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As I wake, I can see that it's almost dawn. My arms are sore; my head is propped up so I can see Alastor bent over me and Seth, sitting no more than three feet away, is glaring at him, hand on his sword hilt. Ethan walks up and notices I'm awake. He's smiling widely, a drastic contrast to Seth. “Well it's about time you woke up. We were starting to worry the sun would rise before you woke, then Alastor wouldn't have been able to help you.”
“Wha... what happened? What's going on?”
“You passed out,” replies Seth, “Got a nasty scratch on your arm. The vampire said he had to help you, that Ethan wouldn't know how to handle werewolf wounds, or something like that.” He said his last comment with a scathing look at Alastor. He clearly still doesn't trust him; it probably took a lot of convincing to get him to let the vampire work on my wounds.
I try to sit up, but Alastor stops me by putting a hand on my shoulder. “You should rest; these wounds still need to heal and you probably don't want to look at them before I get the bandages changed.” I look down and notice my arms are wrapped in bloodstained bandages
“I'll be fine. Besides, you shouldn't be outside now. The sun will rise any minute now. If you're caught in the sunlight, you'll turn into dust; you know that!”
“Don't worry. I'll be covered up before the sun reaches us, Lorin will make sure of that. I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier, protecting Lorin from me when I... wasn't myself. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Why wouldn't Ethan be able to heal me? Seth said I'd only been scratched. And why were the werewolves so reluctant to fight you?”
“I used to train them, I had to. Ethan wouldn't have been able to help you because I learned that wolves lick their claws before battling so that even a scratch could be infectious. I know the only way to effectively draw out the infection before it sets in permanently at dawn.”
I'm about to ask him to show me this method, when Lorin walks up with some hot broth for me to drink. Being reminded of the fact that Alastor can't eat human food, I feel sorry for him and Lorin and the disadvantages they will have in such a
relationship. I only wish there was something I could do to help them.
Lorin's wounds have healed nicely, she doesn't even need the bandages I'd put on her yesterday. As the sun rises, she wraps thick bandages around Alastor's arms and head.
Seth walks over. “We should be at Yeste by this afternoon. We should tie up the vampire before we get there or we'll run into trouble. Do you think you can ride by yourself, Sapphire?” He almost completely ignores Alastor right beside me.
“I feel fine to ride, but maybe you should ask the good doctor to be certain.” I say with a head gesture towards Alastor.
Seth grudgingly turns to Alastor and asks, “Can she ride her horse now, or are we going to have to put her on a stretcher?” Alastor manages to say, through the bandages over his mouth, that it is alright for me to ride Starlight so long as we don't go faster than a mild trot, lest we risk my muscles being damaged from the strain of gripping the reins. I personally prefer riding bareback, but am forced to use a saddle and bridle so as not to raise too much curiosity.
We head off by the time the sun just starts to kiss the dirt road before us. My side aches dully, but other than that I don't feel much of the wounds I received last night. Alastor looks uncomfortable in his wrappings, but we couldn't find anything darker that wouldn't make him overheat. He's steering Starlight today, so I don't strain myself too much while I'm still healing.
The fallen leaves have now become a mat as we head deeper into the forest, and I hear thrushes rustling the organic carpet in search of their favourite foods. When winter comes, all that will be left will be the chickadees and other winter birds. The squirrels and rabbits will be safely tucked away in their holes, the summer birds in the south, and the people, nestled in their coats, will be trying to live normally in spite of the cold. The world is in a constant state of change, for good if it's natural. I will cry for what was lost each year, but rejoice for what has been, and will be, gained.
Lost in my thoughts, I fail to notice we are nearing the town until we're almost walking beside the bottomless lake and the roaring of water hitting water wakes me from my reverie. “We'd better stop here a minute,” says Seth back to the rest of us behind him, “to tie up Alastor, unless you want a fight with the guards over there.”
Alastor and I jump off Starlight's back and I grab a rope from one of my saddle bags. “Sorry, Alastor,” I say, “but this is the way it has to be. We don't want trouble with the people we have to defend in the future.”
“I understand. You might want to blindfold me as well, to make it convincing.”
We start off again, with Alastor, tied and blindfolded, following behind Starlight and I. A tether rope joins us together. As we come to the gaits a guard approaches us, not the same one as last time, and, seeing Alastor, allows us passage into the city with no more than a nod. Judas must have informed the guards of the quest he sent us on. I can see the guard from last time manning the gate as we pass through the tall arch towards the inn. The wide streets are fairly dusty and lined on either side with buildings no taller than three stories. There are few people walking the streets in the afternoon heat, but there should at least be some children playing. The people here are very suspicious and must have noticed Alastor trailing behind us.
We make a beeline towards the inn; Lorin is rather anxious to see her cousin. As we enter, the room is crowded with people who want to see the captured vampire. Unfortunately for them, Jana and I whisk Alastor off to a side room, which turns out to be a coat closet, before any of the men can attack him. Seth, Mella, and Ethan take Lorin to the back where I saw Judas waiting. Alastor is nervous for some reason, despite us having taken him from the immediate danger of a mob killing him, or at least trying to.
Jana and I start to untie him. “Something doesn't feel right. I don't trust the people here, especially that innkeeper,” he says, looking around rather anxiously, as if there was someone hiding in the heavy hanging coats ,just waiting to jump out and attack him.
“Don't worry,” I tell him, “I'll go out and make sure everything is alright. You don't have to fret about Lorin either. We'll convince him to let us take her to the haven, for a while at least.”
He still doesn't seem at ease, but has relaxed a little. I creep out of the room and shut the door behind me before the nearest men can try forcing their way in. They briefly remind me of the dogs back home who would try sneaking into the kitchens every time the door's opened after a successful hunt. I wonder how many dogs have passed on or been born since I've been gone. Justin didn't tell me much about the dogs in his letters, save for his hunting companions.
I manage to squeeze my way to the back, through the tight crowd that threatens to make the building burst at the seams any minute. Judas waves me into the kitchens and shuts the door behind him as he enters.
“Sapphire, good! We were just about to discuss where Lorin should stay,” says Ethan.
“Why should that even be an issue?” asks Judas, “I'm perfectly capable of looking after my cousin here. She could stay at the inn.”
“Yes,” replies Seth, “but there is the issue of the vampires coming after her. They hate to lose, after all. I just don't think the people will be able to defend against an attack of vampires and werewolves.”
Judas looks rather offended at this remark, so I jump in. “We mean no disrespect to the town, but a whole coven of vampires bent on vengeance is difficult for even the most well fortified city to defend against. Kierin city is a perfect example of that, and this is the first place they'll look for Lorin. We want to take her to our haven to protect her, just for a little while, until the vampires find better things to worry about; no one knows where it is. Besides, it would be bad for business if you kept the person drawing vampires to the town in your inn.”
“I suppose you have a point,” concedes Judas, “but what about that vampire scum you dragged in here? I don't want it in the same place as Lorin, I hardly like that you even bothered to leave it alive.” Lorin is standing in a corner of the kitchen, probably knowing that it will only make things worse if she protests, especially if she lets slip that she's in love with Alastor.
“Don't worry,” says Mella. “He's harmless. He even helped us to defend Lorin against a pack of hungry werewolves last night, and helped heal Sapphire's wounds. We can trust him.” Judas doesn't seem to hear anything but “Sapphire's wounds” and “pack of werewolves.” He turns an uneasy look my way and I roll down the tops of my gloves and bandages to show him they were no more than scratches, which seems to relax him a bit.
Finally, after what seems like ages of him thinking things through, he nods his head in surrender. Lorin can stay at the haven, with Alastor there as well. I can see Lorin, still in the kitchen corner, smiling in delight. I then notice Emilia walking up, a tray of drinks in her hand (most likely for the men gathered in the dining room that made up most of the first floor), from what looks to be a cellar. As much as I would like to talk to her again, she is out the door Judas and I had entered from before I can even begin to think of what to say.
We soon follow her out the door to see the crowd has thinned considerably. We wait for those who've stayed to leave, either to their homes or their rooms, which takes until the sky begins to darken. I walk over to the coat closet and let Jana and Alastor know it's safe to come out now. Alastor's taken off his wrappings, he won't need them now night is fast approaching.
We are saddled up and out the gate by the time the first stars start to appear. I can faintly hear the songs of the stars beginning. I would love to join them in their melody, but the others would think me strange, not being able to hear the music themselves. I wonder if Justin is staring up at the stars, these same stars, right now as well. I find myself, once again, missing my friends, my family. . . my home.
We follow the trail we'd left behind us when we'd left the haven. Since we're not trying to chase anything this time, it will take us at least three times as long to get back. The stars now shine brightly as we leave the lighted town and enter the quiet countryside that leads to the wilderness. I think back on the events that have lead up to today, while slowly nodding off on Starlight's back.
 Girl of the Dragons · Mon Dec 20, 2010 @ 11:46pm · 0 Comments |
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