{"id":591,"date":"2011-09-05T00:00:02","date_gmt":"2011-09-05T04:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=591"},"modified":"2011-09-05T00:00:02","modified_gmt":"2011-09-05T04:00:02","slug":"day-10-chapter-9-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=591","title":{"rendered":"Day 10 – Chapter 9 – 15"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something felt wrong<\/em> as the horses clicked over the concrete toward camp.\u00a0 Kellin shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, glancing sidelong at Tala, who\u2019d ridden back with her to round up Rory and the flatbed.\u00a0 Tala tilted her head, looking at Kellin funny.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Kellin said, brow creasing as she looked around slowly as their horses continued to move beneath them.\u00a0 \u201cBut something isn\u2019t right.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomething?\u00a0 Something like what?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin almost regretted saying anything\u2014almost.\u00a0 She bit down on her tongue.\u00a0 Now\u2019s as good a time as any.\u00a0 She heard what the little girl said about the shadow man, and she just looked confused, not horrified, not like the kid was crazy.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cKel?\u00a0 What, do you just have a Han Solo style bad feeling about this?\u201d\u00a0 Tala edged her horse closer as they drew nearer to the rubble of Mackinac Hall and their camp beyond it.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomething like that,\u201d Kellin muttered, trying to shake the pins-and-needles feeling that shot from her toes to the top of her head.\u00a0 Something was out of joint, something that hadn\u2019t been when they originally left this morning.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Could something have punched through the wards?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know <\/em>how.\u00a0 We set those as strongly as we could at the time, and used the herbs to help strengthen the protections\u2026<\/em>\u00a0 She frowned to herself, glancing at Tala.\u00a0 \u201cThings just don\u2019t feel right.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala pursed her lips.\u00a0 \u201cAre you sure you aren\u2019t imagining things?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about you, but having a shotgun pointed at me a while ago kind of rattled my nerves, even if Paul did<\/em> turn out to be a nice guy protecting his baby sister.\u201d\u00a0 She shivered.\u00a0 \u201cNext time something like that happens, it\u2019s going to be too frickin\u2019 soon, y\u2019know?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d Kellin agreed, not really listening.\u00a0 She was focused on the feeling of nearby cold and shadow, on the pins and needles feeling that was getting stronger as they approached the camp\u2019s ward lines, the lines she\u2019d checked and rechecked before setting the wards in their current configuration.\u00a0 Something had gone wrong, but what?\u00a0 She nudged her horse into a trot over the last few dozen feet they needed to cover.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cKellin?\u201d\u00a0 Tala actually sounded concerned now as she kicked her horse to keep up.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not imagining things, are you?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think I am.\u201d\u00a0 I just have no idea what happened, that\u2019s all.<\/em>\u00a0 She set her jaw and stayed mounted until they crossed the ward lines.\u00a0 The pins and needles feeling all but vanished, leaving in its wake a vague numbness she barely noticed.\u00a0 A shudder went through her as she reined up and dismounted, looking around slowly.\u00a0 Her eyes fell on a gouge in the turf.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala followed her gaze as she dismounted more slowly.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s that<\/em> from?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t know,\u201d Kellin said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m going to go find out.\u00a0 Will you take care of the horses?\u00a0 And find Rory?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t look like he\u2019s here,\u201d Tala said, looking toward where the flatbed was usually parked.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe he went somewhere.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin grunted.\u00a0 \u201cProbably to get more crap from the home improvement store.\u00a0 Take care of the horses, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Kellin held her reins out toward the other woman.\u00a0 Tala just nodded as she took them.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 Want me to keep an eye out for him?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeah,\u201d Kellin said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd take him back to the farm when he gets back and unloads.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you guys out there after dark.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat, because of some shadow man that the kid and her brother saw?\u00a0 One she maybe<\/em> imagined?\u201d\u00a0 Tala frowned briefly, eying her for a moment.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026you don\u2019t think she imagined it, do you?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m actually pretty sure she didn\u2019t,\u201d Kellin murmured, meeting Tala\u2019s gaze.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, apparently reconsidering what she was about to say.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think it was, then?\u201d\u00a0 She asked.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure, but if my suspicions are correct, it\u2019s not a good thing, I\u2019ll promise you that much.\u201d\u00a0 Kellin shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cIf you really want to know, I\u2019ll tell you later, after dinner.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tala hesitated before nodding.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 Okay.\u201d She chewed on her lower lip, then gestured toward the two horses.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get these guys taken care of, then.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGood,\u201d Kellin said, then started walking toward the tent they were all living in.\u00a0 Tala lingered behind with the horses for a moment before she started to lead them down to the tent where they were keeping the building supplies and the livestock.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Drew was the first person she saw, and from the look of relief on his face, something bad<\/em> had happened\u2014possibly worse than she\u2019d ever suspected.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u00a0 What\u2019s happened?\u201d\u00a0 She asked, closing on him.\u00a0 He gave her a level look as he took her by the elbow.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe need to talk,\u201d he said quietly, and that was all he said until he\u2019d tugged her further away from the ward lines, into the very heart of their camp.\u00a0 The nearer she got to the center point of camp, the further away the feeling of numbness became.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDrew,\u201d she said softly as he brought her toward the spot they\u2019d been keeping the radio, \u201ctell me what happened while we were gone.\u00a0 Where did that big gouge in the grass come from?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then she saw the remains of the radio and blinked.\u00a0 Hairs stirred on her arms, then laid back down again as she forced her expression to impassivity.\u00a0 There was power here, but it was the barest remnant of it, like the memory of a dream fading upon waking, a faint echo of what had been.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis wasn\u2019t the only thing that happened,\u201d she said, staring at the remains of the radio.\u00a0 There was something oily and black about it, impure and unclean.\u00a0 At the same time, though, she could sense the barest traces of some kind of protective force, clean, strong, but almost completely obliterated and masked by the darkness.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he said quietly, towering over her, arms crossed against a broad chest.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re getting stronger, Kel.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat is?\u201d\u00a0 She asked as she edged closer to the blackened desk, carefully moving aside the toppled chair that sat in front of it.\u00a0 Sense of that positive force is stronger around the chair than the desk\u2026<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe black shadows.\u00a0 The winged things.\u00a0 They\u2019re getting stronger, and bolder.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what the gouge was, Kel.\u00a0 One chased Care and J.T. and I.\u201d\u00a0 Drew\u2019s voice stayed quiet, as if he feared someone would overhear.\u00a0 \u201cIt crossed the wards.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t have been able to do that.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A chill shot down Kellin\u2019s back, as if someone had suddenly replaced her spine with ice.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d she said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cNo, they shouldn\u2019t have been.\u201d\u00a0 She backed away from the desk.\u00a0 \u201cI have to check the wards.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll come with you.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She almost told him no.\u00a0 Something made her think that she should\u2019ve, but she simply nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Something felt wrong as the horses clicked over the concrete toward camp.\u00a0 Kellin shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, glancing sidelong at Tala, who\u2019d ridden back with her to round up Rory and the flatbed.\u00a0 Tala tilted her head, looking … 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-591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-9","category-day-10"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-9x","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591","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=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}