Medal of Valor

Got some sleep, but less than I think my body would like. Oh well... STFU body. I'll rest when we're safe, or I'm dead. Probably the latter, since none of us can claim any more to be safe in this world. Sucks to be a light sleeper, but at the same time, it's probably a good thing even if it means anyone's slightest move wakes me.

I found a track back in my blog stats to a blog that frankly creeped me the hell out. I doubt I would have found it if it hadn't linked to one of my posts. I can't see why it's got an adult content warning on it, except that it's creepy. So now I know you're watching me, you a-hole, and I've made sure you can't touch me or mine before posting this. I'll be listening for the sound of motorcycles too.

All that said, I don't quite believe it. The Rake in my attic? Eh, no. Not buying it. Not sure what to make of his comment about other watchers either (and didn't really appreciate what he had to say about my beliefs). I mean we knew Prosper was out there, we even found his blog (as indecipherable as it is), but who else is out there watching us? It's enough to make a person crawl into a corner for the sake of having a nice solid wall at their back and never come back out again.

I dragged Shady out with me when I buried the bottles. My resources are dwindling, but there's a lot you can do by simply justifying the idea in your mind, stringing along the symbolism till you arrive at the conclusion you desire. I tried to explain that to her, since I know she has an interest in magic.

"Tools, and even charms and talismans, are just a way to focus the energy on a specific task. It's circuitry for the energy to flow through, a logarithm that keeps it on task.  The spirits in the house and around it are a security system, but these bottles are like an electrical fence. They form a perimeter, the four corners and the front door, which defines our space as separate from the outside. The sixth jar is home base."

"So anything that gets too close is gonna get zapped?" Shady smiled at the thought.

"No, not exactly. It's more like... if whoever it is intends the property or anyone inside it harm, they won't be able to get close enough to do anything. It's like the Irish idea of the fód seachrán, the stray sod." At her blank expression, and I imagine quite a few others are looking at my post funny (which is why I included the link), I explained. "One, it makes them uncomfortable if they do want to hurt us, and two, it makes them confused and turned around so that they can't get close enough. In fact, the harder they try to get in and the angrier they get, the harder it would be for them to get here. Though anything big and bad enough would be able to plow through it so... you know... like if He came for us, we'd be SOL. It's the best I can do on short notice and with the tools I have though. I'll be layering other defenses on top of it, but it's good ground work for anything I put in later."

"And these things?" She flicked the little vial around her throat. I was just lucky I'd had enough vials to make one for everyone.

"There's a little sliver of wood from the house, a small piece of stone I chipped out of the foundation, some mud from the swamp around the old pump, some wax from the bottle under the hearthstone, and a loadstone... a magnet, in each one. So long as you keep it with you, you should always be able to get back through the wards. It's like a compass attuned to the house itself. That's what that symbol is that I painted onto it, the Vegvisir. It's an Icelandic compass rune. And being connected to the house wards, it should also have a similar affect on anyone who might want to hurt you. They won't even be able to get close enough to take it from you."

"Sweet!"

"Yeah... I just hope Sunshine doesn't try to eat his," I muttered, filling in the hole over the last bottle and putting the sod back over it.

"I don't know. He looked kind of pleased with himself when you put it around his neck." She grinned. "Maybe he thought it was a medal for meritorious service."