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As the shadows swam around Fal, she kept herself curled up, only responding when the soft fur of her lynx pressed its head against her. Pulling him close to her stomach to help stop the seeping of blood, she closed her eyes and waited for death. Only when the warmth of her lynx slipped through her hands did she finally understand someone was there that knew her. She felt hands touch her stomach, she felt the tremble it caused. The blood wasn’t going to stop, but it has slowed enough for her to be moved. Something tight was wrapped around her shoulder, and around her waist to keep what little blood she had left in her small body.
A twinge of pain.
A hard cool surface.
The pressure of a lynx on top of her.
Darkness sucking her in.
Some seconds, minutes, hours, Fal didn’t know how long and there were shadows above her again. She didn’t feel her lynx nearby, was she in danger again? Was she back in the hands of slavers? Fal’s mind swam around in circles. Past collided with present, knocked back into the past again. Finally her sight cleared enough and she could make out Aldiann’s (Dani) face. Relaxing again, she just watched as those around her again grew darker and fuzzy as her sight dimmed again. To her right sat Dani, to her left, she felt strong hands grip her hand. It seemed like her hand was being swallowed up by the person’s hands as he gripped tighter. Fal turned her head to see who it was, after her vision swimming in and out, it finally managed to focus in on the face. She’d grown to enjoying to look at this face, among others of the Dawn’s men, it was the kind face of Basaran. His lips moved and Fal parted dry lips.
“Legs kicked out. Knife to stomach. Knife to shoulder. Attacker woman, maybe young male that nu grow into body yet. Left Fal naked and bleeding.” Fal answered his question. He had asked her what happened. That was all she could get out before he became naught but a shadow to her again. Closing her eyes she laid there, weak and broken. The peace of darkness didn’t last long, a searing pain touched her stomach and she jolted her eyes open. What was shadow was now clear. Unwilling to cry out she chomped down her jaw, locking it tight against the pain, a smile touching her lips. Old habit, old training, never let them see your pain.
The pricks of a needle going into her flesh, first her stomach, then her shoulder. The pain was numbed, something thrust to her lips to drink. More questions asked, all about what she had to counter infection, pain and the like. Fal answered what she could but she was tired. She drank what was given to her, forcing herself to swallow. Fal knew it was for the best, knew well what herbs were in the warm water. She could taste them, name them all. Faces dimmed again, but not so much that she couldn’t make them out. She tried to keep up with what was being said, it was about her, but their lips weren’t clear enough to make it all out. Closing her eyes till she felt strong arms embrace her as they lifted her up. Fal again opened up her eyes looking around, she remembered saying something about her home being nearby. She watched as Dani said something about knowing where her house was so she didn’t rob it. Fal quipped back about Jinta not letting her in to do such. Then all seemed to stand still again. Fal’s eyes again grew heavy.
In a weak voice Fal spoke out, eyes half open, “Giddy up horse, home.” Soon after some persuasion, they put her in her unused bed. She’d grown to dislike them, the only time she slept in a bed was when sold for a night, or weeks to a client, now they remind her of those night. They said she had to be in something soft that cradled her small body. The bear fur on the floor was too hard for her wounds. She’d be stuck in that bed for a while she was going to have to get used to it till she was healed.
Soft kisses on her forehead.
Smiles of dear friends.
A tongue she would never be too weak to nip at.
These are the things that stayed in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. She thought no more of the attack, but of those around her. The people she thinks of as friends.
