The Crown of Bone(Skyrim Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Defective Ossicles

"How long had I been unconscious for? I feel the cold seeping into my bones like a washed sheet left to soak in the wet of a clumsy child."

Rayne began tensing and releasing her wound up fingers and toes as she tried to ready herself for sitting up. It felt as if a burden of physical pain had been released as a boulder of strain replaced it as quick as it could.

"Weeks. You're lucky you survived this long without food or water."

"My brother taught me how to absorb water through my skin when I was younger. That ability alone has saved my life multiple times – I did this when I had been held captive in Windhelm."

"How is that even possible?"

"Years of practice! Trust me: Argonians baffle me more than dragons do."

Propping herself up onto her elbows, Rayne attempted to steady herself as she dragged her back to a straight line. It took more than she thought it would to bring herself to a sitting position even though she let her back rest against the headrest of the bed. Breathing felt heavier than her body and at first, Rayne had found it difficult to even exhale alone. Everything felt foreign and strange to her since she had been unconscious for quite a while. Despite all of it being familiar even in its exotic nature, there were things that actually were new to her that Rayne did not remember encountering.
One happened to be the Dunmer mage resting on a chair seated beside the bed Rayne was bolstered to, however, she and Dusk had become acquainted some time before; the other was the burly man standing beside Carak as he sat across her on the dresser. He had arrived with the Altmer woman that Carak refused to converse about. The Altmer had gone out to find food and word about bandits that might be close to their stead.

"May I ask who your associate is, Carak?"

"Ah! Where have my manners gone? I would like to introduce to you, my 'associate', Detritus Wickhouse. Detritus, this is the assassin I have asked for assistance; her name is Rayne."

The man named Detritus moved closer toward Rayne and nodded his head quietly. He seemed to be the type of man that used actions to speak words his mouth clearly could not and that alone made Rayne feel as if she could trust him with her life.
Detritus did not possess the chiseled jawline many warriors did – it faded into a softer, more curved line as it reached up toward his ears and hung down in a circular state on his chin. His eyes were narrow and brown; nothing reaching toward spectacular or mystifying and his nose was thin and short, stopping in the middle of his face. His lips however, were pale and held a thickened pout across the surface of the skin whilst three large scars ran across his cheek and mouth. His ginger hair was tied up into a spiky, unkempt ponytail that hung low over his back and covered his ears; his eyebrows were angular and slightly pointed at the curve of his brow bone.
Nothing about Detritus was special or stood out from anyone else but something about his aura made Rayne believe he was than capable of conveying himself if the time came.

"Detritus doesn't seem to say much. Is this a matter of choice?"

"He is partly deaf: one of his ears suffered a terrible amount of damage when he was attacked by a Sabre cat on one of our previous travels. Detritus was lucky enough to be able to keep his ear intact but his hearing is now dependent on one ear so he stays quiet whilst people speak."

"That does not mean I am incapable of providing my perspective on a matter. Rayne, I have heard many a story about you and I must dare to say: you are quite amusing a woman."

Rayne reddened as she sat watching the burly, ginger-haired man made his way over to the Dunmer mage asleep on a chair. He tapped her head lightly with a finger and smiled smugly as she flinched and opened her eyes slowly. An exasperated yawn seeped into the cool air of the cabin, her sluggish movement was characterized by the hollow bags beneath her eyes.