{"id":889,"date":"2011-11-30T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2011-11-30T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=889"},"modified":"2011-12-01T09:28:30","modified_gmt":"2011-12-01T14:28:30","slug":"day-21-chapter-12-marin-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=889","title":{"rendered":"Day 21 – Chapter 12 – Marin – 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory had to practically sit on J.T. to prevent him from doing something <\/span>else<\/span><\/em> violent to Phelan. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I saw that out of the corner of my eye as I stared at Phelan with a mixture of shock and horror.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019re doing <\/em><\/span>fine<\/span>?\u00a0 <\/span>Five of us almost died\u2014or something\u2014three days ago and he said that we\u2019re doing fine?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I swallowed twice before I could trust myself enough to speak, but Carolyn piped up before I did.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She laughed weakly and shook her head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWe hit a rough patch a few days ago.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Hard to believe that we\u2019re doing \u2018fine\u2019 after that.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan\u2019s expression grew serious as he peered at each of us, then started to look around him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He finally seemed to notice the bruises on my face, the dark circles under J.T. and Rory\u2019s eyes, the stitches in Matt\u2019s face as he walked past, outside the tent, arguing with Davon about something.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou weren\u2019t just setting wards for the first time, then,\u201d he said slowly, his voice somehow richer, darker.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It stirred the hairs on my arms, though not in a way I would necessarily categorize as <\/span>bad<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo, we weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan stared at the fire for a moment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I frowned and shook my head a little.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you sure you have time to hear the whole story?\u201d
\n<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He smiled wryly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI think I\u2019ve got the time.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Tala passed me a bowl of something steaming and I dug in with a spoon, having a few bites of some kind of stew and getting my thoughts in order before I began to talk.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I told him about the attack on J.T., Carolyn, and Drew a week ago, then about the attack three days ago.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan\u2019s expression went from serious to grim and then to blank as I described as much as I could remember, then looked to J.T., Carolyn, and Tala to fill in the gaps at the end of my narrative.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn finally shook her head as she finished telling him what happened after I passed out.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo we\u2019ve been in a building frenzy since then, but we couldn\u2019t do much about the wards until Mar woke up today.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>By that time, I\u2019d gotten some more of the stew into me and was thinking a little more clearly, watching his reaction for any sign of surprise or horror.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There was a little bit of both in his eyes as he looked at each of us in turn, lips thinning to white briefly before the easy smile reappeared.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, all things considered, I stand by my previous assessment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You did far better than I could have anticipated under the circumstances.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked down into his mug for a moment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThough I\u2019m sorry I wasn\u2019t here sooner.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You probably could have benefited a bit from my help, though perhaps not as much as you\u2019d think.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I frowned at him for a moment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head slowly, meeting my gaze head-on.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI mean that they might have come after your camp sooner if I\u2019d been here rather than waiting weeks and subverting one of your own to help them do it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I went rigid.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We hadn\u2019t said anything about someone subverting our wardings, just that they\u2019d been damaged somehow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. took a quick, deep breath and Tala blinked a little.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory facepalmed and Carolyn slumped slightly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How did he know?<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I cleared my throat.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho said anything about that?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNone of you,\u201d Phelan said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut it seemed likely from the way you described the <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em> delaying when it tried to cross the wardings here, when they were chasing you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He gestured toward J.T. and Carolyn. \u201cAnd the fact that they delayed for so long before mounting an attack.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Clearly, you had some sort of defenses beyond your own manifesting abilities.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Camazotzi<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory made a face.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSounds Italian.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSounds like L\u2019Engle,\u201d J.T. said, frowning darkly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWas in <\/span>A Wrinkle in Time<\/span><\/em>, I think, but I could be wrong.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He blinked at the strange look Tala and I gave him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I wrote a paper on her for one of my 300-levels.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s Mayan, actually,\u201d Phelan said, mostly in response to Rory.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt refers to a particular deity or monster in one of their mythic cycles.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A bat god.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Tala blinked.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201c<\/span>That\u2019s<\/span><\/em> why it sounded familiar.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI think I read about them once, a long time ago in one of my anthro classes.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>One of the Twins cycle stories, I think.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s entirely possible.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just know what we call them isn\u2019t necessarily what they call themselves, but the nomenclature is acceptable for our purposes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He smiled briefly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m impressed that you were able to turn them back, actually.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re nasty buggers.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I grimaced.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTell me about it.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat about the little gray ones?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Carolyn asked, hugging one knee against her chest.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>J.T. slid his arm around her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat are they?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Phelan shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve always called them gremlins, but that\u2019s not the proper terminology, either.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re one of those things from the old times, one of those things that most folks have forgotten how to see, but never vanished.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Those are everywhere.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The <\/span>camazotzi<\/span><\/em>, however, are not.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They\u2019re one of those things that cluster near places where the ways between are thin, or where there\u2019s power nexi.\u201d His eyes grew momentarily distant.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I could feel him doing something, which startled me.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I couldn\u2019t usually feel things like that.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I watched him for a moment longer before he seemed to come back to himself.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He looked at me, tilting his head to one side.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTeague never mentioned that this place was practically on top of a major nexus point.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>My mouth went dry.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Kellin, Rory, Drew, and I had discussed things like that from time to time, but no one had ever quite confirmed our theories on that quite like this.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I managed to ask.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The corner of his mouth quirked upward in a slight smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe same way you do, Seer.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can feel it, too.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rory had to practically sit on J.T. to prevent him from doing something else violent to Phelan. \u00a0I saw that out of the corner of my eye as I stared at Phelan with a mixture of shock and horror. … 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":[31,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-12","category-day-21"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-el","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889","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=889"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":897,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/889\/revisions\/897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}