Chapter 5
Trust and Poison
Present Day - Stormhold Sewers
“Strap her down!” Ri’shai urgently pushed a few straps into Tolan’s hands. They were made of wamasu leather, a favorite prey of Tolan’s.
Tolan turned the straps over in his hands, meeting the gaze of Faradin. The dark furred, bright eyed, Kha’jit simply shrugged as if this was not his battle. Bastard would probably consider us lucky if she did die. Faradin leaned against the musty stone wall, flipping a coin in hand. Tolan turned to see the beautiful bosmer he’d saved, she was convulsing wildly on the sick-bed. She had been forced onto her right side, jerking about uncontrollably.
One of her horns, which was strangely chipped, was clawing into the stone wall. Tolan stepped over the unconscious bosmer on the floor and inspected the wild willowy mer. This is not good, Tolan thought. Foam was liberally pouring out of her mouth. Her eyes were rolling back into her head. Tolan grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her onto her back. He took the leather straps and began to pull them over her chest.
“Is blood supposed to be pouring from her nose Ri’shai?” Tolan spoke hestitantly.
“What?” Ri’shai lifted herself from the bosmer on the floor and turned to look towards her patient. “Oh Ri’shai is a dusting fool! Tolan we must move quickly.”
Tolan continued to strap the trembling bosmer down. He felt so helpless, how could he save this strong willed creature only to have her die in his very den? Tolan tried to push negative thoughts out of his mind. Finally the strappings were in place.
“Ri’shai needs you to cut open her leg Tolan, we need to seep whatever infection we can from the wound.” Ri’shai spoke, her back was now to Tolan as she was inspecting the unconscious bosmer on the floor. A knife in her elegant hand.
Tolan pulled back the grey woolen blanket that was placed over the weak mer. On her right leg sat a bandage, red-grey from the dried blood, tinged with an unnatural black. Tolan unsheathed one of his long knives from his belt. The knife had been use to do Mafala’s work. He wondered if he was doing Mafala’s work now. Tolan took the blade and cut the bandage from her leg wound. A pungent smell of decay permeated from the mer’s blackened flesh.
The wound was one of the worst he’d ever seen. While a simple dagger plunged into the meat of the thigh would be painful, it would normally heal after a few days on the mend. Only a few hours had passed since the wound had been inflicted, however it now appeared a week untended. The mer’s white flesh was a sharp contrast from the blackened wound. Purple veins surrounded the wound itself, a testament of the agonizing poison that had infected The mer’s bloodstream. Tolan moved to the wound on her hand, cutting off the bandage there, thankfully the wound seemed normal.
“Ri’shai, This is awful. What poison did they use?” Tolan spoke sharply.
“It’s nothing Ri’shai has ever encountered Tolan, You know what you must do.”
Tolan wasn’t exactly a squeamish Kha’jit, but he knew this pain would kill the little mer. She was strong, maybe she will be able to handle it… Either way time is running short and she will die if we do nothing. Tolan took his blade in hand, stealing his nerves and focusing on the wound itself. He prodded the wound at first, looking for the infection. He noticed a bulging section of pale flesh that held a…. blackness.
In one motion he sliced open the flesh. Black pus poured from the wound as the mer jerked in pain. No words came from the fragile creature, just an unnatural gasp of pain. The sound of air pouring from the lungs as fire ignited her body. She thrashed against the heavy leather straps before falling completely limp.
“Uhhh Ri’shai this is not good” Tolan spoke, black pus now covering his white furred hands.
Ri’shai didn’t speak, she stood over the innocent mer whom Faradin has presumable kidnapped. The air around Ri’shai’s frame began to shift suddenly. The only candle in the room blew out as an unnatural tempest began to torrent in the little alcove. A soft violet light began to glow around Ri’shai, Her long braids began to lift off her neck and back as the gust trailed around her.
Tolan noticed Faradin’s bright eyes reflecting the violet display. He was unflinching in the wake of the dark magic. Apparently Ri’shai had stabbed the bosmer on the floor in his upper arm, because now blood seeped from the mer. The stream was flowing like a single vein in the body, however this river was floating across the air itself. The line of crimson was trailing from the unconscious bosmer man to the wild bosmer female Tolan had saved.
Ri’shai’s eyes had gone pure white. The gem on her forehead pulsing a vibrant violet light. She had lowered her center of gravity, and was now performing intricate patterns with her hands and arms. The blood itself beckoning to the sorceress, answering her call. Soon the trail reached the wild one, and began to seep through the wound in her hand.
Tolan inspected the leg wound, the purple veins near the wound began to shift in color. Purple poisonous blood shifted toward the leg wound itself. Her veins became a normal blue, and less prominent. The pale flesh around the bosmer’s wound grew more lifelike. A few moments later the mer’s agonized face began to change as well. Her sleeping form shifting from that of a nightmare to that of a normal dream.
The trail of crimson blood grew thinner, as the line ended, and entered the wild one, Ri’shai collapsed. Faradin’s concerned cry took Tolan off-guard. “Ri’shai!” Faradin moved directly to help Ri’shai to her feet.
Ri’shai warded against Faradin’s help, pushing him away with a slight touch. “Ri’shai will be fine” She sounded on the brink of exhaustion. She slipped and Faradin grabbed her by the arm, helping her to her feet.
Black pus was now pushing it way out of the wild one’s leg wound. Tolan inspected the flesh, all corruption was seeping out of her. “She is going to be okay.” Tolan spoke reverently, turning to look at Ri’shai.
Ri’shai gave an exhausted nod in reply. A wave of relief flowed over Tolan’s body. He turned to look toward the mer on the floor, the man looked ghostly pale from the loss of blood. Blood was trickling down her arm where Ri’shai had made her incision. Then he turned to look over the wild one. Whenever she woke he would get some answers. Those shadow-scales were after her, and whatever she had done. Three foes versus one was enough to set Tolan’s blood ablaze. Tolan then turned to look at Faradin.
“Get rid of this bosmer, and try to find out what those shadow-scales wanted with this wild one. Whatever Tolan has gotten us into, we need more information. If things grow more hostile… we will prepare for war.” Tolan spoke, Faradin’s eyes meeting his with intensity. Tolan was all but sure that Faradin was a torrent of anger inside. This was a fight that Tolan had chosen, yet all the Dar’kir would suffer for it. Even now, as Faradin held Ri’shai in his arm, Tolan could see the consequences of his actions.
“Faradin will clean up this mess, as usual. This stupid mer had better be worth the trouble.” Faradin’s voice was steel.
Ri’shai lifted her head to meet the gaze of Faradin. “This one has seen her purpose, Mafala has chosen life. The great weaver has spun her fate with the Dar’kir.” Ri’shai shifted her gaze to look upon the frail battered body of the beautiful mer. “Whether or not she believes it.”
Faradin lifted the mer on the floor to his feet. Slapping the man awake. The mer awoke with a yelp before Faradin pushed him out of the room. Tolan shouldn’t let him kill that mer… It may set him off. Tolan couldn’t worry about it right now. One problem at a time. Now it’s time to see if this bosmer is an Aldmeri Spy.
