Hellfury

Chapter 16: Auri

Auri felt his hands on her. Gently wrapping her in cloth, he moved her from side to side and maneuvered the flimsy fabric around her upper body. He'd removed her bloodied shirt at some point and somehow given her a new one. His finger traced over the jagged hole in her shoulder and she grunted.
'Sorry. It's healing fine.' he said from above her and she focused her eyes.

His hair was wet, and the corners of her vision were foggy.
'Do not sit up too fast. Stay there. You ripped open one of the wounds twice and I ran out of thread.' he said and placed a hand on her shoulder pushing her back down to the soft furs.
'How many days?' she asked and tried to not wince as her dry lips cracked. She was going to die of thirst.
'You don't need to know. You need to drink water and not refuse when I make you.' he said and passed her a skin. He stared at her for a moment before he uncorked it for her and moved a hand behind her back to help her up.

Lightning illuminated the darkness and the thunder that followed made the entire cave shake. She surmised from the state of him and the bow propped up against the nearby wall that he'd been out hunting. She emptied the skin and passed it back to him. She managed to do little else before the fog circled her in and forced her back down on the bedroll.

Auri's mind took her back to the inn, to the feeling of his skin. To the way his eyes softened when she warmed him. He'd tried to kill her later that night but he had decided against it. She knew what it meant, she just didn't believe him. Auri thought he was lying again, and she had good reason to.

She had not been that delirious the last time she spoke to him. She remembered everything he'd said. He needed her. And she understood why. His need for her was not rooted in any feeling of love or admiration, or even thankfulness. He needed her to not die. He needed her because the moment she opened her mouth about what he had tried to do to her he'd be dead. Her father would have him killed.

She was still a pawn, she was alive because he needed her. Cahir had simply decided to go against the will of Nilfgaard and he would use her to free himself.

Auri struggled against the hands that held her down. She whipped her head away from the grinning toothless man with the knife.
    ' You will beg for death!'

The smell of him made her gag, she could do nothing but scream as his dagger plunged into her chest. The sheer malevolent glee painted on his puffy face made her close her eyes. She closed her eyes and felt the blade being dragged down to her middle. She felt the warmth leaving her and the ground swam with her blood-

'Shhh,'
Cahir ran a hand up and down her back again and again. He had his chin placed on top of her head and she held onto him. 'It's not real.'
She tried to pull away from him but her body refused to move. Everything hurt, she heard her own heartbeat pounding through her head. Her knees were scraped raw and she didn't recognize the sound of her own voice when she spoke.

'How long does it last?'
'I don't know.' he said simply and loosened his grip on her. Auri moved a hand to her face and rubbed at her eyes with her sleeves. The shirt wasn't hers-
It smelled of him. Sweat, wine and salt.
'Did you undress me?' she asked and looked at him.
'You undressed yourself. I handed you a shirt, then you shoved your head back into the furs and passed out. I think you'd had enough of the blood.'
'Thank you.' she said quietly and moved away from him. She'd been tangled around his waist. If the indentation in her furs was any indication she'd been sleeping on him and her screaming had woken him.
'No cursing this time, you're definitely on the mend,' he teased and rolled his neck.
Auri eyed him from the side and smirked.
'Make no mistake, the moment I can stand you're going to die for this.'
'I can't wait. I wouldn't want to fight you now, it wouldn't be fair to you. I want you to have a chance.'
'Are you always this eager to die or is it just because it's me?' she asked and placed her chin on top of her knees.
'I had actually expected a few thank you's and more stabbing, but I understand it if you're too weak-'