Private Tales Upriver

[Rayth Keirn]

The assassin didn't chase after Eislyn. She didn't even shoot the Princess an angry glare. The rock struck the side of her face that was already bruised. That eye shut completely and remained that way.

The assassin stumbled back, clearly shaken. It did not matter how tough you were, being struck in the head by a rock was disorientating.

Rayth advanced slowly, still suspecting a trap. A few quick probing strikes revealed her slowing reactions and he continued to try and press the advantage.

"Didn't see that coming did you," he gloated. He didn't feel the confidence in his voice. Instead he silently thanked Brin - wherever his soul might be resting - for throwing himself at the assassin.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn frowned. She was out of rocks. Head snapped back up as the assassin turned a sudden burst of energy on Rayth.

“No,” she breathed, fingers tightening around the splintered wood. It wouldn’t end. Even if she and Rayth killed this assassin. It wouldn’t end. The duke was a powerful man.

This princess was done with being helpless. Feet tipped to her toes and she pushed forward, holding the wooden shard like a spear. What it once was. What had already sliced into her side.

She didn’t have weapons training. But she had bravery. And stupidity in this moment. The assassin was elated to see the prey coming right to the hunter.

But the assassin did not anticipate the sudden beam of light to erupt from the end of that wood and slice into the assassin’s shoulder. Neither did Eislyn. Which was why the princess wasn’t prepared for the throwing knife that the assassin pulled and threw with liquid grace of a killer toward her chest.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

Rayth squinted as the beam of light lanced past him. He did not know that it was an accident. Eislyn had just channeled her power through a very ordinary shaft of wood as if it were a magical wand.

Even wounded the assassin moved quickly. She reacted with a fluid grace faster than he evn could with thought. Her sword arm hung low but she reached for a weapon from her belt with the other. It ocurred to Rayth that perhaps it was Eislyn's magic itself that brought on this hunt.

It was a throwing knife, he realised too late. He had taken a step forwards to press home the advantage as the blade was spent spinning end over end. He wished he was so skilled thag he could have plucked it out of the air with his sword. He was not. He threw his left arm out into the air. All he could do was put as much of himself between the blade and Eislyn.

He felt the hot sting suddenly. A moment later he saw the blade tumble to the ground by Eislyn's feet. He grunted in pain as he felt the warmth of his blood soak into the bandages. The knife had probably cut a wound parallel to those left by the krakarl.

Keeping his left arm tight to his chest he rushed towards the assassin, knowing he could not stay back just to be filled with knives.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

The bite of the blade never came. Rayth was a blur and the throwing knife hit the road. Anxiousness filled her gut as Rayth launched himself at the assassin.

Damnit Rayth.

Eislyn's free hand rose, palm shining bright at Rayth's back. Not the burning kind like with the krakarl. It was like looking into the sun, directed at the assassin's eyes. The woman grimaced and looked down, not stepping away from Rayth's blade in time as it struck a killing blow, sliding neatly through her body. Eislyn's hand trembled and she lowered it, feeling her head spin at the sudden use of her gift.

She'd never used it like that before.

"Rayth," she took a staggering step toward him.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"That was for Brin," Rayth snarled as she fell away. The assassin slowly slid from the blade, leaving it coated in her blood. There was no remorse in her eyes, just a cold hatred for the ones to have undone her.

Rayth dropped to one knee and wiped his blade on her black cloak. He was going to search through her belongings to see if there were any clues. Then his mind seemed to catch up with the way Eislyn had spoken his name.

Leaving his blade lying across the body he turned and stood quickly. Eislyn was stumbling towards him.

"Eisyln?" he held out his arms. He had almost forgotten carrying her back up to the town after the battle with the Krakarl.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

One more step and she was leaning against him, tucked against his chest, arms trembling arms wrapped around the swashbuckler. Eyes peeked over his shoulder at the unmoving figure of the assassin. The expression of the woman's slack-jawed face. The blood. Those cold, hard distant eyes.

The princess in haled sharply, verdant greens squeezing closed as she tried to will the world from spinning.

"Are you okay?" She breathed against him. Where had the dagger pierced him?

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Yes," he replied firmly. The pain was actually digging its claws into his thoughts. He raised his left arm behind her head, holding it away from her where he could see it.

Blood seeped from a very clean cut, but it did not pour. He knew the wound wouldn't kill him. Right now that seemed like a win.

"It will need stitching. Unless...unless she had poisoned the knife too. In which case..."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Arms un-circled from around him. She took a step back. She was weary and weak. Needed to at least sit down for a bit. Rest.

Eyes drifted to the slide on her own side and then to his arm.

"I don't think there was any poison in the spear. I think I would've felt it by now. But let me see your arm." That royal, no-nonsense tone was back in her voice. Someone who was used to giving orders rather than taking them.

If Rayth relented, she fingers would gently cradle the place around his wound and her eyes would close. Another part of her gift was healing. She knew natural herbs and remedies, learning the art of healing from her mother and their massive library. Her gift just enabled her to take it to another level.

Magic purged infection and poisons where some plants couldn't reach.

Rayth would feel a warmth to his skin, not unpleasant. But strange. And a tugging sensation as the wound would begin to close and tighten.

"No poison," Eislyn whispered, eyes moving beneath tightly closed lids.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

He was too tired to even offer a glib remark at her tone. When they had first met he had been quite taken with the idea of winding her up. Then when the shriekers had come it had entirely backfired when she had walked all over him.

Rayth didn't watch his arm as she worked. He watched her expression. It was supposed to have been a game. All this danger around them and what played on his mind was that he had fallen far, far too hard for a princess who he could not keep.

"You've more control of your magic than I expected. More than she expected too I think."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Golden brows scrunched along a strained forehead. It wasn't all the way healed but it would save him from needing stitches. Eyes opened as a fresh wave of dizziness hit her.

They found Rayth's familiar gaze.

Realization and alarm sneaking in like a thief in the night.

"You think she knew?" She sunk back on her heels and promptly sat in the road. Legs wouldn't support her anymore. "But I've been so careful until...," voice trailed off.

"The cave. How would the duke know?" Was it possible? Was it possible that the assassin was some sort of seeker? And if it was true. If the duke did know. All he had to do was say a word to her father and her life would be as good as over sure as a spear to the heart.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Perhaps not," he replied. "I didn't mean to panic you. She was clearly a dangerous creature. Likely not one to be shocked by a little magic."

Rayth turned and sat on the turf beside her. He laid his hand upon hers, weaving their fingers together and then moving both to settle upon his own knee.

"How much has that drained you? I don't want to risk finding out that the rest of their crew is close. Then again, I doubt she would have waited for them. She probably didn't leave tracks for them to follow either."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn allowed her eyes to close a moment. But she still saw the body there. That slack-jawed expression wouldn't leave her memories for awhile. Neither would that hatred.

Fingers curled into his hand, squeezing lightly. Why was a simple touch from Rayth able to steady her so easily? Heart twisted in her chest.

Eyes opened.

“I’m tired,” she settled on the truth. “I could walk enough to get a little ways off the road. But that’s about it. Do you think we’ll make it to town before dark?”

Fingers of her free hand reached in the road for the discarded iron bangle and slipped it back onto her wrist.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Let's find shelter and settle down. Somewhere we can watch the road. If you feel able to press on then we can."

Rayth groaned as he drew himself up. He looked down at his forearm, still bemused. It had been bleeding profusely before. Perhaps enough to had been more serious that it had seemed at first. Now it was closed and his blood was drying.

"I'm tempted to search her things, but perhaps that would be unwise. Could well have poisons and all sorts in that cloak."

He offered Eislyn a hand and more importantly an encouraging smile. They were still in one piece. He liked to stitch his life together with all the moments he had been in peril and escaped with his neck.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

“Perhaps you can search with a stick?” The suggestion was spent with a tired smile. On her feet she held onto his hand a moment longer to make sure she wasn’t about to fall. The world wasn’t spinning as much. This was nothing compared to what she’d expended in the cave.

Finally releasing his hand, she adjusted her pack and stepped further into the woods that lined the road. Steps were slow and measured. The ground rose and then dipped, falling toward a river out of view from the road. And on that river was a simple cabin. Looked like an old hunting cabin, probably used for the winter. It was small. Looked like one room from the outside. And it looked abandoned.

She looked back to Rayth.

“Maybe our luck has changed?”

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Knowing our luck the cottage will be owned by a witch who is just waiting to make human pie," Rayth bemoaned. He had a hand clasped tightly around his wounded forearm. He hoped that with a little pressure it wouldn't start bleeding heavily again.

He removed it and drew his sword softly as the approached. He called out as he stepped up onto the veranda. The wooden boards creaked beneath his feet.

Rayth turned the handle and then pushed the door open with his toe. The cottage was quite empty.

"Can't light a fire, but it'll be warmer than out in the open."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eislyn was not too far behind Rayth. Her footsteps creaking a bit lighter. She peaked in, following after the swashbuckler.

"Don't see any witches yet."

There was an old stove in the fire place and a wooden table close by on three legs. One looked shorter than the others. Empty, dusty bottles littered the side of one wall and there was a fine layer of dust on the floor boards.

On the opposite side of the fireplace there was a small bed with a hay-filled mattress. Eislyn made a beeline for that. Shoulders shrugged off her pack and she picked up the blanket, giving it a good one-two-three shakes. Satisfied most of the dirt was off, she placed it back down over the hay and sat on the edge of the bed.

She dug the water out of the pack and some good old dry jerky. Drinking and munching, she then offered it to Rayth. "I'm excited to get to town if only for more food options." She cracked a smile in his direction.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"I promise a full four course meal," he said with a big grin. "I've just had ship food for the last two months so you will get no disagreement from me!"

His biggest concern was now worm food in the road. The rest of the crew that had drawn into the harbour would not be tracking them over land. Space to breathe for a few hours. Not quite enough that he dared to set the fire going for a little extra warmth.

Rayth sat down on the bed with an appropriate space between them. Just at the edge of arm's reach. Yet he wasted no time in lifting off his tunic and starting to unwrap the bandages from his forearm. They had mostly been cut by the assassin's knife anyway.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Boots were unlaced and unceremoniously kicked off. Nose crinkled. “Two months? Ship food doesn’t include fruit or vegetables?”

She wondered. She knew she traveled not like the commoner. But she also wasn’t like the typical noble who demanded four course meals while traveling with cakes and the like. She’d rather give more of her funds to those who actually needed it than a pie.

She couldn’t help the secret glances at his chest. Memories of the pool were all too present. She focused her gaze to the blanket she pulled from her pack.

“How is your arm?”

 

[Rayth Keirn]

He pursed his lips as he rotated his hand back and forth to get a look at his arm. It stung frightfully. Lacerations in one direction from the krakarl were bisected by the fresh wound from the assassin's blade.

"Well, its going to leave a weird scar," he said. "Too early to see if any infection will set in."

Rayth left the wrapping off for now so it could have some air. He turned to his boots, working his laces free with one hand.

"No vegetables, but we have fruit that will keep. Lemons and kesso berries. Not like we just eat magotty bread and biscuit. Not unless the wind fails and we get trapped at sea for too long. But it's not a four course meal at a good inn... Somewhere with a fire. And wine."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

She eyed those lacerations of his.

"If you feel like you're getting an infection, tell me sooner rather than later." He knew now about the other part of her...gift. She could heal. When she had the strength. "Otherwise, we can pick up something in town. Maybe some healing salve."

Pulling her legs up onto the bed, she scooched to the far side, so Rayth would have room to slide in if he wanted to. She turned on her side to face him. It wasn't a large bed. They'd have to be close to share. Still better than sleeping on the ground. Things that would cause her father or advisers to gasp were starting to become easier were Rayth. She hoped that was a good thing.

She silently offered some of the blanket to him.

"A fire sounds lovely," she admitted with a yawn and drooping eyelids. Being from the base of the Spine, the cold didn't bother her as much as others. But sometimes a chill just settled in your bones and it was hard to shake.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

He eyed his arm. It was definitely too early to tell. How could you see reddening of the skin from infection when the skin was still so raw around the wound?

"I'll tell you," he whispered. "Not going to get anything out of hiding an infection."

They had a doctor on the ship, but the old ones liked to tell him that before that the ship's carpenter had been in charge of medicine. He was the most qualified, already knowing his way about a saw.

A brief look of fear crossed his face as he imagined having an arm amputated at the elbow. He shook it away and lifted his legs onto the bed.

Rayth laid onto his back, resting his left arm across his waist. He turned his neck to look at Eislyn. She was clearly ready to crash. The magic had taken a lot out of her.

"Any other abilities you have you'd like to tell me about?" he asked quietly.

 

[Eislyn Gray]

One arm cradled her head. Verdant gaze couldn't help their study of Rayth's face, getting lost in his own eyes for a moment. She found herself not wanting this adventure to end.

Despite all the bad.

Bad always came with unsuspecting good, right?

Sometimes.

Eyes closed as her lips quirked upwards. "I have an amazing ability to give out orders and people usually follow them. MOST people." In truth? She didn't know how else her abilities would manifest. She knew about the light against the darkness of this world. She knew about the healing. She hadn't known about the light being used as a physical weapon until today.

It was....scary.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

"Some just like to see what happens when you don't get your way I guess," he chuckled. He cupped her cheek with the warmth of his palm, thumb idly rubbing across her cheek bone.

"Just don't do too much, please?" he asked. "I know it was life or death. But if you've been suppressing your powers all this time..."

His gaze rolled across the curve of her shoulder, following her arm until it settled on her bangle.

"...it would be easy to push too far."

Magic had consequences. Everyone knew that.

"Your family should have had you trained."

 

[Eislyn Gray]

Eyes cracked open at his touch. It made her tired smile widen. Fingers lifted to trace along his wrist.

"I'll try," was the only genuine promise she could offer.

Face turned thoughtful before her eyes languidly closed again. "Maybe if my father didn't hate and fear magic so much, he would've. Not sure about my mother. I wonder if she could do anything. The walls of the fortress are made of the same material as this bangle, so, I was lucky I found out about mine at all."

Rayth would notice a change in her breathing as she began to drift off, sleep finally taking the princess.

 

[Rayth Keirn]

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and rolled onto his back, keeping his wounded arm cradled to his chest. There was too much to form any coherent reflections on the day. He simply watched the wooden beams above until sleep took him too.

When Eislyn woke she would find the space next to her vacated. The door was open, spilling golden dawn light across the floor. His silhouette was visible against it, sword at his belt and arms across his chest. Rayth stood quote still in silence, watching the woods beyond the cabin.