{"id":1496,"date":"2012-11-07T00:00:48","date_gmt":"2012-11-07T05:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1496"},"modified":"2012-11-06T20:32:58","modified_gmt":"2012-11-07T01:32:58","slug":"winter-chapter-25-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1496","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 25 – 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>As Aoife left the room to round up Gray, Kes, and Wat, Ter\u00e9zia sank back down into her chair before the desk and her small scrying mirror.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, staring blankly at the glass, at the table.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gods.\u00a0 <\/span>What are we doing?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What are we about to do?<\/span><\/em> Her lips thinned and her fingers curled in, nails digging into her palms.<\/span>\u00a0 Is this something that\u2019s possible?<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s got to be.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If the people I\u2019m watching can affect me, I\u2019ve got to be able to affect the people I\u2019m watching.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She squeezed her eyes shut.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Have faith, Teca.\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019ll pull this off.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All of you will because you\u2019ve got to.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>If you don\u2019t, Aoife\u2019s brother could die.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You can\u2019t let that happen.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The door banged against the wall and her eyes popped open as she looked up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Gray loomed in the doorway, his face like a storm.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d he asked, his tone slightly more gentle than his angry expression.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAoife\u2019s freaking out and she said I needed to get my ass in here now.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She took another deep breath.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe saw something she called a firbolg on its way to where her brother is.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She\u2019s worried.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m worried.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m sure that we can do something.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 I\u2019m sure we can. I\u2019m sure.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gray frowned darkly at her. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cYou think that we can do something.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYes, I do.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I know we have to.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow,\u201d he demanded, stepping closer.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow the hell do you intend to do something?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe same way they threw acid in my face,\u201d Ter\u00e9zia said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSheer force of will.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSheer force of will,\u201d he repeated.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She nodded firmly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSomehow.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He just kept right on staring at her.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cChrist, Gray.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She stood up from the table and pointed to the mirror.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWould you rather we just stand by and watch it happen?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Do you think that Aoife would stand by and let that happen?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOf course not,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cShe couldn\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She couldn\u2019t bear it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNeither could I,\u201d Ter\u00e9zia said softly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo we at least have to try.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I need your help to try.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I need your strength to pull this off and so does she.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gray\u2019s jaw tightened, but he nodded.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Just tell me what you need me to do.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cStart thinking of how you\u2019d kill something big, green, and ugly.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAir strikes come to mind if we\u2019re talking about the Hulk.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She snorted humorlessly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThink uglier.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Think a troll.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Gray frowned.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFire,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIf it works like the trolls that tend to pop up in fantasy, anyway.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Fire should do the trick.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo you think we\u2019ve got a chance to make it spontaneously combust?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He smiled grimly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat is it that they all used to say?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Go big or go home?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Ter\u00e9zia glanced at the mirror again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>This isn\u2019t going to be easy.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s what I was saying.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI know it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She sighed. \u201cBut it\u2019s something we\u2019ve got to do, Gray.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYeah.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I know.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As Aoife left the room to round up Gray, Kes, and Wat, Ter\u00e9zia sank back down into her chair before the desk and her small scrying mirror.\u00a0 She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, staring blankly at … 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":[35,64,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-25","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-o8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496","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=1496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1497,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496\/revisions\/1497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}