{"id":246,"date":"2010-04-16T13:30:10","date_gmt":"2010-04-16T19:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atfmb.com\/Evermist\/?p=246"},"modified":"2010-04-16T13:51:07","modified_gmt":"2010-04-16T19:51:07","slug":"chapter-twenty-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/atfmb.com\/Evermist\/2010\/04\/chapter-twenty-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Twenty-Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2010, Patrick Hester.\u00a0 All Rights Reserved<\/p>\n

Chapter Twenty-Eight<\/h1>\n

The first few days of patrol blurred together quickly, filled with heavy snow and endless riding.\u00a0 It didn’t take long for Eli’s backside to go beyond pain and well into numb.\u00a0 Walking became a chore whenever they would dismount to spell the horses or setup camp at one of the way stations.<\/p>\n

These were curious places where a path led down the outside of the Wall to a wide landing that seemed to cling there unsupported.\u00a0 He knew that couldn’t be and tried to put the engineering of it out of his mind.\u00a0 He’d spent each night in such a place; they had shelter against the snow and the wind seemed to flow right over without touching them.\u00a0 There was even a small stable for the horses, food and water stores and coal for burning to provide heat.\u00a0 Jaycn told him these stations existed the length of the Wall for the patrols to use and that wood was expressly prohibited for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n

“When you’re ready, we’ll split watches,” Jaycn said the first night as he handed him a mug of something hot and steaming.\u00a0 He sniffed it and couldn’t place the scent.\u00a0 A taste and it was bitter, but warm.<\/p>\n

“Kaff,” Jaycn said.\u00a0 “Helps with watch duty.\u00a0 Keeps you awake, alert.”<\/p>\n

Elias nodded, taking another sip.\u00a0 “How long before you think I’ll be ready for my own watches?”<\/p>\n

“A few weeks,” Jaycn answered, sipping at his kaff, eyes scanning the darkness beyond the wall.\u00a0 Elias looked out as well, but his eyes could make out nothing.<\/p>\n

“What do I look for at night?” he asked.<\/p>\n

“Same as in the day but the real tell will be what you hear.\u00a0 S’quiet at night.\u00a0 You listen for anything shouldn’t be there.\u00a0 Trees rustling make noise, they creak and swish and at night, it’s louder and carries farther.\u00a0 Don’t think we’ll have to burden the watch every night on our own, Klen will start a rotation and every squad member will have a turn.\u00a0 We need our sleep too.”<\/p>\n

Elias nodded again.\u00a0 It made sense.\u00a0 On a whim, he closed his eyes and tried to see if there were any noises like Jaycn described, but all he heard was the other man’s breathing.<\/p>\n

“Don’t be disappointed,” Jaycn said softly.\u00a0 “Not hearing something is a good thing.\u00a0 Means tonight, everyone lives to see another day.”<\/p>\n

“Right,” Eli said.\u00a0 Thinking for a second, he decided to ask something that had been bothering him ever since Fesh told them about the island.\u00a0 “How come these trees have to be kept behind the Wall, but the ones in my mother’s yard,” he refused to say ‘father’ even if it was his house, “Aren’t any sort of danger?”<\/p>\n

Jaycn sipped his drink.\u00a0 “Don’t rightly know for sure.\u00a0 But I’ve wondered that myself.”\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 “I don’t know as there’s anyone who could tell us one way or the other,” he turned and looked Eli in the eye.\u00a0 “Of course, have your mother’s trees ever killed anyone?”<\/p>\n

“No,” Eli admitted, swallowing hard.\u00a0 He turned back to the haze of the night, determined that no trees would kill any men that night.\u00a0 Or the next one, or the next.<\/p>\n

Four days in, the weather changed suddenly and he found himself riding with his shirt open and a wet cloth around his neck.\u00a0 The heat was oppressive, the air thick with moisture – he’d never experienced anything like it.\u00a0 Jaycn told him it was rare but it did happen from time to time.\u00a0 The haze that was the interior of the island seemed to be moving like clouds pushed upon the wind.\u00a0 Jaycn was particularly disturbed by this and kept his eyes open.\u00a0 Eli tried to do the same.<\/p>\n

That night, they found large paw prints in the snow of the way station and Klen ordered the watch tripled. \u00a0That night, the snow returned with a vengeance.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2010, Patrick Hester.\u00a0 All Rights Reserved Chapter Twenty-Eight The first few days of patrol blurred together quickly, filled with heavy snow and endless riding.\u00a0 It didn’t take long for Eli’s backside to go beyond pain and well into numb.\u00a0 Walking became a chore whenever they would dismount to spell the horses or setup camp […]<\/p>\n

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