summer piece #7
Vanilla Malt Custard #27. reports of my death are greatly exaggerated
and Pomegranate #17. first aid
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : R some minor gore
Timeframe : Book 7, Goddess!Kairn arc
Word Count : ~1k
The aftermath of Kairn's duel with Cheva (read that first).
Kairn woke to a jolt of energy being fed to him by a hand pressed shakily to his neck. He forced his eyes open against the pain in his side that threatened to drag him back into unconsciousness to find himself nearly nose to nose with a panicked Sethan.
“Kairn!” There was another wave of energy from Sethan’s palm and his face swam in and out of focus. “Stay with me, Kairn.”
“‘m here,” Kairn mumbled.
“Good.” He could feel pressure at his back where Sethan held his cloak against the wound. “Good, just hang on.” He released another, this time more gentle, wave before removing his hand.
The soft warmth that flowed from his neck towards his middle took some of the edge off the pain and he let his eyes drift shut. “Can I be done now?”
“What?” Kairn’s eyes snapped open at Sethan’s sharp tone. “No! Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Killing gods. D’you think that was enough for the prophecy?”
“The hell with gods and prophecies.” Sethan’s hand was back at Kairn’s throat, forcing its way beneath his collar. The grass around them withered as he stole from it to feed Kairn. “Just don’t die on me. Not now.”
“I‘ll try.” He wasn’t sure which was going to knock him out first, the pain or Sethan’s method of healing, but one thing was certain. Muddled though it may be, his mind was completely his own once again. “I-it worked.” He heaved a deep, shuddering breath. “Didn’t know if it would.”
“Hold still. I need to take a look at you.”
It took him a moment to realize he had a hand pressed tight to his side and that Sethan was trying to gently pry it free. He relaxed his grip and regretted it immediately as fresh blood welled up between his fingers. Sethan brushed the hand aside and Kairn yelped at the sudden pressure and sting of the healing cloth that took its place.
“What do you mean, it worked?”
“She’s gone,” Kairn said through gritted teeth.
“Well, of course she’s gone. You stuck a knife in her-” He stopped short. “Do you mean to tell me you did this on purpose?”
Kairn winced as Sethan peeled the bloody fabric from his wound. The pain too much for words, he gave a weak nod.
“Of all the stupid, idiotic-” He thought he heard a catch in Sethan’s voice. “You would do something like this, wouldn’t you? Get yourself killed. And for what? You don’t really think you destroyed either of them, do you?”
“Rather be dead than a puppet.” He gasped as Sethan pulled his shirt away and his injured side met with the air. “H-how bad is it?”
“You had a pole shoved through your gut,” Sethan snapped. “How bad do you think-” He paused, intent on Kairn’s wound before finishing distractedly, “…it is?”
That cinched it. He really was dying. With all the strength Sethan had given him, Kairn made a grab for one of his hands. “Just promise me you’ll look out for Sham.”
Sethan turned to face him, none of the concern he thought he’d heard in his voice evident on his face. “Kairn-” he said, sternly.
“Please!” He clutched at Sethan’s hand with both of his own. “And tell Lyssa I’m sorry. She’ll know what for.”
“All right, but-”
“Would you just let me finish? It’s not like I’m going to have another chance...”
There was a twitch to Sethan’s lips and Kairn wondered if he would spend his last moments being laughed at. It didn’t particularly surprise him.
“If you must, but before you say anything you’re going to regret, I have to ask, the last time you nearly got yourself killed, where did the demon hit you?”
“In the left side,” he said, wary of the sudden gleam in his friend’s eyes. “Me and my dumb luck, huh?”
“You and your dumb luck, indeed.” Sethan broke into a grin.
“I really don’t think it’s so funny.”
“Oh, but it is,” said Sethan, not bothering to hold back the laughter any longer. “Only you could get away with something so completely foolish. Of all the places for her to hit you… I swear, it’s as if the gods wanted you to kill them.”
“What are you talking about?” He cast Sethan’s hand aside, straining for a glimpse of the wound.
“You’re not dying.”
“What do you mean I’m not…”
“In fact, you’re already healing,” Sethan continued.
“How is that even-” Kairn forced an elbow beneath himself for a better look and cried out at the pain the movement brought. He grit his teeth and held the position, focusing on his side. The bloody remains of his shirt were parted around the equally ghastly site. The sight of the ragged hole just above his waist sent him reeling and it was all he could do not to pass out again. The wound had ceased bleeding and now seemed to be filling with a thick substance that was an unnatural and all too familiar shade of-
“Pink,” he groaned, collapsing. It couldn’t be real. He had to be delirious from the pain and blood loss. Like when he’d thought he heard Reida cursing him instead of the goddess. He made a note to tell Sethan about that too if he really did survive this.
“Easy.” Sethan caught him as he fell and lowered him gently to the ground. “You’ve still got a long way to go.”
Kairn didn’t bother with the effort to open his eyes again.
“The pink stuff,” Sethan agreed. “Anywhere else and you’d be dead. But right here you’re packed with it. Of course, you’ve still got a hole in your back, but that’s nothing I can’t fix.”
“Me and my dumb luck, indeed,” Kairn mumbled as he slipped back into quiet darkness.
and Pomegranate #17. first aid
Story : knights & necromancers
Rating : R some minor gore
Timeframe : Book 7, Goddess!Kairn arc
Word Count : ~1k
The aftermath of Kairn's duel with Cheva (read that first).
Kairn woke to a jolt of energy being fed to him by a hand pressed shakily to his neck. He forced his eyes open against the pain in his side that threatened to drag him back into unconsciousness to find himself nearly nose to nose with a panicked Sethan.
“Kairn!” There was another wave of energy from Sethan’s palm and his face swam in and out of focus. “Stay with me, Kairn.”
“‘m here,” Kairn mumbled.
“Good.” He could feel pressure at his back where Sethan held his cloak against the wound. “Good, just hang on.” He released another, this time more gentle, wave before removing his hand.
The soft warmth that flowed from his neck towards his middle took some of the edge off the pain and he let his eyes drift shut. “Can I be done now?”
“What?” Kairn’s eyes snapped open at Sethan’s sharp tone. “No! Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Killing gods. D’you think that was enough for the prophecy?”
“The hell with gods and prophecies.” Sethan’s hand was back at Kairn’s throat, forcing its way beneath his collar. The grass around them withered as he stole from it to feed Kairn. “Just don’t die on me. Not now.”
“I‘ll try.” He wasn’t sure which was going to knock him out first, the pain or Sethan’s method of healing, but one thing was certain. Muddled though it may be, his mind was completely his own once again. “I-it worked.” He heaved a deep, shuddering breath. “Didn’t know if it would.”
“Hold still. I need to take a look at you.”
It took him a moment to realize he had a hand pressed tight to his side and that Sethan was trying to gently pry it free. He relaxed his grip and regretted it immediately as fresh blood welled up between his fingers. Sethan brushed the hand aside and Kairn yelped at the sudden pressure and sting of the healing cloth that took its place.
“What do you mean, it worked?”
“She’s gone,” Kairn said through gritted teeth.
“Well, of course she’s gone. You stuck a knife in her-” He stopped short. “Do you mean to tell me you did this on purpose?”
Kairn winced as Sethan peeled the bloody fabric from his wound. The pain too much for words, he gave a weak nod.
“Of all the stupid, idiotic-” He thought he heard a catch in Sethan’s voice. “You would do something like this, wouldn’t you? Get yourself killed. And for what? You don’t really think you destroyed either of them, do you?”
“Rather be dead than a puppet.” He gasped as Sethan pulled his shirt away and his injured side met with the air. “H-how bad is it?”
“You had a pole shoved through your gut,” Sethan snapped. “How bad do you think-” He paused, intent on Kairn’s wound before finishing distractedly, “…it is?”
That cinched it. He really was dying. With all the strength Sethan had given him, Kairn made a grab for one of his hands. “Just promise me you’ll look out for Sham.”
Sethan turned to face him, none of the concern he thought he’d heard in his voice evident on his face. “Kairn-” he said, sternly.
“Please!” He clutched at Sethan’s hand with both of his own. “And tell Lyssa I’m sorry. She’ll know what for.”
“All right, but-”
“Would you just let me finish? It’s not like I’m going to have another chance...”
There was a twitch to Sethan’s lips and Kairn wondered if he would spend his last moments being laughed at. It didn’t particularly surprise him.
“If you must, but before you say anything you’re going to regret, I have to ask, the last time you nearly got yourself killed, where did the demon hit you?”
“In the left side,” he said, wary of the sudden gleam in his friend’s eyes. “Me and my dumb luck, huh?”
“You and your dumb luck, indeed.” Sethan broke into a grin.
“I really don’t think it’s so funny.”
“Oh, but it is,” said Sethan, not bothering to hold back the laughter any longer. “Only you could get away with something so completely foolish. Of all the places for her to hit you… I swear, it’s as if the gods wanted you to kill them.”
“What are you talking about?” He cast Sethan’s hand aside, straining for a glimpse of the wound.
“You’re not dying.”
“What do you mean I’m not…”
“In fact, you’re already healing,” Sethan continued.
“How is that even-” Kairn forced an elbow beneath himself for a better look and cried out at the pain the movement brought. He grit his teeth and held the position, focusing on his side. The bloody remains of his shirt were parted around the equally ghastly site. The sight of the ragged hole just above his waist sent him reeling and it was all he could do not to pass out again. The wound had ceased bleeding and now seemed to be filling with a thick substance that was an unnatural and all too familiar shade of-
“Pink,” he groaned, collapsing. It couldn’t be real. He had to be delirious from the pain and blood loss. Like when he’d thought he heard Reida cursing him instead of the goddess. He made a note to tell Sethan about that too if he really did survive this.
“Easy.” Sethan caught him as he fell and lowered him gently to the ground. “You’ve still got a long way to go.”
Kairn didn’t bother with the effort to open his eyes again.
“The pink stuff,” Sethan agreed. “Anywhere else and you’d be dead. But right here you’re packed with it. Of course, you’ve still got a hole in your back, but that’s nothing I can’t fix.”
“Me and my dumb luck, indeed,” Kairn mumbled as he slipped back into quiet darkness.