{"id":470,"date":"2011-08-03T00:00:53","date_gmt":"2011-08-03T04:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=470"},"modified":"2011-08-03T00:00:53","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T04:00:53","slug":"day-10-chapter-9-01","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=470","title":{"rendered":"Day 10 – Chapter 9 – 01"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sun was just starting to peek up over the trees and the ruined dorms as she padded quietly toward the edge of the camp, beyond the tent with the animals and the building supplies.\u00a0 It was the first dry morning after a dry night, no hint of an oncoming storm.\u00a0 The chalk lines on the small pile of rocks were clear, coiling, slashing symbols that fairly pulsed with a power she didn\u2019t quite understand.\u00a0 A few leaves were caught between the piled rocks.\u00a0 Herbs of some kind, though she couldn\u2019t quite grasp what they were.\u00a0 The cross-shaped pile of rocks was caught inside of a small circle traced in the dirt around it, deep enough that the rain hadn\u2019t washed it all away.
\n\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She knew that Kellin came out every day, just before dusk, to check these and etch the lines deeper if she had to.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t sure what they were, but they were important to Kellin, and important to something else.\u00a0 That something else, though, there was the rub.\u00a0 The something else<\/em> told her they were dangerous, unnatural.\u00a0 That they shouldn\u2019t be there, that Kellin was doing wrong.\u00a0 While she found it hard to believe that Kellin would ever do something to hurt other living things, she\u2019d watched the pain one of the something else<\/em> suffered when it tried to touch one of these.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There were seven of them, ringing the camp, most of them facing the ravine sides.\u00a0 They had to go away, but quietly.\u00a0 Kicking them over wouldn\u2019t do.\u00a0 Kicking them over would just make Kellin put them back together again.\u00a0 That just wouldn\u2019t do, not at all.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No, she had to do little<\/em> things.\u00a0 Things that wouldn\u2019t be noticed right away.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She crouched over the first of the tiny cairns, reaching into her pocket and taking out a few small leaves.\u00a0 Carefully removing the original leaves from the cairn, she tucked these into its place, staring blankly at the stones.\u00a0 She licked her thumb and carefully erased a line on one of the lower stones.\u00a0 Straightening, she scuffed a toe lightly against the circle, just barely breaking it, small enough to maybe escape notice.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The herb leaves looked the same as the ones she\u2019d replaced.\u00a0 The chalk lines, to quick, casual inspection, looked the same as they had before.\u00a0 The circle appeared unbroken.\u00a0 She nodded slightly to herself.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It would do.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, child.\u00a0 That will do.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She looked up in the dawn light to see the shadow standing a few feet away, among the dark trunks of the ravine\u2019s trees.\u00a0 She tilted her head slightly, staring at it\u2014the figure didn\u2019t seem to have a gender.\u00a0 She wet her lips, then asked quietly, \u201cWhat will do?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just that.<\/em>\u00a0 It was smiling at her, and the smile sent shivers down her spine.\u00a0 You\u2019ve done well today.\u00a0 Now keep doing it.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cOf course,\u201d she murmured.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And forget.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Forget.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Forget.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Forget.<\/strong><\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She jerked and nodded, almost in a daze.\u00a0 The words echoed through her skull, shot more shivers down her spine, make her skin and scalp prickle with cold and power.\u00a0 It was unlike anything she\u2019d ever felt before, and she didn\u2019t feel like it was entirely<\/em> unpleasant.\u00a0 She just nodded in response, then turned to go, promptly forgetting why she\u2019d come out here in the first place.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then she looked down at the bucket sitting near her foot and remembered.\u00a0 Water.\u00a0 She\u2019d come out for water.\u00a0 But why had she come this way?
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She sighed softly and picked up her bucket.\u00a0 Morning autopilot, probably, wandering half-asleep.\u00a0 It was still early, after all.\u00a0 She was silently grateful she hadn\u2019t been on the watch today.\u00a0 That would have been awful.\u00a0 Walking around in a daze while she was supposed to be making sure nothing threatened them?\u00a0 That would certainly have been a complete disaster.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stasia waved to her on her way to tend to the horses.\u00a0 She smiled and waved back.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGetting water?\u201d\u00a0 Stasia called.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t sleep, but I can\u2019t wake up, either.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stasia laughed.\u00a0 \u201cMatt\u2019s awake and making some of the coffee.\u00a0 You should snag some when you get back.\u00a0 It should help.\u201d\u00a0 She paused by the tent\u2019s flap.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re riding down to that sheep farm that Tala and Kellin talked about a couple nights back.\u00a0 Still have a few extra saddles if you want to come.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I\u2019ll pass.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I can handle more corpses.\u201d\u00a0 That first day had been bad enough.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, we\u2019re not going until a little later, if you change your mind.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThanks Stas.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome!\u201d\u00a0 The other woman disappeared into the tent, where the horses were stirring awake.\u00a0 She watched her go for a moment, then shook herself.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Water.\u00a0 She needed to get the water, and then get back.\u00a0 There were things to do this morning.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She started for the other end of camp.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The sun was just starting to peek up over the trees and the ruined dorms as she padded quietly toward the edge of the camp, beyond the tent with the animals and the building supplies.\u00a0 It was the first … 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":[25,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-9","category-day-10"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-7A","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470","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=470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}