Midwinter eve dawned bright and cold, though the cold sunshine quickly gave way to black clouds that swept in from the west.\u00a0 A storm was coming, metaphorical and physical.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not ready for this,\u201d Thom whispered to himself as he perched in the watchtower, settled on a stool with a whetstone in hand, a sword braced against his knee.\u00a0 They had enough to arm everyone, but he wasn\u2019t confident in everyone\u2019s skill at using them.\u00a0 He watched the clouds on the horizon, shivering as the wind picked up.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not ready, but the storm\u2019s coming and so is Cariocecus, whether we\u2019re ready or not.<\/i>\u00a0 A shiver worked its way down his spine.\u00a0 The first time he\u2019d dared to go toe-to-toe with the minor war god, it hadn\u2019t ended well\u2014as J.T. had put it, he\u2019d undone weeks of healing in a span of five minutes.<\/p>\n
Thom closed his eyes and exhaled.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be different this time.\u00a0 We know he\u2019s coming.\u00a0 The wardings are strong.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t have anyone on the inside anymore.<\/i><\/p>\n
But we can\u2019t stay bottled up behind the wards forever.\u00a0 He knows it.\u00a0 He can wait us out.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/i>\u201cUnless he\u2019s got something else up his sleeve,\u201d Thom muttered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou talking to yourself again, Thom?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced toward the sound of Davon\u2019s voice as the other man came to relieve him of his watch post.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Must be going crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMust be,\u201d Davon agreed.\u00a0 \u201cYou been up here for long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the four am watch,\u201d Thom said as he stood slowly, wincing at a twinge of stiffness in his back, a faint trace of pain in his ribs.\u00a0 Suck it up.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to be able to fight tomorrow.\u00a0 Who knows when the attack will start?<\/i>\u00a0 He slid the almost-sharpened sword into its hand-stitched scabbard and tucked the whetstone into the pocket of his coat.\u00a0 \u201cDid you get a good night\u2019s sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSlept like a log,\u201d Davon said.\u00a0 \u201cAlmost didn\u2019t make it up here in time.\u201d\u00a0 He appropriated the stool Thom had been sitting on.\u00a0 \u201cDo you really think that the attack\u2019ll begin tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as midnight comes,\u201d Thom said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be ready if it starts then, Davon.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know that it\u2019ll start then, but it\u2019s better to be safe than sorry at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davon shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI still don\u2019t get it, Thom.\u00a0 Why does he care?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still not sure,\u201d Thom admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m getting closer and closer to finding out.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we\u2019re out of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Davon said.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we are.\u201d\u00a0 He stretched and shook his head again. \u201cWell, here\u2019s to a peaceful watch.\u00a0 They\u2019ve got coffee going down by the fire.\u00a0 Better hurry if you want some while it\u2019s still available\u2014or not boiled down to sludge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom laughed weakly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Give a shout if you need something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davon tossed him a thumbs-up before Thom climbed down the ladder to the snow-covered ground.\u00a0 His boots crunched in the snow as he headed around the corner of their makeshift dormitory and around toward the tents.\u00a0 He could smell breakfast and wood-smoke well before he reached the tent itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cBacon, Tala?\u201d\u00a0 He smiled as he came within earshot of the woman who\u2019d become their chef de cuisine<\/i> since the end of the world.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t know we had any.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have it because I\u2019m a fucking wizard when it comes to food preservation, Thom,\u201d Tala said with a faint smile.\u00a0 She reached for one of the plates stacked to one side of the cookfire.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want toast, too?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust coffee to start,\u201d he said as he snagged a mug.\u00a0 \u201cWas a cold watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe it,\u201d she said as she started making him a plate anyway.\u00a0 \u201cIs it my imagination, or is there a storm coming, too?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack clouds in the west,\u201d Thom said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd a neon pink sky this morning,\u201d Tala said.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like a storm to me.\u00a0 Hell of a day for it.\u201d\u00a0 She handed him the plate, her brows knitting.\u00a0 \u201cPlease tell me that everything for the defenses is in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeems to be,\u201d Thom said, then shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cIf it\u2019s not, it\u2019s too late to fix it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tala hugged her arms across her distended belly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m worried, Thom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is,\u201d he said, then smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u00a0 You and Angie and the wounded down in those steam tunnels?\u00a0 You\u2019ll be the safest out of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still think it\u2019s safe to move them?\u201d she asked softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s safe not to,\u201d Thom said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll move them tonight, just in case the attack starts at midnight.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried it will, though Phelan and Marin don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a chance I\u2019m willing to take, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t blame you,\u201d Tala said.\u00a0 She relieved him of his mug and reached for the coffee pot.\u00a0 \u201cGo sit.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d\u00a0 Thom gave her another weak smile and settled down in his usual spot near the fire.\u00a0 \u201cHave you seen my wife this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she\u2019s with Jacqueline, checking on the others,\u201d Tala said as she waddled over to hand him his coffee.\u00a0 \u201cHow does it feel not to be the wounded one this time?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom snorted.\u00a0 \u201cA little weird to be honest, but not in a bad way.\u00a0 Hopefully I can keep this up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s to hoping,\u201d Tala said softly, staring at the dark clouds beyond the tent\u2019s flap.\u00a0 \u201cHope\u2019s all we\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave some faith, too,\u201d Thom said.\u00a0 \u201cWe can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d she said, sounding like she didn\u2019t quite believe it.<\/p>\n
Thom sighed and let it go.\u00a0 At least she wanted<\/i> to believe.<\/p>\n
Maybe if they wanted it badly enough, they\u2019d make it happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Midwinter eve dawned bright and cold, though the cold sunshine quickly gave way to black clouds that swept in from the west.\u00a0 A storm was coming, metaphorical and physical. \u201cWe\u2019re not ready for this,\u201d Thom whispered to himself as he … Continue reading