Knights of the Nine - The Unborn Seed

Chapter 19: A Little Piece of Heaven

Blood swamped over the malachite table that held the heavily wounded Knight. His blond, greasy hair was unkempt and covering his face. A group of elves swarmed over the Knight, one with scalpels and other medical tools.

'What the fuck...?'

'Quiet, Derek. You're in critical condition.' Quinlan said as he placed his hands on his face.

'Not a thing you... should say to someone in - aghh - critical condi-tion' Derek made a smile but winced as he felt the piercing pinch into his skin.

'You're right, my friend.'

The elves working on Derek began to dig into his wound. Derek felt everything, the pinching, the cutting, the needlework. All of it.

'Fuck! Couldn't get anesthesia?' Derek flinched up which caused him even more pain.

'What is anesthesia?' Quinlan asked as he replaced his hands to the Knights shoulders.

'C'mon, Quinlan!'

'Master, take his mind elsewhere, please.' A doctor spoke as another began to peel back skin.

'Quickly, please.' Another doctor calmly said.

'Come with me, friend.'

It was quiet, birds chirping and butterflies gliding about. The sun was setting, there was a certain mist to the air like when one is near a waterfall. It was peaceful.

Derek was sitting at a tree trunk, a bird chirped above his head as he looked onward to see Quinlan. The elf walked towards him.

'Quinlan? Where am I?' Derek's voice was unfamiliar to himself.

'Ranthel. The Land of Dreams. A peaceful place, a place where you are safe outside of... reality.' Quinlan stood before the Knight.

'Hmm. I like it here, I think. No war, no death, no problems, no nothing. Just peace. How am I looking back in reality?'

Quinlan didn't answer.

'Am.... am I going to die?'

'Derek, we're doing everything in our power to make sure that does not happen.'

'Look into my eyes, Quinlan.' Derek took the elf's hand in his. 'Am I going to die?'

Quinlan looked sad, his mouth frowned a bit. 'It's... highly possible.'

Derek nodded and smiled. 'That girl did a number on me, eh? Where'd she stab me, left side of the stomach?' Derek felt around his belly.

'She did, she definitely did. She got you with a silver dagger, blunt tip and serrated blade. Stabbed it right into your lungs.'

'Ciri brought me to you.'

'She did.' Quinlan realized that was not what Derek meant. 'She is here, she is worried too. She knows what you know, she knows what I know.'

'I feel like crying but this place prevents me from doing so.'

'That is its job. To bring peace to the soon-to-be dead.'

Derek nodded.

'Remember 1187?'

Derek chuckled. 'Yep. Found you in a trash heap-'

'No, months prior to that.'

Derek turned his head and squinted his eyes. 'No. I don't.'

'You had a contract to kill a vampire. A "higher vampire" you called it. Was camping in Wintergale, you were. Thought you had it all figured out, where the lair was, where the stash of jewelry was. Thought you pinned the tail on the donkey, you did. So you went into the lair where you found me, an elven mage who already killed the vampire for you. That was hilarious.'