{"id":989,"date":"2012-01-02T00:00:15","date_gmt":"2012-01-02T05:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=989"},"modified":"2011-12-22T12:37:38","modified_gmt":"2011-12-22T17:37:38","slug":"prologue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=989","title":{"rendered":"Prologue"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kira watched the sky, black and heavy with storm clouds, and clutched her sweater tighter around herself.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The wind whipped her hair back from her face as she watched lightning lick through the sky, far enough away that she couldn\u2019t hear its thunder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She shivered, lips thinning.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>No one for a dozen miles and more.\u00a0 <\/span>Us. The horses, the chickens, and the wild.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And we\u2019re the lucky ones?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She looked back over her shoulder, toward the cabin\u2019s big front window.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She couldn\u2019t see any movement inside; the lamps were still dark.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He was still in bed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That was best, in any case.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Turning back to the woods and sky, she exhaled a quiet breath.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I hope they\u2019re all right at the university.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe I shouldn\u2019t have let him talk me into coming here instead.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe we should have gone to them.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She suppressed a smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Of course, then I\u2019d have had to find a way to explain everything to Thom.\u00a0 <\/span>That wouldn\u2019t have gone over well.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Probably not, anyway.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Not after I sent that letter.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The letter.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She hoped it had made it to him in time.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The opportunity to call him, the one that she\u2019d hoped for, had never come.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m sure he\u2019s worried, if he got the letter.\u00a0 <\/span>I hope Phelan made it there, was able to explain.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Knowing Phelan, he\u2019d probably made a grand mess of things.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But that was all right\u2014it was Phelan.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019d get himself into trouble, and he\u2019d get himself back out again, too.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That was his <\/span>modus operandi<\/span><\/em>, how he functioned.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>All would be well.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The cabin door opened quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She didn\u2019t turn, just reached a hand back toward Teague, whose fingers slid into hers as he shuffled up beside her.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow long have you been out here?\u201d he asked quietly, squeezing her hand.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019m not sure.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Time is relative now, anyhow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A little while.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Didn\u2019t want to disturb you.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Teague nodded slightly and followed her gaze toward the storm.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnother nasty one,\u201d he murmured.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI didn\u2019t see this coming.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Her fingers tightened.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou didn\u2019t see what coming?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe storms,\u201d he said, lips barely moving, his strange eyes darkening slightly, troubled.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo many storms.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>And the quakes.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She tensed for a moment.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The quakes had stopped after the first few weeks, but she\u2019d thought he hadn\u2019t felt most of them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She stared at him for a moment, saw a faint smile tug at the corner of his mouth for a moment.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI wasn\u2019t sleeping that <\/span>whole<\/span><\/em> time, <\/span>a chuisle mo chro\u00ed<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes I was just resting my eyes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His expression smoothed out again as he took a few steps away from her, down onto the stone path that led from the gravel drive up to the cabin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He leaned back against the corner of the railing, wincing slightly as he crossed his arms.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe made it there,\u201d he said quietly.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kira joined him on the pathway, putting her arm around his shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWho are you talking about?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy cousin,\u201d Teague murmured.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe made it there.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Took him long enough, the bastard.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>His nose wrinkled slightly and he shivered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI should have mentioned that sooner.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAre you telling me that he wasn\u2019t there when everything\u2026when this\u2026\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>She clammed up, waving a hand at the sky, at the world.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe wasn\u2019t there?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>When it all came down, he wasn\u2019t <\/span>there<\/span><\/em>?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>How long were they alone?\u00a0 <\/span>Did they even make it out?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Goddammit all, he was supposed to <\/span><\/em>warn<\/span> them what was coming.\u00a0 <\/span>He was supposed to prepare them, to help them be ready.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>Pounding rose behind her eyes and she almost snarled, fingers digging into the flesh of her husband\u2019s shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 So help me god, if he was late and Thom died because he was fragging <\/em><\/span>late<\/span>, I\u2019ll march myself a thousand miles just to ram my foot up his ass\u2014and then do <\/span><\/em>worse<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Teague winced.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA little more vehemence, <\/span>a chuisle<\/span><\/em>, and you\u2019d be able to do that from here.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m sure they\u2019re fine.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He stared toward the lake for a moment, invisible beyond the tree line, then through the trees toward the roadway a few miles from the patch they\u2019d claimed as their own.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThough it will be a long, long while before we hear from them.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Kira swallowed hard.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat have you seen?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA lot of things,\u201d he whispered softly, reaching up to touch her hand before he took a step forward, into the waning light.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMost of which I can only just barely remember, thanks to the <\/span>Dirae<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Bloody poison burns more memory than flesh.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He sighed quietly, hand drifting toward the mostly-healed wound.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The poultices he’d shown her how to make\u00a0had finally done the trick on it, at least.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Her arms closed around his shoulders from behind and she rested her chin against his shoulder.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThey can\u2019t find us here, right?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d he whispered.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNot yet, anyway, but others can.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He kissed one of her hands, then stared at the sky.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Grumblings of thunder were closer now; they could hear them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The storm would be here soon.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLight the lamps,\u201d Teague said quietly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAnd write a letter to your cousin.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Someone will come to carry it soon.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>She stiffened in surprise and looked at him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He smiled faintly and leaned back to whisper in her ear.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He turned and walked back into the cabin, leaving her there, if only for a moment, alone.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The beginning.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>She looked back over her shoulder again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>But the beginning of what, my love?\u00a0 <\/span>The beginning of what?<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kira watched the sky, black and heavy with storm clouds, and clutched her sweater tighter around herself.\u00a0 The wind whipped her hair back from her face as she watched lightning lick through the sky, far enough away that she … 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":[35,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-00prologue-book-2"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1EBlN-prologue","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989","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=989"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":991,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/989\/revisions\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}