Lured inside by the reason he had come, Liam grinned, brushing past Rhendal on his way into the veiled interior. It was dark inside, by his own orders, burning wood released smoke as well as ash particulates which were –molecularly speaking– a form of sharp dust that promoted infection. They had compensated for the lack of fire with many blankets and occasionally Rhendal’s own flames, which gave off heat but no smoke. A puzzle that made Liam wish for electromagnets, since mana evaded his scientifically-minded comprehension.
“I am here Nyota. There was a fight in the square, a tunneling insect as large as a horse decided to make our square its hunting ground.”
“Oh my! Was anyone hurt?” She asked.
“Thankfully no, sentries saw it sneak in.” Answered Liam.
“Oh what a relief! I wonder what it’ll taste like.” Said Nyota, running her tongue across her broken teeth.
Liam blanched, some aspects of life in this world would always seem taboo to him. Yet Nyota was a slave, any food was worth eating. Not to mention there were no food processing factories here, raising animals to slaughter was a fact of life, as natural to these people as drinking water.
Here, each scrap of meat and every bean counted. Not in a grim accounting way, but in a ‘your younger sister starved to death last winter’ way. Food preservation seemed to be a pathological compulsion to these people, no matter the source –animal or monster– it would be killed, flayed, and preserved with an efficiency Liam could not fathom.
Naturally, they saw the monsters as animals, tanning their hides and smoking their meat like they were a cow or chicken. As their Lightning Lord the people had offered Liam the most coveted cuts of meat, presenting a staggering array of loins, cutlets, and eyeballs. The latter was apparently some kind of delicacy, but he was terrified of eating something that was looking back at him. With Nyota at his side, he had always managed, but just barely, often struggling to compliment their ‘cooking’.
The Petrans handled it with grace, only mocking him for being a ‘proper noble’ and not for wincing when the eyeballs popped in his mouth. They appreciated his compliments, accepting them in the same dry attitude of gratitude.
Nyota on the other hand treated each meal as if it would be her last, devouring each and every shred of food the town offered. From salted medusa to charred hulk she took the time to savor their uniqueness. Filet of mermaid seemed to be her favorite, soft meat combined with bones that she crunched with a predatory glee. After each meal she showered the men and women with the praise of a loving mother. Even complimenting yesterday’s rancid fare, keeping it down despite Liam’s protestations.
What does steamed scorpion even taste like? Eugh, Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.
Wanting to think of something less alien, he focused on Nyota. “How are you feeling today? Does anything hurt more than yesterday?” He asked.
Her recovery was his highest priority, yet it never seemed to end. Each time he healed her new problems arose. Shattered teeth fell out when he tried to repair them, when he healed her hands the fingernails had grown two inches faster, resulting in him learning how this world trimmed their fingernails. Boils and Lichtenburg patterns covered large swaths of her skin, leaking puss as they healed. While her left eye and right ear were missing entirely.
Many of her teeth had shattered completely from the lightning, something he could not heal at his current level without exact knowledge of their structure and composition. Orthodontics were not a part of the body Liam was familiar with, and his healing affinity was too weak to recreate them without his direction.
If he knew how a body part was supposed to function, including its structure and how it connected to the surrounding muscle and bones then it was mana-cheap to heal. Simple bone fractures took little magic, while a compound fracture would deplete his humble affinity if he attempted to heal it without setting the bone first.
Her single working eye and ear were signs of his inability to ease her pain. Nyota’s lone ear angled towards him.
“I don’t want to be a burden… Are you sure no one else needs healing?”
Stolen story; please report.
“Don’t even think like that! You are a healer, saving you, even if it costs twenty lives, is more important.” Insisted Liam, feeling somewhat guilty.
He reached for the bed, finding her hand already extended towards him, healing those first had been the right choice, hands contained the most nerve endings, so they were a high priority when it came to easing pain. Additionally, hands were how a person interacted with the world. With them fully healed she could navigate by touch, dress herself, and take care of her most basic needs.
“I would trade all their lives for you to be whole.” Whispered Liam.
“Wha-Whatt! Lord Green! Why would you even suggest that?” She stammered.
“Because I saw what the Queztalcoatl showed you. Did those… Those things actually happen to you?” He implored.
Her ear lay flat against her head, shrinking in shame from Liam.
“N-no Master, they were only nightmares, illusions.” She whispered.
“There is no collar around your neck Nyota, no one is your master. I’m sorry about your- uh- I’m sorry for what happened to you.” Liam took her hand in both of his, keeping her from pulling away.
“Quetzalcoatl told me… a lot… starting with my own memories. I fought him tooth and nail, with every volt of my lightning I tried to resist. But, in the end… He made me admit the truths I always knew. Then he…” Liam swallowed, trying to free himself of the sudden lump in his throat.
Should I tell her about the day I will die? No. I should keep that to myself for now, no sense burdening her with something we cannot change, besides she will be happier with her own family than she ever could be with me…
“What did you see?” Implored Nyota.
“Ahem.” Said Liam, clearing his throat. “Sorry, it still hurts to dredge these memories. Quetzalcoatl made me relive the day I proposed to Sarah, the day I was struck by lightning and killed.”
“Oh, is that all?” Probed Nyota, poking his ribs, “You seem alive enough.”
“Ah… right- Uhm. You know what happened on this side after Green was hit by lightning. But it played out very differently on my… Side? In my world I guess. Sarah was struck first. Queztalcoatl forced me to relive her death again and again, replaying the memory from every angle so I had no choice but to accept it. I watched the woman I thought I loved, die in my arms again and again.” Said Liam.
Nyota wrapped her second hand around his, squeezing it in solidarity with Liam’s pain.
“Deep down I always knew she was dead, the paramedics, uhm- healers, knew she was gone. They stopped trying to heal her in front of me. Ha,” Liam gasped, struggling to talk, “in the visions I tried to fight them, punching and kicking them until they continued trying to heal her.” Liam blinked away tears.
Quetzalcoatl had not released him from that hell until he could move past it, but the sorrow was still fresh, making talking about it feel like picking at a scab. Painful and pointless with a fresh scar being the only lasting reward.
“Sarah is dead and gone, so is my old body. There is no going home for me, this is the only world I can exist in now... Please Nyota, I cannot lose any more loved ones. This world is different from mine, the customs and laws make no sense to me and I take things that should be obvious, for granted. Will you help me navigate it?”
“Uhm, M’lord I’m a maid, is this one of your uhm… customs from the other you? I don’t understand what you are asking me-ow?”
Liam chuckled as her speech faltered, her feline heritage triumphing over years of conditioning as a slave.
“Marry me Nyota, stay by my side for as long as we live.”
“WHAT! AH WHAT! YOU CAN’T! Marriage?! What are mew even saying! They would kill you; and me! We can’t, don’t even say-”
“I was the golden light in your nightmares.” Interrupted Liam.
Nyota went ridgid, blood draining from her face, ear flattening on her head.
“Please don’t faint on me, I haven’t healed you yet.” Chuckled Liam.
“You- dum- big stupid dummy!” Stammered Nyota, tears flowing from her one good eye.
“Lightning mages are rare in this world, and I’m a noble. No one, not even the king himself could stop me from being with you. Besides, that lightning in your nightmare did not come from me. How did Queztalcoatl put it? Daughter of Lightning? You can change this world, shape the continent in ways I cannot.” Said Liam.
Nyota struggled weakly, trying to release his hand, at the mention of lightning she stopped blinking away her tears, letting them flow.
“What?”
“You are a lightning mage and a healer, no one would dare lay a finger on you without your permission.” Said Liam.
He released Nyota’s hand, leaving her dazed at what he was saying.
“I can’t be… No…”
Nyota raised her hand, pointing a finger at a small hole in the burlap sack over the window. Her nightmares had taught her many lessons, and she called upon them now.
“Pew”
*CRACK*
Lightning flew from her finger, burning a hole in the sack and proving her power. She threw her hands on the bed, locking her arms as she fought to stay upright.
“Nice shot, a hundred times better than my own… I still feel bad about cooking those horses… But uh, please be careful, your body still needs to heal! Don’t go spending all your mana on thunder and lightning now.” Teased Liam.
“I- no, we! We are lightning healers!”
“We? Should I take that as a yes?” Smiled Liam.
“YES!”