Carmine (Completed)

Chapter 6

The trees were sparse on this land, and there was only enough vegetation to make it look like a swamp. We were not in the woods, but a savannah fading into obscurity. 

The sun baked me, but it was better than the endless similarity of the tree’s wretched hands and shapes in the dusk of the never ending night. Flames crackled before me and simmered into a dull raze that barely held its bright color.

My fear was palpable and it was hard to fathom, or much less reason. Fear had that power over me, yet it had not made this situation any better. Was I mad or was this a dream?

“Thanks again, you did wonders for me,” the Terison said.

I paid no attention to him. He was badly injured from his last fight and did not even ask for my help. I washed the wound with water left from a carton, yet wine would have done the trick better, but water was what I had. After that, I patched him up with wrapped sogany bark.

A lifetime spent reading books gave me the knowledge that the liquid from that bark had good healing qualities. I realized the wood was harder to discern from other wood. Good thing, I remembered how the leaves of the sogany tree looked from the illustration in the book.

It was hard to get it off the tree, but his axe helped with that.

I pressed the broken strips on his body. The ooze pushed out from the center and I massaged the chest with it, while his under shirt; I cut that and wrapped it tight over the bark.

I honestly thought he would have died, so I prayed to Ashuor for his recovery. Maybe, I should have let him die; he was intent on acting as immaculate. 

I was an idiot, but I was an empathic idiot who desired not being alone.

He slid the thick bark of dark wood in front of me. It had fried fish, some random herbs and berries I know little of.

I chanced a question. “You poison that?”

He quirked an eyebrow at me. “You were right here when I cooked this.” He rolled his eyes and twirled. “Hard for me to sneak in poison if you are here watching me. And you were watching me quite intently, I might add.”

I frowned, then looked away when he turned to me. He was so confident because he saved me, but I was not in his debt. I needed to escape, but I always had to escape from something. 

There was this dark feeling though; that no matter where I ran, he would have found me. Someone would find me at least.

Where had that other guy come from? Why were witches interested in me? And what about this man, who did he serve?

“You know, I am trying to help you.” His eyes never wavered. 

I rubbed my ankle which was not sore anymore. It probably was not broken.

“How?” I asked.

“There are a lot of dangerous folks out to kill you. I am not one of them. I am going to protect you. I was hired for that. My job is simple, carry you to the destination. That man you were traveling with had other ideas. You would not have reached home I fear if I did not kill him.”

Fury consumed me when he said that so casually. Garth had a family, you fool! But I merely said, “You are only looking to get paid.”

He laughed to himself. “I still have to keep you alive to do that.”

I snorted when he sat on the other side of the fire. It was far from Ascus, but I never suspected that far. There were two countries between this country and Ascus.

This was going to be a long journey. To think my father was so determined to hide and lock me away from the world like that. 

The idea of Garth trying to kill me was not something I wanted to swallow. Even if my belly growled for the food down in front of me, I wanted no part of it.