{"id":1500,"date":"2012-11-12T15:19:11","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T20:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1500"},"modified":"2012-11-11T15:23:27","modified_gmt":"2012-11-11T20:23:27","slug":"winter-chapter-25-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1500","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 25 – 04"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>His stomach rode some kind of awful roller coaster as he and Thordin urged the horses into a trot, then a gallop, heading for their unknown destination.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He felt Neve wince every time the horse\u2019s movements were particularly jarring and winced right along with her.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Never should have come this far like this.\u00a0 <\/span>We should have waited longer to move on, no matter what she said.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But then we wouldn\u2019t be here now, riding toward whatever threat needs facing for the sake of whoever needs us to face it.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnother bend in the river ahead,\u201d Thordin said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head, expression tight.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot sure I see a good place to cross, either.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBloody hell,\u201d Cameron muttered under his breath.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe can\u2019t catch a goddamned break, can we?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo one said any of this was supposed to be easy,\u201d Thordin pointed out.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, but we\u2019d be a lot more likely to show up in places we need to get to in a timely manner if the powers that be thought a little further ahead,\u201d Cameron growled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He squinted toward the spot Thordin pointed to, toward the wide ribbon of the river.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He mumbled a crurse under his breath.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ve got to find a way across, Thordin.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSaying it isn\u2019t the same as making it happen,\u201d his companion said.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWill getting angry and <\/span>demanding<\/span><\/em> it happen work?\u201d Cameron shook his head and kicked his horse into motion, trusting Thordin to follow.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMaybe someday,\u201d Neve whispered faintly into his neck, answering his rhetorical question.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut maybe not today.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron could barely stop the shiver starting at the base of his spine.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Don\u2019t think about that.\u00a0 <\/span>Goddamn it, don\u2019t think about that.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe\u2019ll just have to find a way across,\u201d he said again, arm tightening slightly around his lover. <\/span>\u00a0There isn\u2019t a goddamned choice in the matter.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>They rode past the ruins of houses, past a shattered church that still stank of burnt flesh and decaying bodies.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron swallowed the bile that bubbled up in his throat and hung onto Neve as she twisted and offered what little she\u2019d eaten that day to the ground alongside the horse.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She gave a little moan as she settled against him again, dishrag-limp and shivering.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLooks like the roadway here is in bad shape,\u201d Thordin reported, staring at the twisted mass of broken concrete that spanned the river.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot sure we\u2019ll be able to get the horses across.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Grade looks too steep.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Never mind trying to carry Neve across that mess.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron frowned darkly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDo we have a choice?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His nose had closed against the lingering nearby smell, but there was something else that left his stomach unsettled.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Then, he heard it\u2014a voice he\u2019d hoped to never hear again.<\/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>\u201cFuck.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The curse dropped from his lips like ice sliding off a slick rooftop.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s the thing that hurt Neve.\u00a0 <\/span>The\u2014what was it?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Firbolg? How the hell did it get here ahead of us?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Why the hell is it here?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Christ.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Her family.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s hunting all of them, not just her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Damn it!<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe don\u2019t have time,\u201d he said abruptly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He checked himself, arm tightening around Neve again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Hang on to me, Neve.\u00a0 <\/span>Trust me.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>God, I hope I know what I\u2019m doing.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat the hell\u2014?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thordin didn\u2019t have time to get the question out.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Cameron set his heels into the flanks of his horse and pounded toward the gap.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Somehow, some way, strength of will would have to do the rest. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His stomach rode some kind of awful roller coaster as he and Thordin urged the horses into a trot, then a gallop, heading for their unknown destination.\u00a0 He felt Neve wince every time the horse\u2019s movements were particularly jarring … 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-1500","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-oc","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500","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=1500"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1501,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1500\/revisions\/1501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}