Property of Kimra Lelanst, do not duplicate without consent.
Air thundered past, deafening straining ears. Ice and wind washed over, biting into skin and burning with it’s intensity. Something inside tugged and pulsed, licks of fire tracing through it all. Fingers flexed, muscles bunched, eyes clasped shut.
* * * * *
Her body hurt, crushed against rough and scratching matter. The taste of fresh air in her parched mouth. The cool air passing her bare skin, tickling the sweat that had accumulated at the small of her back making her shiver. And she wondered why she was outside.
A rustling noise sounded with each breeze, specks of dirt flicking into her face. The trickling noise of running water, not too far. Crickets sung their existence with merriment their song grating on her throbbing ears.
She opened her eyes to darkness, unwilling to move against the weariness that infected her existence. Grass tickled her noise, a spot of light beyond the tree’s burning into her retinas, a stick below her outstretched arm. Looming figures towered over her, slowly became tree’s as she adjusted.
A groan escaped her cracked lips. Her shoulder stung and throbbed and she couldn’t remember why. Her left calf muscle sent shocks of bitting pain up her leg and through her spine. Her chest constricted with each jolt, until the piercing pain from that area penetrated her numb mind and her breathing broke down into small pants that didn’t stop the pain but dulled it.
The stick below her outstretched arm poked in uncomfortably, multitudes of other matter poking into her in other places. She shivered in the cold night air, and tired to move. Her chest protested, like a knife driving in, she cried out, shock entering her system, air escaping her hold, tears thundered down her checks and she fought to breath again. It hurt when she pulled the first breath in too deep expelling it quickly she tried again, shorter, softer breaths slowly falling into a panting rhythm.
She heard them approach, their feet crunching against the dry ground. She wanted to cry out for help, call to them, but only whispered call’s could be made with the short breaths she struggled to take. She willed her courage forwards, a choice being made between pain and death, because without help she could not move. She drew the air in slowly, feeling the harsh point pressing against her chest as she prepared herself. Tears trickled unnoticed down hazy eyes and the breath escaped with all her strength as she called for assistance.
The movement stopped. Her body sagging against the ground, ignoring the pain this time, unable to bring forth the energy to care. She didn’t hear them approach, had lost awareness of them by the time the hand settled against her shoulder. Light flared in her eyes and she tried to blink the white dots from her eyes, trying to see the strangers.
Roughly the hand on her shoulder scratched, making the pain increase, making the need to feint draw nearer. “Look’s like she’s Foreitikets.” A male voice grumbled from only a little way above.
“Really? Never thought he’d take such bad care of one.” That voice was lighter, more musical and without the pain she would have been enraptured.
“Don’t matter, she’s his not ours.” The hand slapped down on her shoulder and a cry escaped her, followed by a gasp as she tried once more to control her breathing.
“Well pick her up then.”
When the hands closed around her chest and lifted her struggle to stay conscious failed, and the pain that ripped through her won it’s battle for dominance.
* * * * *
Water trickled down her brow tickling through her hair and tracing past her ear. She barely acknowledged it until more splashed her temples, and she wondered if someone was trying to drown her as the water trickling took five more paths down the edges of her face.
She gave a groan of protest, shocked that it was all she could get out of her dry throat. There was a shuffle of movement.
“She’s coming round.” A ruff female voice called from across the room. Rieishel groaned once more and went to roll away from the intruder. At the same time the lady cried out “Careful.” Pain shot through Rieishel and made her roll back into place tears of shock immediately sliding down her checks.
She took in a gasp of air. “What did you do to me?” She demanded sharply, her voice wavering and a weakness falling into her like a warning.
“Me?” She woman sounded offended by the accusation and the shuffle of feet across the room suggested she was approaching. “I spoon fed you dinner, cleaned and treated your wounds and let you sleep in my bed.” There was annoyed anger in the voice. “So if I where you… helpless as you are right now… I’d hold my tongue or show some gratitude.”
The angry tone in the woman’s voice said that even if she was lying she would become enraged at the prospect of being argued with, and that ruff uncut tone she was using said she was anything but a soft woman to deal with. So Rieishel settled back into silence and pushed away the discontent and pain that pulsated through her.
The sound of creaking hinges echoed through the room followed by Foreitiket’s “She’s coming around?”
“Go away.” Rieishel growled at him, a low rumble in her voice. She clenched her eyes closed tighter refusing to accept the reality around her.
He paused only momentarily then his blank voice replied with an infuriating “No.”
“Bastard.” She growled to herself wishing away the throb in her head and the pain in her body. She wasn’t quite sure what was happening but she did recall something to do with her shoulder and the feeling of anger fixed on the man now in the same room as her.
“Now, now, that’s not nice.” His voice was mockingly sooth and she did not respond because she felt his attention shift away from her injured body. “And what’s wrong with her Helder?” He sounded cheerful, a bounce in his voice that didn’t contaminate the sticky room around her.
Helder rattled the injury’s off like a list. “Three cracked ribs on the right side of her chest, a torn ligament in her right arm, and her left leg has a nice big six inch gash down the back.”
“Ouch.” He drew the word out casually, no sympathy apparent.
“That is of course without mentioning the multitude of bruises and abrasions she has scattered across her body. And the scabbing she has on her new tattoo.” There was a taint of reprimanding in the lady’s rough voice as she finished her words, and although she was tempted Rieishel didn’t look to see the expression that went with it.
Foreitiket released a small breath, the amusement leaving his presence in the room. “I’ll take her back now.”
“I’m not sure…” Helder began.
“She’s mine.” He interrupted swiftly.
“The collar…”
“Forget you saw her.” Warning flared in his voice, no soft tones of amusement marring his deadly baritone.
Rieishel opened her eyes this time, drawn by the tense silence that saturated the air to witness the confrontation.
The woman’s eyes flicked about randomly, fixing on anything but Foreitikets blue eyes that fixed determinedly on her. Her tongue slid out and wet her lips, her hands at her side shaking as she clenched and unclenched them. Her eyes jumped to Rieishel’s and left as quickly as they had landed, once more trying to find purchase on the walls and furniture.
Foreitikets frown drew darker, his eyes fixed on the woman before him. Then abruptly his expression shifted to a pleasant smile. He reached out to touch the woman’s arm lightly.
She jumped at the contact automatically meeting his eyes. “What can I do for you?” He asked it mildly, that nice smile still in place but his eyes where a little darker a little more accommodating to shady deals.
She seemed to hesitate then bitting into her lower lip began. “I’ve been looking for…” She gabbled and paused, her eyes jumping from his as she tried to find that elusive object that could take her attention from him long enough to remove the intimidation. “Do you know where I can get a-“ She looked back to him displaying a vulnerability with her expression that Rieishel realised could be the lady’s undoing. “I need a faery egg.” Even as she spoke the words the lady flushed a red that looked unhealthy but Foreitiket did not react to her embarrassment.
He stepped back onto his left foot, tilting his viewing angle of the woman his left brow rose with interest and his voice when it came was nothing but professional curiosity. “What species?”
“What?” She was still flustered and fluttered her hand nervously. “Oh it doesn’t really matter which. Just as long as it’s fertile.”
“Lets talk about this in privet.” He motioned towards the door, his eyes moving from the woman for the first time to Rieishel. Helder followed his eyes to see Rieishel and flushed once more. “I’ll be there in a bit.” She nodded her head and meekly scuttled out of the door, pulling it shut behind her.
The moment the door closed he turned to face her fully that deadly air he had supported while talking to the woman seemed to wash away to a mere trickle at the back of his actions.
“Isn’t that just merry. A faery egg…” He smiled wickedly.
And she couldn’t resist asking, “What would she want a faery egg for?” Of course she sort of knew what a faery egg was, at least vaguely. But as she lay watching him the amusement was lost on her.
“A fertile faery egg can hatch a dream.” His smile broadened closer to a grin. “And they tend to be used in love magic.” There was humour in the words Rieishel couldn’t see because his grin broke out completely blue eyes twinkling with an impish mirth that she didn’t fathom.
“I don’t get it.” Rieishel told him bluntly, affronted by her inability to understand. Faery eggs went missing all the time, the faerys where extremely territorial the further south you travelled because their eggs where fewer in coming, the northern faerys bred more and never tended to mind the missing eggs. She knew all of that and more, but she couldn’t see the humour still.
He moved across the room to her and settled his elbow on the pallet beside her ear before bringing his head close to hers. “The hag is looking for a mate. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been so red.” He whispered in a conspiratorial tone, his amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes.
She frowned in the face of his amusement. “How can that be funny?” She bit out the question, affronted once more, but this time on behalf of the woman who had left the room.
Foreitiket’s eyes rolled then quickly pinched the end of her nose. “Don’t move, not that I think you can, but I’ll be right back.” He jumped back from her and started for the exit. Rieishel tried to move, ready to protest but he was out the door before she could even think of a reason to argue. When the door latched she stared at it for a long time before resigning herself to fate for a little while longer.
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Property of Kimra Lelanst, do not duplicate without consent. |
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