{"id":4445,"date":"2020-10-14T09:51:19","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T13:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=4445"},"modified":"2020-10-14T09:51:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T13:51:19","slug":"thirteen-01-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=4445","title":{"rendered":"Thirteen – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This post is from Bryant Tapping’s point of view.]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAre we sure this is the right place?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant Tapping closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling softly as his hands stilled in the process of checking his gear.\u00a0 Travis\u2019s question was understandable, especially given how far and how long they\u2019d ridden to get here\u2014and the risks they\u2019d taken to get here.<\/p>\n

His gaze strayed toward David and Isabelle at the far end of the one-room cottage.\u00a0 Issy seemed to feel the weight of his gaze, glancing back over her shoulder toward him even as she leaned forward to check David\u2019s fever, her expression pinched and complexion pale.\u00a0 Bryant barely managed to suppress a sigh and not for the last time wished he\u2019d paid more attention to what his father had tried to teach him after the end of everything the young doctor had known.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he said, his voice quiet.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, I\u2019m sure.\u00a0 That redhead that was there\u2014he was definitely one of the Taleisins.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure of that much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on what?\u201d Travis asked, looking up from checking his own bags.\u00a0 His voice was mild, curious\u2014probing, but not angrily.\u00a0 \u201cSome stories you grew up with?\u00a0 A child\u2019s memory of a face?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was more than a child when Aoife left,\u201d Bryant said, glancing toward David again.\u00a0 His lips thinned.\u00a0 He could at least remember his friend\u2019s mother clearly.\u00a0 David didn\u2019t have that luxury, only stories from his father and a few sketches\u2014not even a photograph.\u00a0 \u201cBut yeah.\u00a0 Based on that and solid descriptions.\u201d\u00a0 He stared down at his hands for a few seconds.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the name.\u00a0 Who the hell would take that name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know it wasn\u2019t uncommon before the end, though,\u201d Travis said.\u00a0 \u201cDo we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUncommon enough,\u201d Lilah said, depositing her bags against the wall, her canteen in hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds enough like what we\u2019re looking for, anyway, doesn\u2019t it, T?\u201d<\/p>\n

Travis grimaced and looked away.\u00a0 \u201cI guess.\u00a0 I just have a weird feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind him, Issy choked on a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not your job, Travis.\u00a0 That\u2019s his.\u201d\u00a0 She gestured toward David, still unconscious under the blankets their hosts had brought.\u00a0 Her gaze strayed toward Bryant then, too, and her forehead creased with a faint frown.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we going to do, Bryant?\u00a0 It\u2019s not like they told us much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2019re letting us stay,\u201d he said, looking back at her.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s something, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happens when they figure out where we\u2019re actually from and who actually sent us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, they\u2019ll still help.\u201d\u00a0 He looked at David again, his lips thinning.\u00a0 \u201cI just hope they\u2019re more forgiving than she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d Issy said.\u00a0 \u201cBut what if they\u2019re not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we will.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This post is from Bryant Tapping’s point of view.] \u201cAre we sure this is the right place?\u201d Bryant Tapping closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling softly as his hands stilled in the process of checking his gear.\u00a0 Travis\u2019s question … 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":[336,337,357,14],"tags":[340,150,358,359,171,170,360,350,361,149,148,168,147,165,362,146],"class_list":["post-4445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ambrose-cycle","category-book-8","category-chapter-13-book-8","category-story","tag-ambrose-cycle","tag-awakenings","tag-bryant-tapping","tag-david-ocredne-miller","tag-fantasy","tag-fiction","tag-isabelle-squires","tag-knights-errant","tag-lilah-watson","tag-original-fiction","tag-post-apocalyptic","tag-serial","tag-serial-fiction","tag-story","tag-travis-kenwick","tag-web-fiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-19H","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4445","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=4445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4446,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4445\/revisions\/4446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}