These Old Bones

10-1

10

He awoke with a start, reaching for his sword that wasn't there and fighting against hands pushing him back down. He felt pain in his shoulder and his knee, but he didn't care about that. He needed to protect the child. The hands holding him down surprised him with their strength and he struggled against them as he came to his senses.

"It's alright, Grey. Easy, now. Easy." He spun his head in search of the voice, Tiera's voice.

"The girl! She's ..." He tried pushing the hands away.

"She's fine. We're all fine. It's over." Tiera's face came into focus, now, and he started to relax. She gave him one of her lop-sided grins. "I thought we were going to lose you and then she sat beside you for a few hours. She may not be able to control that healing gift of hers, but it works fast."

Brorzjav allowed himself to fall back against the backpack his head had rested upon, looking up to the sky. Hours, Tiera said, but a quick look and it seemed like the same time of day as when the fight started. Could he have been unconscious a whole day? He raised his head to look around and saw the area around him. It looked different, brighter and with fresh blooming flowers where none had been the day before.

"The mercenaries?" He couldn't see the bodies, only Tiera and three horses, tied together a few feet away.

"Dead. I took care of the bodies and freed the other two horses. It'd look strange pulling two extra horses with us, but I figured you and Viriili could do with riding for a while." At Viriili's name, he looked around for her. "She's around. When you started getting colour back in your cheeks and breathing properly, she took to the nearest tree to start practicing. She's dedicated, that one."

Brorzjav struggled to sit upright and accepted the water skin Tiera offered, taking a deep drink. He took a better look around him, now, and realised he was, indeed, still in the same place. It wasn't some after effect of getting injured, the area did seem far more vibrant and full of life.

"What happened here? The colours ..." He waved at the bright green of the grass and the flowers.

"She happened. Viriili. It seems this gift of hers doesn't just work on people." Tiera rolled up her sleeve and showed him a cut on her arm, already almost healed. "It seems, the more she has to heal, the stronger the gift gets. And look ..."

She offered him her hand and he grasped her forearm, dragging himself to his feet. He reached up to his shoulder and felt where the captain's sword had penetrated his skin. He could find no hole, only a throbbing fold of knitted skin that only felt as though he had received a hit from a hammer. Tiera led him a short way from the horses and pointed towards Viriili, attacking a nearby tree with, what appeared to be, a long fighting dagger, the guard curling up to cover her hand. She looked healthy and strong. Even as she had hid it, her sickness had shown. In her movements. In her face. Now, that had all gone and Viriili seemed as well as a child should at her age.

"She isn't feeling sick, is she?" He glanced at Tiera who shook her head, smiling at Viriili. "What does that mean? Did she heal herself, too?"

"I think it's all connected." Tiera turned her head as Viriili looked over at them, her eyes widening. She almost started to skip towards them, then recovered herself, composing her features and striding towards them. "She's been like it before. When I had the cut on my neck, and your old age aches and pains. Then we were both almost healed and she started acting ill. And again, after the Nightcrawlers, healthy as she healed us, ill when we were better. Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Aye. I see what you mean." Viriili reached them and Brorzjav knelt down, clutching the girl's shoulders, examining her. Her button nose now had a bend to it. "Bastard broke your bloody nose! What did I tell you, girl? Thrust and circle! Circle and thrust!"