Jonen awoke to the deafening drumming of his own panicked heart and the pain in his body. His entire body was stiff and throbbing. He tried to lift an arm to rub at his headache, but its leather restraints prevented the action. He noticed the poorly constructed wooden frame that tied him down. He looked over himself to assess the damage and noticed a plethora of bandages covering different wounds. He took a deep breath to calm himself and focus on his surroundings.

The small room barely fit the bed of straw and blankets that his wooden restraints rested upon. There wasn’t a door, but a patchwork curtain separated it from further into his prison. The only other furniture was a moderate sized bookshelf that stored a handful of books and dried flowers. The scent of lavender came from an unlit oil lamp resting on the bookshelf.

Jonen attempted to clear his throat, but it was too dry for any sound to escape. He tensed his muscles to stretch the leather, but the bindings didn’t budge. When his hands fell against a small thread tied to his restraints, he pulled it. A small, soft bell from an unknown spot below him chimed quietly. He froze at the sound.

Instead of the large wraith or crazed elf entering with implements of advanced interrogation, a small woman poked her head into the rom. She eyed him cautiously before noticing his eyes were open. The red curls and soft, honey-colored eyes looked familiar, but he could not remember where from.

“Oh, hello,” Mira spoke plainly in elven for him, “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Like I’m being held against my will,” He looked to his restraints and croaked out, “To what do I owe this misfortune?”

She walked towards him, “You wouldn’t stop moving while I fixed you.”

Mira cautiously approached untied his wrists. Their eyes met as she watched him examine her eerily. She was unsure how he would react when he was awake, and wary of what he may do. As she untied his ankles, he flinched.

“There, you’re free,” She moved back to the curtain, “Not that you can go very far on that lame leg.”

Jonen saw the purple bruise on his swollen ankle and remembered the crunch after the wraith stomped on it. He sat up and patted at the bandages on his arm and the tight bindings on his abdomen. His lack of clothes worried him, but he was glad he still had breeches on –though they were cut above the knee.

Mira walked back into the room with a small glass and pitcher of water, “Drink.”

To prove it was not poisoned, she drank from the glass of water before handing it to Jonen. He blinked, as he did not think of the possibility. He clutched the glass in his hands and drank greedily. Mira set on the floor nearby and refilled the cup as he emptied it.

“And who might my merciful nurse be?” He chuckled at the redhead to ease the increasingly awkward tension.

Mira tilted her head to the side as she asked, “You don’t remember me, Jonen?”

He blinked, “No… I supposed I do not. Apologies.”

“It does not matter,” She placed the pitcher near him, “You must be famished. You’ve been asleep nearly a week now.”

“Where am I?”

“My master’s home. He will not be returning, and I need to move his things to our next location,” She dipped a piece of cloth into the pitcher of water, “This should ease your headache.”

She reached to place the strip of cloth against his forehead. Memories of a quick moving shadow attacking the shoulders around him clouded his vision. As he blinked to clear the nightmare, Mira dapped the damp cloth against his brow. He instinctually grabbed her wrists, and she ripped them away. She narrowed her gaze suspiciously at him as she took a few steps back.

“Sorry!” Jonen shook his head at himself before touching his face, “Sorry instincts… Am I the only one that survived?”

Instead of answering the question, Mira moved turned towards the bookshelf and wordlessly grabbed a small box from it. He noticed deep bruises on the back of her arms and scars leading under her shirt as she used a strip of fabric to tie her hair up. Mira’s short stature and bushy red hair hid the damaged look of her skin well. Her arms were scarred horribly from incidents Jonen couldn’t begin to imagine. Various old wounds across her skin looked like handprints burned into her. He looked away until he noticed the black wreath brand on the back of her neck. Dark root-like tendrils danced just under the surface of her skin.

“You’re the one enthralled to Isaan,” He commented as she turned around.

“I have been since my first memories,” She carried the box to the bed.

Jonen did not expect a curved needle and spool of thread to exit the box next. She grabbed the discarded fabric between the bed and the wall before handing it to him.

“Now, if you like, I can fix your clothes. I had to cut your pants to stitch the wound on your inner leg. I did not want to…” She glanced down to his lap before thinking, “Interfere with your modesty, I believe is the phrase.”

Mira did not know if he would remember their first encounter when he awoke. She figured he may be appreciative of the returned gesture. Jonen picked of the blanket over his legs and saw the gnarly stitched would that ended just below his undergarments. He grimaced as he moved the leg, but the thick stitches would hold. He coughed from drinking too quickly and the wound on his stomach protested. This woman, unfortunately, was no healer.

“Did you see how this happened?” Jonen looked between her and his leg, “How did I get this?”

Mira furrowed her brow in concern. Had he not remembered the fight? Did he hit his head?

She looked into his sapphire eyes for a moment, “Which one?”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He clinched his jaw and sighed, “Well… on my leg, I guess.”

“Your armor was punctured. I could not bend it from the outside. The sharp edge cut into you as I pulled it off,” She lowered her head, “Apologies.”

“No need to apologize,” He laughed airlessly then winced, “You probably saved my life.”

“I did not,” She stood again before placing the box back onto the bookshelf, “I checked your pulse before removing the armor. The gash did not bleed for quite some time. I only caught it when I smelled blood.”

The awkward silence between them only lasted until Jonen put his shirt back on. The fresh, clean feeling of the fabric surprised him, given the state he was in.

“You washed my clothes?”

“Your shirt, yes,” She looked down to his blood-stained and cut pants, “I can fetch you a different pair of pants if needed.”

“Thank you,” He met her eyes.

“The sooner you are able to leave,” Mira poured another glass of water and handed it to him, “The better.”

“I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience of my presence,” He scoffed, “I didn’t ask to be grievously harmed. You could have let me bleed out if it caused you that much trouble.”

“I did not mean necessarily mean it like that,” Mira rubbed her brow, “You and the others should have never stepped foot on my master’s land.”

The words sliced into him as he remembered, “Is he going to come back?”

“Unlikely, but not impossible,” She looked to him, “Now, how long does it normally take you to heal from broken bones?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jonen snorted then winced from the pain in his stomach.

“You are not fully elf,” She gestured to the softer features of his face, “Your bone density will be different. Humans can take months to heal from some bones. Elves could take only weeks. I do not have books on half elves to know.”

“Oh,” He scratched his head, “Well, I broke my shield arm once when I was a young teen. Took about four weeks to heal without magic means.”

She began creating a makeshift splint for his ankle, “Without magical means? You did not seek a healer?”

“My dad didn’t have the money,” He shrugged, “The closet one was a two-day horse ride. A farmer in the village set it like he would his animals.”

He grunted as she placed wooden planks on either side of the deeply bruised ankle. It throbbed as she began tying it together.

“I set the larger bones in your arm. It already healed, mostly,” She brushed her fingers gently against his ankle, “You will need a proper healer to fix your ankle. If you do not get one soon, you may have a terrible limp the rest of your life.”

He groaned and laid back down, “You wouldn’t happen to know where one is, would you?”

She reached for a thin book and opened it, “Vimgraunt has a temple with healers.”

Jonen watched as she flipped through marked pages until she extended one to show a map. She tapped against a small red dot on the page. If Jonen could understand where he was exactly, he was sure to find it helpful. The hand notated map outlined villages and farms in the near area. Strange symbols littered the page. The detail of notes rivaled anything Jonen had seen before. If he could figure out where the cottage was in exact location, they could find Isaan again.

“Is that book full of maps like that?”

“No. If I need to travel for my assignments, I use maps and take notes. Books have thicker bindings to preserve them if I need to return to the area.”

“How far away is it?” His finger touched the red dot and looked to see anything that could signal their currently location, “Where are we on here?”

“My master does not allow me to mark this location,” She shook her head before closing the map back into the book, “Vimgraunt is a 3-day hike towards Hangral. After reaching the main path from animal trails, there’s a cross-roads village that forks. The posts past the village give direction to the temple.”

The color drained on his face as he thought about hiking through the mountains in a bandit infested area, “Half a day I could do. Three days? I’d need a horse and the goddess’s favor.”

“Three days of constant walking,” Mira placed the book back on the shelf, “You are unlikely to make it there in a week, or on your own.”

“You… wouldn’t be able to help me, would you?” He rubbed the back of his head.

She bit her lower lip as she thought. There was not a situation like this that Isaan explicit demand she follow a set of rules. She was instructed to burn the house down. If she went to the town to resupply for the new location, Isaan would surely approve.

“Well,” She tapped a finger against her chin, “My master may want supplies at his new home.”

“Or…” Jonen interrupted with a hint of pity in his voice, “You could stay at the temple until he is arrested.”

“Not possible,” Mira shook her head, “I will take you to the temple and stay a few nights to gather supplies he may want. I will leave you there.”

“Thank you!” He grinned, “I couldn’t do it without you.”

Her blank gaze back surprised him. Something told him that this was not the first time she would have to find him.

“It is midday now,” She stepped into the doorway, “I need time to prepare foods and traveling gear. We will leave at dawn. Is there anything you need?”

“My shield…” Jonen lowered his head, “If you can’t find it… well, that’s okay. It’s a gift from my late father.”

“Describe it to me and I will attempt to find it,” She nodded firmly, “Anything else?”

“Food would be nice,” His stomach growled, “And new pants if this is how you stitch things.”

“I wouldn’t need to stop the bleeding, so I could take my time,” She shook her head, “I can make dinner. Perhaps an hour?”

He looked around the room to think of something else, “There aren’t any windows in here. Is this supposed to be a closet?”

“Yes,” She said quietly and stepped from the room.

Jonen closed his eyes and looked upwards as he tried to relax. Drawings of flowers and animals were nailed to the ceiling above him. He sat upwards to look at the bookshelf. He noticed a wooden comb with long, curly hair and dried flowers like the drawings above.

When Mira returned, she had a staff for him to grasp and lean on. He tested his strength before putting his weight on his bad ankle as he got to his feet. His broken ankle screamed under his weight, but the new walking stick helped ease the pressure as he took a step.

When she moved the curtain backwards, Jonen saw the rest of the cottage.

Isaan’s desk overflowed with papers and rested in the corner near a plush bed. In the center of the room was a round table that Mira directed Jonen to. She pulled the curtains to show frosted windows and what laid on the other side.

Jonen’s jaw dropped at the sight. The bodies of fellow knights and Zrud’s army men littered the hill beneath them. Jonen couldn’t recognize anyone from the bloated faces. His fist clinched around the staff as his anger boiled over.

“How could that monster do this?” He sneered and hobbled closer to the window.

The sight of a deep trench caused him to loosen his grip and take a breath. A small missive to provide his fellow soldiers some solace.

“Did you do this? The grave?” He looked back to her.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she walked towards the back wall of the room and brought Jonen a plate of bread, cheeses, and jerkies. After he sat it down, she retrieved the water from her bedroom and placed it next to the plate.

“This should help with your empty stomach,” She pointed towards the window, “I will need to hunt and get travel bundles prepared for each of us.”

“My shield –it’s engraved with my surname, Lafayette. It was from my father’s term in the Vanorian military. It’ll have some unnecessary filigree and blue gems.”

Mira nodded curtly, “If I find it, I will bring it back. If you need me, call and I will return.”

Jonen noted her cold demeanor. She moved silently across the wood floor of the cottage to gather and organize indistinguishable items. Boxes stacked near the front door. She grabbed multiple empty bags leaning against them and grabbed the doorhandle.

“I just realized I never asked your name,” He shook his head, “Where are my manners? You’ve been nothing but kind.”

“I am called Mira,” She nodded curtly, “Do not worry about manners.”

“Thank you, Mira. I will let you know if I need anything.”

She pulled a black cloak from a hook near the door and headed out into the cold afternoon. Jonen watched from the window as she raised the hood and sprinted down the hill.