The Lion's Gambit (Book One) Fully Released

Chapter XI - Aftermath

Lucinda stretched before sitting down behind Kota as she adjusted the straps around her waist. The leather straps held a sheathed sword behind her back, slightly above her waist. She placed the fabric of her black skirt under her legs as she crossed them. Then she fixed the white fabric of her tight blouse, which fell down to her knees, off to the side of her covered legs. Taking off her black leather gloves, she rolled up her sleeves below her elbows and held out her hand over Kota's bare, bruised back.

Lucinda studied the depth and sizes of the bruises scattered over Kota's back. She moved both of her hands over a mark near his right shoulder. He lurched forward in reaction as she began mending, and she grabbed his left shoulder, bringing him back to the required position. "Stay still," she ordered. "Maybe if you hadn't got tossed like a doll around that room and had defended yourself, it would not be this bad."

Kota sat silently with his head resting on his knees, which were covered by his brown trousers. "As Sonya can attest, that thing was huge. At least seven feet tall."

Lucinda shook her head before she looked over to Sonya, who came out from behind a tree. Examining her gear, Lucinda saw chain mail that stretched from underneath Sonya's right shoulder to over her left shoulder, a brown cloth underneath it. A small leather shoulder piece with brown straps lay over her bare right shoulder for added protection. Around her waist sat a brown leather belt from her hips to a little above her stomach, holding various weapons and supplies. A red cloak ran from her neck and past her left shoulder, covering most of her left arm.

Sonya reached around her waist, pulling a few berries from a pouch and placed them in her hand. Light-brown leather vambraces covered her wrists to her elbows. As she stepped closer, she avoided broken branches on the ground, and she made little noise with her leather boots. She fed the berries to Arro as she glanced over at the two of them and shrugged. "He is not wrong. That thing was pretty big. Kota got some good hits in though."

"Fine, but at least one of you came away with nary a scratch on their body," Lucinda mentioned as she gestured to Sonya.

Lucinda then pulled her hand back to continue her work on Kota's back. The mark she was mending slowly shrank, and the skin returned to normal.

Kota turned around, seeing Lucinda wearing her fitted white shirt, which spread out on either side of her waist, fanning out the closer it got to her knees. A leather breastplate that was dyed black lay across her chest, stopping a little above her waist. She wore no metal armor, only leather, and a belt wrapped around her waist, holding various pouches for supplies. Kota could also see that she was wearing black leather knee boots before she pushed his shoulder, so he faced forward.

"Thanks, Sonya, but only one of us can call upon fire with a snap of their fingers," Kota pointed out.

Sonya signaled Arro to fly into the trees before tying her hair into a ponytail. Then she grabbed a small twig that lay on the ground next to her. Snapping her fingers, she held the twig as she created a spark with her hand, lighting the twig ablaze. Sonya flicked her fingers as the twig fell to the ground, turning to ash on the way down.

"Is that why you do not wear any gloves?" asked Kota, keeping his body still as he moved his head to see her better. "I thought I saw the gloves you were wearing burn up during the fight with Cordelia."

Sonya smiled and nodded before flexing her hands in front of her. "Unlike you two, I have my own inner warmth, so I do not need gloves and thick clothing. All those layers would just impede my calling. I need my hands free, anyway—they are my channels for my calling."

Kota glanced around the area, keeping his body straight, before turning to watch Sonya wiggle her fingers. He was about to ask a question when Lucinda pushed him back forward. "Stay still, please. Otherwise, I will let these heal with time."