{"id":4585,"date":"2021-04-02T00:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T04:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=4585"},"modified":"2021-03-31T10:08:13","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T14:08:13","slug":"nineteen-01-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=4585","title":{"rendered":"Nineteen – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

[This post is from Thomas Merlin Ambrose’s point of view.]<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLin?\u201d<\/p>\n

Consciousness flooded back in a rush.\u00a0 My eyes felt gritty as I opened them, crusted over in the way they did when I was sick or had been crying in my sleep\u2014sometimes when it was both.\u00a0 I was willing to bet the previous night had probably been both<\/em>.\u00a0 I twitched beneath my blankets then groaned as my whole body started to remind me how much I hurt.\u00a0 \u201cMorning Tory.\u00a0 It\u2019s still morning, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he said quietly, easing inside.\u00a0 The door clicked shut behind him, his footsteps quiet as he crossed the wood floor toward my bed.\u00a0 The smell of breakfast hit my nose and though my stomach decided to somersault, it still growled just the same.\u00a0 It might feel like someone had poured molten metal into the marrow of my bones, but apparently, somehow, I was still hungry despite nausea.<\/p>\n

Again, I wondered how the hell my parents had managed to live through injury-induced suffering like this.<\/p>\n

I finally managed to open my eyes, peering at him in the dim light.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t hurt as much, but there was still a distant thumping in my skull that I hoped would ebb sooner rather than later.\u00a0 He seemed almost contrite as he brought a plate of food over to my bedside table, gently nudging my father\u2019s journal and my empty mug aside so he could set it down.\u00a0 \u201cHow morning?\u201d\u00a0 I asked, reaching gingerly to clear some of the gunk out of my eyes.\u00a0 The motion made the pain in my shoulder worse but didn\u2019t seem to have any additional ill effects\u2014a small mercy, I decided.<\/p>\n

\u201cSun came up about two hours ago,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBreakfast is starting to wind down.\u00a0 Figured I\u2019d bring you a plate since Tala said she hadn\u2019t seen you and apologize for yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t know,\u201d I said, slowly sitting up.\u00a0 The room spun for a second and I felt a little light-headed, but it went away after I settled against the headboard.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I wasn\u2019t in much of a mood or mind to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still shouldn\u2019t have pressed.\u201d\u00a0 He took a fork and spoon out of his pocket and set it next to the plate on my bedside table, then collected my mug and headed to the stove.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2014it\u2019s not like you to not say something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a long day,\u201d I said, carefully picking up the plate, watching as he started to make a fresh pot of tea.\u00a0 \u201cIn more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething attacked me,\u201d I said slowly, evenly as I carefully sectioned a griddle cake with my fork.\u00a0 \u201cSomething that we haven\u2019t seen in a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that where the scorch mark came from?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Uncle Phelan killing it, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did it do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLong term?\u00a0 Don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Yesterday it dug its claws into me something fierce.\u201d\u00a0 It had only been hours since the attack but it felt like forever.\u00a0 \u201cFrom what I\u2019m gathering, Dad used to have the same kind of reaction to this kind of thing that I\u2019m having now.\u201d\u00a0 Except sometimes with him it was worse.\u00a0 I hope I don\u2019t end up tripping over into that category.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cThen other shit happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mom tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly a little bit.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and leaned against the counter, starting at me.\u00a0 \u201cStuff about bloodlines and our visitors searching for something\u2014someone.\u00a0 Us.\u201d<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes and exhaled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to press, Lin.\u00a0 I really don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u00a0 They\u2019re looking for us, I think, and Uncle Phelan, but not just<\/em> us or him.\u00a0 There\u2019s more I just don\u2019t know how much more.\u201d\u00a0 I swallowed hard and exhaled, tilting my head back and staring at the ceiling for a few seconds.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t gotten to talk to them, not really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, maybe after you eat, if you\u2019re feeling up to it, we can go do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled wryly as he took my hissing kettle off the stove.\u00a0 \u201cGuess we\u2019ll have to see how much this tea fortifies you, then, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess so.\u201d\u00a0 I glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou got something from Aunt Jac for me, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot Aunt Jac,\u201d he said as he started to brew the tea.\u00a0 \u201cUncle Jay.\u201d<\/p>\n

I snorted.\u00a0 \u201cSomething tells me that you really want me to be up to this conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you are<\/em> my partner in crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess there\u2019s that.\u201d\u00a0 I smiled again and he smiled back, a lopsided grin he\u2019d inherited from his father.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see if I can muster the strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will,\u201d he said, bringing me the mug.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just as eager to talk to them as I am, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t be wrong,\u201d I admitted as he handed me the tea.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just a question of physical ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything hurts.\u201d\u00a0 I took a careful sip of the fragrant blend.\u00a0 It was hot and I could taste something not quite sweet and not quite bitter\u2014something that was both at the same time even as it was also both familiar and not.\u00a0 \u201cAunt Jac\u2019s worried, Uncle Phelan\u2019s worried\u2014and probably a hell of a lot more people than them, if I were to guess.\u00a0 I figure I\u2019ll eventually be okay, but\u2014well.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA camazotzi<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 I smiled weakly.\u00a0 \u201cStuff\u2019s changing, Tory.\u00a0 Was going to without our visitors showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so.\u201d\u00a0 He sank down into the chair that his sister had left abandoned.\u00a0 \u201cStill and all, Lin\u2014why now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure,\u201d I admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut I have theories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to hear them.\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled crookedly.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure on that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was,\u201d he squinted at me.\u00a0 \u201cThat smile makes me question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe after we talk to our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cMum said one of them is my cousin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess we\u2019ll have to meet him, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 I guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This post is from Thomas Merlin Ambrose’s point of view.] \u201cLin?\u201d Consciousness flooded back in a rush.\u00a0 My eyes felt gritty as I opened them, crusted over in the way they did when I was sick or had been crying … 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":[336,337,368,14],"tags":[340,271,150,171,170,149,148,168,147,165,200,146],"class_list":["post-4585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ambrose-cycle","category-book-8","category-chapter-19-book-8","category-story","tag-ambrose-cycle","tag-artorius-mackenzie","tag-awakenings","tag-fantasy","tag-fiction","tag-original-fiction","tag-post-apocalyptic","tag-serial","tag-serial-fiction","tag-story","tag-thomas-merlin-ambrose","tag-web-fiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-1bX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585","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=4585"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4586,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4585\/revisions\/4586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}