{"id":1514,"date":"2012-11-23T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2012-11-23T05:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1514"},"modified":"2012-11-22T09:20:03","modified_gmt":"2012-11-22T14:20:03","slug":"winter-chapter-26-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1514","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 26 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The keening, angry cry jerked me upright in the bunk with a gasp.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The pain in my head doubled and I hunched over, palms pressed to my temples.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Breathe,<\/em><\/span> I reminded myself.<\/span>\u00a0 Goddamnit, breathe.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I took one breath, then another, and a third, slowly mastering myself again.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Whatever was screaming outside was still screaming.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I cautiously straightened.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The sound wasn\u2019t human.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You need to be out there, Marin, not hiding in here.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBloody hell,\u201d I muttered, feeling shaky as I threw the covers back and eased out of the bunk.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wasn\u2019t sure if it was cold or weakness as I yanked on a jacket before I went hunting for my boots.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The scream was getting louder, pitched higher.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Bile rose in my throat and I swallowed it back down.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019re in control here, Marin.\u00a0 <\/span>Settle down.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Five figures clustered around a tiny table, their hands linked, chanting softly.\u00a0 <\/span>A mirror glowed in the center of the table, the image of something big and green and ugly visible beneath glow and fog.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A dark-haired girl at the head of the table was trembling, tears running down her cheeks, sweat running down her face.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPlease,\u201d the crying girl whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cPlease work.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The beginnings of flames began in the mirror, wreathing the huge green figure as it pounded through tangles of brush that sprang up to block its passage, as it floundered through churned earth.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>A larger spark lit the mirror just before it exploded into a hundred shimmering shards.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The girl at the head of the table fell backward in her chair with a cry, her companions jerking back in confusion.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat just happened?\u201d one of the men asked, his voice a deep rumble.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The woman who\u2019d been crying said, mopping her face with the cuff of her sweatshirt.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI lost all the images and everything when the mirror exploded.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s not supposed to happen, is it?\u201d the second man asked, turning his gaze to another woman, this one smaller, almost childlike.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNever mind that,\u201d the other man said, his gaze shifting to the same woman.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDid it <\/span><\/em>work<\/span>?\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cUsually not and I don\u2019t know,\u201d the woman said as she looked between the two men.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThis was uncharted territory for me, too.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She looked at the remains of the mirror, then at the first woman.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI think I need a new mirror before I can tell you anything,\u201d she said quietly, staring mournfully at the remains of her mirror.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ll find one and get back to you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The larger man squeezed the shoulder of the tiny woman, who sighed and slumped back into his arms.<\/span><\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI hope it worked,\u201d she said softly, \u201cfor all of our sakes.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFucking <\/span>hell<\/span><\/em>,\u201d I growled, straightening slowly and rubbing my head.<\/span>\u00a0 That was the last thing I needed when I need to get the hell out there right now.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I snatched my boots from their spot near the door and sat back down on the bunk to yank them on.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How long was I out?<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I didn\u2019t have any way of knowing and I couldn\u2019t hear anything over a roaring in my ears.<\/span>\u00a0 What the hell did I just see?<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The figures from the vision felt strangely familiar, but I knew I\u2019d never seen them before today.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I yanked on a pair of gloves and stumbled out into the light of day.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>My nose closed abruptly against the smell of burning flesh and burning foliage.<\/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 started to run, hearing shouts, beginning to hear the sound of the shotguns going off.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I could hear Thom and Phelan above everyone else and my heart began to beat a little faster.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe it hadn\u2019t gone as badly as I\u2019d feared it would.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe everything was okay.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>That was never something to bet on.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The keening, angry cry jerked me upright in the bunk with a gasp.\u00a0 The pain in my head doubled and I hunched over, palms pressed to my temples. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Breathe, I reminded myself.\u00a0 Goddamnit, breathe.\u00a0 I took one breath, … 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":[35,65,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-26","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-oq","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1514","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=1514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1515,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1514\/revisions\/1515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}