Curse of the Jackalmen

Dentrilus

a/n i was a little unsure about how I wanted this chapter to go... So it took me longer to write. The flow seems rather awkward, definitely not my best.

Bitch please.  Awkward is the word of the day. 

I'm sorry.

I woke up feeling an almost unfamiliar sensation. The floor was not beneath me, scarcely cushioned by a thin papyrus pallet. I was held up by....something. I opened my eyes and swore loudly in Greek. I was on Syn's cot. How in the name of the Gods of Greece, Rome, Egypt, and any unknown barbaric land did I get there?

My answer had his head lying near my shoulder, the rest of him sprawled on the floor. His neck would ache after a kip in that position. I watched Syn's mouth open and close with fiant snores. His curly light brown hair was an unkempt mess, and the shadows about his eyes told me of the difficulty he must have had falling asleep. I hope it was not me he was stressing over. I am not worthy of his sacrifice of sleep.

I squnted at the window, trying to process what time it must be. I only seemed to be half an hour late....but why was I on the cot? My mind was to exhausted to remember yesterday. I sat up and instantly regretted it. Pain flared outwards from my side, hot tendrils searing in a web away from it. I gasped at the sudden assault, then resorted to weak whimpering as I clutched the bandaged wound.

"Hemmii?" Syn groggily raised his head, then seeing my failure to cope with the pain, blinked a few times, then seemed to awaken properly. "Oh Hemite! You were not supposed to move! "

He gently pulled me back onto the cot, and a squinched my face in pain. A few tears escaped my tightly sqeezed eyes; he noticed these and sighed.

Eventually, the pain dulled to an almost ignorable level, and I turned my head to talk to Syn. He had already clothed himself for the day, and was runnning his fingers through his hair in a fruitless attempt to neaten it.

"Sy-yn..." My voice cracked, and I realized how thirsty and dry mouthed I was. He must have inferede that and handed me a cup. I drank it greedily, rivulets dripping down my chin onto my tunic and the cot. Now I felt like I could speak properly.

" Syn... humour me by refreshing my memory. What happened?" I was warry of the answer, why was my side aching as if..... I could not think of a proper analogy. Syn must have had similar foreboding about this, for he furrowed his brow and turned his gaze away from my own.

"Well..... Um, I guess I need to know what you already remember."

"Only that we went to the river, I was thrown in by your brother and his friends. Then, I sat on the riverbank, and heard a growl." At this, Syn bit his lip slightly, presumably deciding how to explain what happened to me.

"Well, you were impressive Hems, quite impressive." When someone starts an explanation with that type of sentence, I know to exxpect the worst.

"You were attacked by one of those.....things..... you know, the ones with the jackal heads." I nodded. "well, you handled that one pretty well, but then there were two. Your shoudler got mangled." I now became aware of the soft throb pulsing beneath the linen wrap. " and you killed it. But the first one wasn't quite dead... it came up behind and stabbed its claw into your side with the last burst of life energy it could muster." He finished quickly. The words hung in the air, churning and souring the longer the breach in conversation lasted.

I summoned a steadying breath. "Then what?"

"You fell to your knees, I rushed over and... and.. it was messy." He pulled out something wrapped in fabric, with dramatic care, he undid the scrap around it. Lying on the thin layer over his palm, was a four inch, ink black claw. "I pulled this from your side. It was in all the way."

I stared in horror at the wicked cresent. That had been imbeded in my side, I almost felt sick. I could scarcely imagine how grisly the wound must be. And the amount of blood that must haved flowed from my semiconscious self.

"I went to get your friend..Karo? but he wasn't there. I bought herbs from the man and then took you home." He finished with a remorseful look upon his features.

"Oh.." I sighed, then the creak of the front door, and a sudden clatter of voices, one Kyrapatri, the other familiar, but rarely heard.

"FATHER!" Syn sat up excitedly. His father had returned a day early. I liked Dentrilus. He treated slaves, and especially me, with more respect than most egyptians put together. He spoke to me as if I could understand him. He listened to my opinions, and respected my beleifs.

Syn grinned eagerly. He glanced at me, then the door.

"I'll be fine for a few minutes. Tell your father I say hello." I slowly leaned back onto the cot. I shut my eyes and relaxed.

*

I felt guilty about leaving Hemi, she had seemed weak, but I wanted to see father. I gave her a quick reassuring glance, but she had shut her eyes.

I plodded out of my room. I didn't tell Hemite everything. She had fallen asleep on her pallet the moment we returned. After an hour, she started muttering nonsense, then she became feverish. She thrashed and whined so much that I moved her onto my cot for safety, then stroked her hair until she calmed enough to fall asleep. I must have fallen asleep with my head on the cot. My neck ached, but I didn't care. I barely accepted it myself, but the honest truth was that Hemite could die from this wound.

These thoughts sobered me considerably. My father had spent months in Rome, and I was eager to see him, but I felt duty bound to spend my time with Hemite. She had been there through thick and thin, and given me more than what was minimally required.

I trod down the stairs, but stopped at the bottom. My parents deserved some time alone. I sat myself upon the second step and waited. I knew my father would come upstairs to see Ptolis and me, I would just wait here to greet him.

Then, much to everyone's surprise, a few loud raps.echoed from the doorway. My father enthusiastically assured my mother he'd get it.

I moved so I could see who it was. The wooden door swung open to reveal a winded Karo, his head hanging as he caught his breath.

"I..came over...as..soon as I hea-" Karo looked up, and seemed startled to see Dentrilus. "Oh, Hello, sir. I came to check on Hemite's condition."

My father regarded him in a polite, but puzzled manner. "Um, who exactly are you? And why do you need to check on my son's slave?"

"Well, sir, I've known her for years, I'm Karo, the local healer's slave, by the way. And my master didn't tell me any details....." Karo replied.

"Oh, alright, come in then." My father ushered him in, and gave me a look that said "care-to-explain?" I nodded and jerked my head upstairs.

I had scarcely planted my foot on the first step when my mother burst in. She presumably had heard the entire conversation.

"We're not paying to have you treat that guttersnipe." She snapped in a cold voice. I found that rather harsh, after all, Hemi has saved my life repeatedly.

"Mother, is not that rather unfair?!"

"S'alright Synos." Karo quelled my speech and turned to my mother. "Ma'am, I require no payment to treat her."

My mother was calmed by this, and seems to retreat from her argument. My father ushered Karo and me up the staircase. I paused outside my doorway, glanced at my companions, and lead them in.

Hemite's eyes flashed open at the sight of the visitors. She began to sit up, out of deferent respect I assume, but both my father and I pushed her back onto the bed. She met my father's eyes and made an apologetic gesture.

"Hello, sir. I apologize for my condition."

"it's quite alright Hemite," he waved it off, "I'm pleased your still in one piece."

My father moved back, and Karo moved forward. He cast an appraising eye on her, and snorted."By the Gods Hems! You've nearly done yourself in!"

Hemite rolled her eyes slightly, but a faint grin formed on her features. My father glanced at me for an explanation. I gestured to the door and we walked out and down the hall to a balcony. I took a deep breath and explained.