{"id":1486,"date":"2012-10-29T00:00:27","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T04:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1486"},"modified":"2012-10-28T13:59:49","modified_gmt":"2012-10-28T17:59:49","slug":"winter-chapter-24-07","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1486","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 24 – 07"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCan you hear it?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Greg asked after a few moments of silence.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom glanced at him, brows knitting, about to ask what the hell the former professor was talking about, when he heard it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A faint, rhythmic, shuddering rumble in the distance.<\/span>\u00a0 Footsteps.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs that–?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s what\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory asked as he joined them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt, Drew, and <\/span>Phillipa<\/span> were with him.\u00a0 <\/span>Thom smothered a frown at the sight of the slender woman, especially with the sword\u2014Tala\u2019s\u2014on her hip.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Matt must know something I don\u2019t.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomething big and ugly,\u201d Greg said, turning his gaze northward again.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFucking fantastic,\u201d Rory said, only mildly sarcastic.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGood thing Phelan and Jay are finishing up those wards.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom startled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan and Jay?\u00a0 <\/span>What about Marin and Kel?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s supposed to be their specialty.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s what they were doing today.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s why I let her get out of sword practice.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Unless\u2026<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>His stomach dropped to his knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNothing,\u201d Drew growled, turning north.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo all we know is something big and ugly is coming?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Nothing else?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd green,\u201d Greg said, squinting against the sun\u2019s glare.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Green<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory\u2019s brows went up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat is it, the Incredible Hulk?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d Greg said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom scrambled down from his vantage point, suppressing a sudden shudder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The malevolence of whatever was coming hit him like a linebacker, making his chest ache and his stomach churn.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDamn,\u201d he breathed, squinting into the distance.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He rested his hand on his blade, feeling a terrifying desire to draw it here and now, just so he\u2019d be ready.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ready for what?<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He swallowed hard.<\/span>\u00a0 Shit, I don\u2019t even know.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A voice began to echo out of the distance, deep, guttural, but strangely lilting, as if the creature was singing as it came toward them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGet of Princes, get of gods,<\/span><\/span>
\nSmelling like desperate fear,<\/span><\/span>
\nBloodlines strong and bloodlines mixed,<\/span><\/span>
\nWon\u2019t save the Wanderer\u2019s get from being nixed.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Bile shot up into the back of Thom\u2019s throat so hard and fast he doubled over for a moment, cleared his throat, and spat it out onto the thin crust of half-melted snow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Greg grasped his shoulder.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHellfire and monsters,\u201d Thom rasped, hands on his knees.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked up at Greg.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGet back in there and get Phelan out here <\/span>now<\/span><\/em>, wards or no wards.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Tell him to bring his goddamned stick, too.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The staff Phelan had been working on for months was almost complete\u2014there were times Thom couldn\u2019t believe it wasn\u2019t done yet\u2014and Marin had mentioned more than once that she could feel the power coming off of it.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Against whatever was wandering toward them at a leisurely pace, Thom had a feeling they were going to need the power Phelan had locked up into the two meter length of wood.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hopefully it\u2019ll be enough.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Greg squeezed his shoulder again before he let go and jogged back toward the walls, picking up speed as he went.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom spat a second time in an effort to rid his mouth of residual sourness before he straightened.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIs there more than one?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Matt asked from beside him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGod,\u201d Thom muttered, \u201cI hope not.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In the distance, the ugly thing coming toward them began to laugh.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCan you hear it?\u201d\u00a0 Greg asked after a few moments of silence. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom glanced at him, brows knitting, about to ask what the hell the former professor was talking about, when he heard it.\u00a0 A faint, rhythmic, shuddering … 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":[35,63,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-24","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-nY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486","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=1486"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1487,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486\/revisions\/1487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}