(no subject)
Maple Walnut #8. Red Handed with Malt
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1260
Word Count : 720
Malt Prompt : Erin's dare - finish the scene in the alley
Yeah, yeah, it was a LOOOONG time ago. This follows Retreat and Alley and I think it finally brings somewhat of a close to the sequence I was so tempted to just leave it hanging yet again
Legs suddenly numb, Kairn pitched forward. The knife fell from his grasp, landing, with a clatter and a puff of dust, among the gravel that lined the road. Shasa let out another scream as he tumbled to the ground beside it.
He lay on his side, cheek pressed to the pebbles and breath hard to find, as two sets of boots drew near. He couldn’t move his legs, couldn’t feel that he even had them anymore. A frightened glance taught him they were still intact, stretched out in the street behind him, pressed flush together and rigid. With no time for relief, his eyes darted back to the boots that were rapidly closing in. He found his hands would still obey him, and he made a grab for the knife.
The woman’s foot slammed down on the blade as his fingertips brushed the hilt, and he yanked the hand back to his chest. “The hell do you think you’re doing?” she said.
Fierce, dark eyes raked their way over him as the woman bent to retrieve the weapon from beneath her boot, her jaw set in a sharp scowl. Kairn mouthed the air in search of an explaination. “Told you I’d take care of it, and I did.” She turned to her partner. “Any of them?”
The man was stooped near the bodies now, impossibly long frame bent near double to reach the ground. He turned them over, frowning, a look he passed to the woman with a shake of his head. “I don’t much appreciate the little stunt you just pulled,” she continued, turning his knife slowly over in her hands.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with!” said Kairn, and he swore the woman looked as if she might laugh.
“I know necromancers well enough, thank you,” she said, the knife still flipping from hand to hand as she strode away. Flat on the ground, legs still frozen, he could only watch as she made straight for Shasa. “What I don’t know,” she tucked the blade into her belt and folded her arms across her chest to glare down at her, “is what they might want with the pair of you.”
“Leave her be!”
His cry went ignored. The woman retained her threatening stare, even as her companion hurried to offer Shasa a hand in getting her feet. Pale and trembling, her eyes flitting between the two of them, Shasa stood. She shot Kairn a nervous look and heaved a breath. One thin hand came to rest on her oversized belly and she said, most gravely, “They’re after my baby.”
“Of all the stupid,” Kairn muttered into the dust. “Shas, what do you think you’re-” The pair sent him a scathing look, the man still holding Shasa’s hand. “Pay her no mind.”
The two exchanged looks and turned back to Shasa. “What do you mean, they want the baby?” said the woman.
Shasa’s eyes were on the man. “You used magic,” she said, “without forms.” He gave a slow nod. “He,” she patted her middle, “he has magic too. There’s a prophecy.” Another look passed between them.
“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” said Kairn, and both heads snapped in his direction once more.
“Shut your mouth,” said the woman. “Unless you’d like my friend to shut it for you.” This earned her a scowl from her friend, but Kairn thought of his legs and clamped his jaw shut. “What do we do?” she asked the man.
A hand to the back of his neck, the man frowned at the woman and at Shasa. “Ski will want to hear about this,” he said. “And we can’t just leave them here.”
“Right,” she said. “How long till he can move again?”
The man eyed his legs and wrinkled his nose. “An hour,” he said, and Kairn allowed himself a small sigh of relief. “Maybe two. He’s kind of small.”
The woman frowned. “I’ll get a cart.”
“And the bodies?”
She waved a dismissive hand at the fallen pair. “I’ll find someone to deal with it.”
She turned and stalked back into the market, boots passing right before his face. Shasa’s soft tread followed a moment later and Kairn closed his eyes and sighed once more as he wondered just how long the next hour was likely to be.
Story : knights
Rating : PG
Timeframe : 1260
Word Count : 720
Malt Prompt : Erin's dare - finish the scene in the alley
Yeah, yeah, it was a LOOOONG time ago. This follows Retreat and Alley and I think it finally brings somewhat of a close to the sequence I was so tempted to just leave it hanging yet again
Legs suddenly numb, Kairn pitched forward. The knife fell from his grasp, landing, with a clatter and a puff of dust, among the gravel that lined the road. Shasa let out another scream as he tumbled to the ground beside it.
He lay on his side, cheek pressed to the pebbles and breath hard to find, as two sets of boots drew near. He couldn’t move his legs, couldn’t feel that he even had them anymore. A frightened glance taught him they were still intact, stretched out in the street behind him, pressed flush together and rigid. With no time for relief, his eyes darted back to the boots that were rapidly closing in. He found his hands would still obey him, and he made a grab for the knife.
The woman’s foot slammed down on the blade as his fingertips brushed the hilt, and he yanked the hand back to his chest. “The hell do you think you’re doing?” she said.
Fierce, dark eyes raked their way over him as the woman bent to retrieve the weapon from beneath her boot, her jaw set in a sharp scowl. Kairn mouthed the air in search of an explaination. “Told you I’d take care of it, and I did.” She turned to her partner. “Any of them?”
The man was stooped near the bodies now, impossibly long frame bent near double to reach the ground. He turned them over, frowning, a look he passed to the woman with a shake of his head. “I don’t much appreciate the little stunt you just pulled,” she continued, turning his knife slowly over in her hands.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with!” said Kairn, and he swore the woman looked as if she might laugh.
“I know necromancers well enough, thank you,” she said, the knife still flipping from hand to hand as she strode away. Flat on the ground, legs still frozen, he could only watch as she made straight for Shasa. “What I don’t know,” she tucked the blade into her belt and folded her arms across her chest to glare down at her, “is what they might want with the pair of you.”
“Leave her be!”
His cry went ignored. The woman retained her threatening stare, even as her companion hurried to offer Shasa a hand in getting her feet. Pale and trembling, her eyes flitting between the two of them, Shasa stood. She shot Kairn a nervous look and heaved a breath. One thin hand came to rest on her oversized belly and she said, most gravely, “They’re after my baby.”
“Of all the stupid,” Kairn muttered into the dust. “Shas, what do you think you’re-” The pair sent him a scathing look, the man still holding Shasa’s hand. “Pay her no mind.”
The two exchanged looks and turned back to Shasa. “What do you mean, they want the baby?” said the woman.
Shasa’s eyes were on the man. “You used magic,” she said, “without forms.” He gave a slow nod. “He,” she patted her middle, “he has magic too. There’s a prophecy.” Another look passed between them.
“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” said Kairn, and both heads snapped in his direction once more.
“Shut your mouth,” said the woman. “Unless you’d like my friend to shut it for you.” This earned her a scowl from her friend, but Kairn thought of his legs and clamped his jaw shut. “What do we do?” she asked the man.
A hand to the back of his neck, the man frowned at the woman and at Shasa. “Ski will want to hear about this,” he said. “And we can’t just leave them here.”
“Right,” she said. “How long till he can move again?”
The man eyed his legs and wrinkled his nose. “An hour,” he said, and Kairn allowed himself a small sigh of relief. “Maybe two. He’s kind of small.”
The woman frowned. “I’ll get a cart.”
“And the bodies?”
She waved a dismissive hand at the fallen pair. “I’ll find someone to deal with it.”
She turned and stalked back into the market, boots passing right before his face. Shasa’s soft tread followed a moment later and Kairn closed his eyes and sighed once more as he wondered just how long the next hour was likely to be.