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Mocha #4. Wish Me Luck
Story : knights
Rating : R
Timeframe : 1263
Word Count : 969
Kairn slumped to the floor, head and shoulders pressed to the wall, arms tightly wrapped around the squirming mass of toddler, as Lyssa ventured a glance out the window.
“Just how many of them are out there?” he asked, and he grit his teeth as he waited for the answer.
“Out there!” the boy repeated cheerfully, twisting around in his lap.
“Keep down.” The reprimand only earned him a fit of giggles.
“Five,” said Lyssa, and her face twisted as she reconsidered. “Well, seven. But one’s your standard merc if I’ve ever seen one. He won’t give us trouble. And I dunno about the other guy.”
Kairn sighed. Shamino slid over his leg and onto the floor to bob on his toes behind Lyssa. “What about him?”
Lyssa twisted her head a bit, trying to peer over the sill without coming into view herself. “Got his cloak all low over his face and his hands,” she said. “And I don’t think I’ve seen him move. I mean, at all.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Dunno.”
“Great.” Shaking his head, he snaked an arm around the boy’s middle and pulled him back into his lap. “So what do we do now?”
Teetering, crouched on her toes beneath the window, Lyssa flashed him a grin. “Bust through them.”
“Of course,” he said, rolling his eyes and tightening his hold on Shamino as the boy threatened to hop away again. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Still grinning, Lyssa heaved a dramatic, suffering sigh. “We could sit here and let them find us instead, if you like. My way has a chance at least.” Shamino giggled again, bouncing against his leg. Kairn scowled at the woman. “What?” she said, with a pout as fake as her sigh.
“Five mages and a mercenary?” Kairn fought to keep his voice low while still raising it over the random counting aloud Shamino had begun. “Shush,“ he told the boy. Shamino snapped his mouth shut, his pudgy fingers still poised in the air. “And some guy you don’t know about but gives you the creeps? The two of us are going to charge into that? And carrying a kid with us. Are you mad?”
“I didn’t say ‘we.’”
“But then-”
Lyssa waved him off, her hand falling to the sword at her hip. “I’ve got it.”
“You are mad.”
“Mad!” echoed Shamino, the near brush with tears already forgotten.
“Nah,” said Lyssa, and she smirked at the boy.
Kairn pulled him tighter as Lyssa eased her hand over the hilt. “You can’t just make a big show of brushing this off and think I don’t know what you’re getting into,” he said. “I’ve dealt with them before.”
All the levity left her features and her tone, and she glared at him instead. “You think I haven’t?”
“Right.” Kairn sighed, squirmed against the wall a bit, and settled back into place. “I…it’s just…Be careful, alright?”
“Do my best,” she said, securing a grip on her weapon as she slipped from under the window and crept towards the door. Her grin returned, but with only half its previous force. “Wish me luck?”
“Luck!” Shamino called, with a wave and a bounce that nearly brought the back of his head into Kairn’s chin.
“Lyssa…”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I wanna go outside too!” said Shamino, as she reached for the door.
Kairn clapped a hand over the boy’s mouth as Lyssa pushed it open and charged, sword flying from its sheath, into the street.
Shouts rang out, a whole chorus of surprise from the men gathered outside the building. Shamino twisted in Kairn’s lap, turning those immense, round eyes only a very small child can make on him. His lip set to trembling again, and Kairn pulled him to his chest and waited for the inevitable swish and thump of blade on flesh. It never came.
A peal of thunder drowned the men’s voices, shook the building from floor to roof, and the world flared hot and red, a cloud of sparks and ash flying at the window pane. Shamino let out a sob and threw himself against him, little fists clutching at his shirt. Kairn lurched to his feet, the boy in tow, and dove for the door.
Lyssa was in the street, on the edge of a small crater, blood and soot splattered over her front and the pavement around her. Hand behind Shamino’s head to keep him from the sight, he cradled him against his chest. Lyssa fixed him with a look he couldn’t quite decipher, apprehensive maybe. Like the blast had been enough that she’d shocked herself with it. She rocked on her feet at the rim of the bloody hole, looking between him and the scorched and shattered stretch of road where the corpses, barely recognizable as such, lay at the center of the wreckage.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” said Kairn “Now.”
“You think?” Her tone was as accusatory as his own.
“Oh gods, the mess.” Kairn pried his eyes from the black and bloody crater. “I can’t believe no one’s running this way already.”
“Probably scared,” said Lyssa.
“It won’t be for long.” Bits of flesh litered the cobbles, ash hung in the air, and Kairn’s stomach twisted
“So let’s move.”
“Where to?”
“South,” said Lyssa, with a nod down the street. “Close to the gate as we can get. And this-” there was that accusatory edge again “-does not happen again.”
He certainly hoped not. What was she thinking in the first place, incinerating a whole crowd of people in broad daylight? Maybe there would be time to ask that later. Clutching at Shamino and trying not to shake as he kept looking about for the backup he was sure had to be coming, he nodded. “Let’s go.”
Story : knights
Rating : R
Timeframe : 1263
Word Count : 969
Kairn slumped to the floor, head and shoulders pressed to the wall, arms tightly wrapped around the squirming mass of toddler, as Lyssa ventured a glance out the window.
“Just how many of them are out there?” he asked, and he grit his teeth as he waited for the answer.
“Out there!” the boy repeated cheerfully, twisting around in his lap.
“Keep down.” The reprimand only earned him a fit of giggles.
“Five,” said Lyssa, and her face twisted as she reconsidered. “Well, seven. But one’s your standard merc if I’ve ever seen one. He won’t give us trouble. And I dunno about the other guy.”
Kairn sighed. Shamino slid over his leg and onto the floor to bob on his toes behind Lyssa. “What about him?”
Lyssa twisted her head a bit, trying to peer over the sill without coming into view herself. “Got his cloak all low over his face and his hands,” she said. “And I don’t think I’ve seen him move. I mean, at all.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Dunno.”
“Great.” Shaking his head, he snaked an arm around the boy’s middle and pulled him back into his lap. “So what do we do now?”
Teetering, crouched on her toes beneath the window, Lyssa flashed him a grin. “Bust through them.”
“Of course,” he said, rolling his eyes and tightening his hold on Shamino as the boy threatened to hop away again. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Still grinning, Lyssa heaved a dramatic, suffering sigh. “We could sit here and let them find us instead, if you like. My way has a chance at least.” Shamino giggled again, bouncing against his leg. Kairn scowled at the woman. “What?” she said, with a pout as fake as her sigh.
“Five mages and a mercenary?” Kairn fought to keep his voice low while still raising it over the random counting aloud Shamino had begun. “Shush,“ he told the boy. Shamino snapped his mouth shut, his pudgy fingers still poised in the air. “And some guy you don’t know about but gives you the creeps? The two of us are going to charge into that? And carrying a kid with us. Are you mad?”
“I didn’t say ‘we.’”
“But then-”
Lyssa waved him off, her hand falling to the sword at her hip. “I’ve got it.”
“You are mad.”
“Mad!” echoed Shamino, the near brush with tears already forgotten.
“Nah,” said Lyssa, and she smirked at the boy.
Kairn pulled him tighter as Lyssa eased her hand over the hilt. “You can’t just make a big show of brushing this off and think I don’t know what you’re getting into,” he said. “I’ve dealt with them before.”
All the levity left her features and her tone, and she glared at him instead. “You think I haven’t?”
“Right.” Kairn sighed, squirmed against the wall a bit, and settled back into place. “I…it’s just…Be careful, alright?”
“Do my best,” she said, securing a grip on her weapon as she slipped from under the window and crept towards the door. Her grin returned, but with only half its previous force. “Wish me luck?”
“Luck!” Shamino called, with a wave and a bounce that nearly brought the back of his head into Kairn’s chin.
“Lyssa…”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I wanna go outside too!” said Shamino, as she reached for the door.
Kairn clapped a hand over the boy’s mouth as Lyssa pushed it open and charged, sword flying from its sheath, into the street.
Shouts rang out, a whole chorus of surprise from the men gathered outside the building. Shamino twisted in Kairn’s lap, turning those immense, round eyes only a very small child can make on him. His lip set to trembling again, and Kairn pulled him to his chest and waited for the inevitable swish and thump of blade on flesh. It never came.
A peal of thunder drowned the men’s voices, shook the building from floor to roof, and the world flared hot and red, a cloud of sparks and ash flying at the window pane. Shamino let out a sob and threw himself against him, little fists clutching at his shirt. Kairn lurched to his feet, the boy in tow, and dove for the door.
Lyssa was in the street, on the edge of a small crater, blood and soot splattered over her front and the pavement around her. Hand behind Shamino’s head to keep him from the sight, he cradled him against his chest. Lyssa fixed him with a look he couldn’t quite decipher, apprehensive maybe. Like the blast had been enough that she’d shocked herself with it. She rocked on her feet at the rim of the bloody hole, looking between him and the scorched and shattered stretch of road where the corpses, barely recognizable as such, lay at the center of the wreckage.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” said Kairn “Now.”
“You think?” Her tone was as accusatory as his own.
“Oh gods, the mess.” Kairn pried his eyes from the black and bloody crater. “I can’t believe no one’s running this way already.”
“Probably scared,” said Lyssa.
“It won’t be for long.” Bits of flesh litered the cobbles, ash hung in the air, and Kairn’s stomach twisted
“So let’s move.”
“Where to?”
“South,” said Lyssa, with a nod down the street. “Close to the gate as we can get. And this-” there was that accusatory edge again “-does not happen again.”
He certainly hoped not. What was she thinking in the first place, incinerating a whole crowd of people in broad daylight? Maybe there would be time to ask that later. Clutching at Shamino and trying not to shake as he kept looking about for the backup he was sure had to be coming, he nodded. “Let’s go.”