The Little Dark One

2

RUNE

Rune awoke in a room that smelled of tobacco and smoke. Without opening her eyes, she allowed herself to take note of the sounds and smells that were familiar: the smell of burning incense, the sound of a horse nearby. Then, she focused on the unfamiliar:  the feel of silk against her skin, the smell of iron and steel…

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dimly-lit bedroom, a thick blanket covering her half-naked body. A single candle flickered on the table beside the bed she now laid in. 
The floor creaked outside the door of the bedroom, and Rune sat up, reaching for a weapon that was not there. She cursed when a flash of pain ignited in her side, and she doubled over. 

A single knock came, and then a voice. "Uhm, I assume you're awake, considering the healthy amount of foul language I hear." A man's voice, Rune noted.

Vaughn, she remembered. She'd found him wandering the streets just minutes after…

She threw aside the blanket to discover her side bandaged, a dark red stain bleeding through. "Shit " she muttered.

"Are you alright in there? I hope you didn't open up your stitches. I will literally get my head bitten off if you did," Vaughn said through the door, his deep voice muffled. There was a soft thumping sound, and then a grunt of pain, as though someone was hit. "Gods, Mairi. That hurt."

"Did she open her fucking stitches?" Snapped a female voice. "Gods, Vaughn. You made her open her stitches. Good going!" A soft knock echoed, and then, "My dear, I'm Mairi. May I come in?"

Rune lifted the blankets back up to cover herself. "I guess," she called. 
The door opened with a creak, and a beautiful young woman entered. Her hair, cut to just below her chin, was the color of a raven's feathers, and her angular eyes were a deep amber, accented by a line of black kohl. Although she was short, her body seemed to be completely made of muscle; no ounce of fat to be found. And the clothes she wore helped to accent the lean tones of her body: the sleeves and back of the tunic had been cut out, allowing her arms and shoulders to move freely, and she wore a pair of short trousers that barely reached the middle of her thighs. On her feet were sandals that had straps that criss crossed up her leg, stopping just below her knees.
"How are you feeling?" The young woman asked, moving to sit at the end of the bed. She gestured toward the bandage. "You didn't rip the stitches, did you?"

"Well, I'm extremely sore, so it would be hard to tell if I ripped them open," Rune replied honestly. She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers getting caught in the tangles. "I assume you're the one who stitched me up?"

A smile. "I am," the young woman said. "And I would appreciate it if you took it easy for the next few days." Her eyes fell to the markings that were steadily growing up Rune's arms, gesturing to them. "I take it from those that you're the Wiccan Vaughn told me about."

Rune tucked her hands under the blanket. "I am," she said softly. "Are either of you going to report me?" 

Mairi raised an eyebrow. "Why would we?" She asked. "I mean, at least for me, I had always wanted to meet a Wiccan. But, as far as I had been told, the only one remaining was the one sent away in exile. Now, after dreaming of meeting one for so long, here you are, a newly-born Wiccan. I mean, how amazing is that?" Mairi chuckled, then her face grew serious, leaning towards Rune. "Now, if Vaughn were to try and report you, I would have him hung upside down by his toes and bled dry."

There was an audible curse from the other side of the door, making Rune smile a little. 

"Thank you, by the way," Rune said quietly. "You didn't have to stitch me up. I only went to Vaughn because he was the only person I knew in the town."