Sides of War

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Bloody Mess

When Jorlin opened her eyes again she was looking at the ceiling, the light from a nearby torch casting wavering light over the stones. She sat up abruptly, blood rushing from her head and causing it to ache.

"You'd better lay down," came a voice from her side.

She turned and saw Jamath sitting in a chair beside the cot she was lying in. After thinking for a couple seconds, she obeyed him.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, putting a hand up to her forehead.

"Just for the night," he replied. "Daybreak was a couple hours ago. After the attack last night King Tobran doubled the security of the castle. Right now he has men trying to get to the bottom of this."

A few seconds of silence dragged by.

"Jamath, are you busy today?"

"I can be free if you need. Why?"

She took a deep breath. "I need to make arrangements to leave tomorrow."

"What?" he asked, eyes widening. "What are you talking about? Where are you going? You can't leave now. You still need to get better."

Jorlin closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to calm herself. "Jamath, if I stay here I'm going to die. I need to leave. I'm not only putting myself in danger, but everyone else in this castle too."

He looked down, wringing his hands.

"It's what I need to do. So are you going to help me or not?" she asked.

Jamath nodded with a sigh. "Aye. I'll help you. But only when you've proven you're well enough to go."

She sat up slowly and looked down at her leg, the bandage crusted with dried blood. The pain was only moderate, so she gingerly unwrapped the bandage. The gash had healed over with a large, red scab, and the skin around it was swollen and pink. Swallowing down the nausea, she asked, "Not too bad, eh?"

"Hang on," he said, standing up. "I'll be back in a second." He left the room, leaving Jorlin by herself.

As she looked around, she realized she was in Draven's room. It was probably because there'd be a huge, bloody mess in hers.

Jamath came back a short while later, carrying a bowl of water and a cloth. He set the bowl on a nearby table and sat down in his chair. As he dipped the cloth in the water, he looked over her and said, "You look..." He chuckled as he wiped it gently over her face. "...pretty bad." When he took it away, it was stained with red.

"What happened to the body?" she asked quietly.

"It's been taken care of," he replied evenly, dabbing at her skin some more. "They're still cleaning up the room. The body is still unidentified. Just a random man, I guess. There was a bounty letter on him, though, so it clears a lot of things up."

She remained silent as he continued to clean the blood off her face.

He said, "Let me see your hands."

She held them out to him, and he began to wash the dried blood off.

"Are you really sure about leaving?" he asked in a small voice.

She hesitated before replying, "Aye."

"Where will you be going?"

"Scotland."

"You sure? England would be a safer route."

"No. War with England is almost inevitable. If they find out I'm from Agradien, it won't be good. I might be accused of being a spy. I think Scotland is a better option," she replied.

After he finished washing her hands off, he leaned back in his chair. "Do you think you'll ever come back?"

She leaned back thoughtfully. "Maybe in a couple years."

He looked up suddenly. "Years? Do you really think it needs to be that long?"

Jorlin nodded gravely. "Aye. People tend to remember for a long time. Maybe tensions will be lower by then." She paused. "The only way I could come back is if the kingdom thinks I'm dead."

His eyes widened.

"I need you and Draven to spread a rumor that the bounty hunter succeeded, that I was murdered."

Jamath looked down pensively. "I'll talk to him about it," he said, standing up and grabbing the bowl and cloth. "I'm going to get things ready for you to leave." She hated the way his voice sounded. He wasn't supposed to sound like this. "See you later."

"Goodbye," she quietly replied as she watched him exit the room. 

Jorlin!" came Draven's harsh voice from the hallway.

She sat up straighter in the bed and stretched. It had been a long, boring day.

He swung the door open, golden light pouring into the room and his shadow spilling onto the floor. As he marched over to the bed and sat on the side, he asked, "What's this Jamath's talking about with you leaving?" He looked hurt. It was an expression that looked so foreign on his face that she could barely identify it.

She refused to meet his gaze. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"You're not well enough to leave!" he protested, motioning to her leg.

"I'm fine!" she shot back. "I can walk."

"Being able to walk doesn't qualify as being able to make a trip all the way to Scotland!" He swore under his breath as he rubbed his face with his hands. "What're you thinking, you idiot? And this rumor you want us to spread..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.

"It's the only thing that'll work!" she protested. "If I'm ever going to come back it's the only way. They have to think I'm dead. And by being here, I'm putting everyone in this castle in danger. Not only that, but there's bound to be another attack soon if I don't move," she snapped. "The bounty hunters obviously know where I am. I doubt they'd bother to follow me all the way to Scotland, even if they did know where I was going."

He stood up and began to pace the room. "But don't you think tomorrow is too early?"

"I might not even have that long," she said. "I have to go while I still can."

"No," he said, his voice gaining an edge that she hadn't heard before. "Stop this. You can stay here. I'll protect you."

"You know that can't happen."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no need for this, Jorlin. You're just being a fool. There's got to be a way around this."

"Draven," she yelled, her patience wearing thin. She finally found the courage to look him in the eye. "You know I have to do this. And I'm going to. I can do this."

"I know," he said, his eyebrows drawing together. "It's just that I can't." He slammed the door on his way out of the room.

Jorlin let his words sink in. She covered her face with her hands.