out of me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Then again, maybe it was something different.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Something worse.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I straightened slowly, leaning on both Kellin and J.T.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory looked momentarily indecisive, then shook his head firmly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShould I go get Thom, or should I grab a couple people and see if there\u2019s anything nasty in the area?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe second thing,\u201d I said before I had to clamp my jaw shut so everything I\u2019d eaten that day didn\u2019t end up offered to the ground in front of my feet.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jay will get Thom if I need him.\u00a0 <\/span>But I don\u2019t think I do.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not yet.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou don\u2019t look good, Mar,\u201d J.T. said quietly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I had to swallow twice before I could talk.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy stomach and my head are staging a rebellion against the rest of me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Of course I don\u2019t look good.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. and Kellin exchanged a look as if I wasn\u2019t there, one that said that they were <\/span>both<\/span><\/em> worried<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Really not good.\u00a0 <\/span>Shit.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I struggled to take a deep breath and exhale slowly, hoping the world would steady around me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It didn\u2019t.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe I\u2019m just hungry or something.\u00a0 <\/span>That could be it, right?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Wishful thinking, that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But I didn\u2019t have much left beyond wishful thinking and scattering thoughts.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What the hell is going on?<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I grasped for a pendant that hadn\u2019t been there in months, the one I\u2019d lost in the ravine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The one that Phelan had sensed, asked if I wanted to find it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Momentarily, I regretted not having him help me find it.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Then I remembered the tall, slender boy that could only be Thom\u2019s son and knew that I\u2019d made the right choice.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I half wondered if Phelan had ever seen anything like it\u2014what I was going through, or what I\u2019d seen in the ravine that sunny afternoon\u2014about thirty seconds before I blacked out and stopped thinking anything at all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019d decided that it would take ten evenly spaced wards to fully secure the wall and thus our borders.\u00a0 In some ways, it was easier to set the wardings along the edge of the ravine even though those could … 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":[35,62,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-23","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-nF","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467","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=1467"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1468,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1467\/revisions\/1468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}