The Hunters' Quest

Chapter Twelve: Lick Thy Wounds

Two weeks have passed. After eating breakfast with Thyrna, I take my daily visit to see if there is any progress in Ulrika's health. She's still floating in a comma. Now her hair is past her shoulders. I'm worried that if she doesn't wake up in time, I'll have to cut if it gets too long. I'm not decent with blades on hair, so I pray to the gods it won't come down to it.

"Morning," I say to begin my one-sided conversation. "It's been fourteen days. I still haven't left your tent like I said I wouldn't." I stop talking the second I hear the flaps of the tent open behind me. "Whols there?" I ask without looking to see who it is.

"Your worrying, mother," Thyrna says. "Some of your friends told me you barely leave her sight."

"I want to be with her the moment she wakes."

"Kai, she'll be fine."

"She almost died, mother," I say, raising my voice slightly. "She almost got crushed to death!"

"Easy, Kai," she says, smirking as she points at me. "What did I say about controlling your emotional outbursts?"

"Control it even if the unthinkable happens," I quote.

"And?"

"In private, those feelings are acceptable," I finish. "Sorry, mother."

"Come here." She opens her palms for me to take. I submit to my mother's command and hold them. "Ulrika will be fine by herself."

"But," I say, detesting the idea of leaving.

"No buts. Plus, two people want to see you." She somewhat shoves me out of the tent. The bright light from the sun hits my eyes, temporarily blinding me with pain.

"Zavi!" A familiar voice says in front of me. I look between the cracks of my fingers to see the woman I'm assuming is Syren. She's the only person that calls me that name. "It's so nice to see you again." Her royal blue eyes pop through the bright sunlight.

"Syren?" My eyes finally begin to adjust.

"How's my Zavi been?"

"Busy."

"So I've heard. You went to battle in Galfalian, yes?" She asks in a calm conserving voice.

"That's correct."

"Wow," she gasps in awe with her hands on her cheeks. "Bounty hunter turned soldier."

"You're a soldier now?" Vahloin asks, seemingly appearing from my left. Zahava, their baby, is in his arms, sleeping with a pacifier in her mouth.

"No," I chuckle. "I was working contracts."

"Still hard at work, I see," Syren says. "I feel like you've been working nonstop since your contract ended with me."

"There were," I pause to think about some of the downtime Ulrika and I shared within the year. "There were vacations. And a marriage."

"A marriage?" Vahloin says. "Who was getting married?"

"I got married," I say, smiling.

"Zavi!" Syren softly shouts after gasping. I can't tell if she's happy or mad that I'm married. "Why didn't you come to tell us?" She asks before lightly backhanding my arm.

"Ulrika and I wanted a brief ceremony."

"Was it unwanted?" Vahloin asks.

"No," I snicker. "We were fighting the cult at the time." I quickly peek my head into the tent to check on Ulrika before I continue speaking with them. Nothing has changed. She's still floating. "I did speed up things."