by Mark Tufo
CHAPTER 14 - Mike Journal Entry Nine
It was light out when I awoke. I had dull pains throughout my body. Nothing like the blistering pain I had from whatever night I had fallen asleep. I was looking up, Oggie was by my side sleeping contentedly, and the sun was nearly overhead. I checked my teeth with my tongue they all seemed to be there. I would be using Sensodyne for a month until they felt better. My rib had set; in three or four days I’d be able to breathe without a hitch.
“No Lycan?” I asked, sitting up.
“Oh, I’m sure there’s a couple following us,” Tommy said from his seat. “How are you feeling?”
“To be honest, I feel like I lost the fight. They let us go?” I sat up
“A small display of power from Azile and their code to honor the crescent moon, and sure, they let us go.”
“Why not attack now? Seems like we’d be easy pickings.” My head felt like I had been at an all-nighter and I didn’t even have the benefit of drinking some good ale. I stepped over the seat and sat next to Tommy. The slight swaying of the cart was not doing me any favors.
“Same reason. It’s seen as cowardice to attack an envoy.”
“But slaughtering an unarmed village with women and children isn’t?”
“They are not human. They view the world differently than we do,” he replied.
“It is good to see you up,” Bailey said as she trotted up.
“I didn’t know you cared,” I told her.
“It would have been bad if you died on my watch,” she told me flatly.
I smiled wanly at her.
“Where’s Azile?” I asked, looking around and noticing that she was nowhere in the vicinity.
“She’s scouting the way up ahead. I think she’s setting up some surprises in case our travel companions get a little frisky.”
“Frisky? Hardly seems like the appropriate word,” I said to him. “Thank you for your encouragement,” I told him, remembering his words of urgency.
“You would have done the same for me.”
“I’ve got a feeling I wouldn’t have had to. Seems I have an affinity for getting the shit kicked out of me.”
“I had been meaning to ask what that smell was,” Bailey quipped from behind us.
“God, if her voice was deeper. I could almost imagine she was BT,” I said. “That’s what everyone needs…comments from the peanut gallery.”
She looked at me sternly, I would imagine not knowing what ‘peanut gallery’ meant and if I had just insulted her or not. Timbre had nothing on her; the last thing I would want to do is make her mad at me.
“You may have been friends with a distant relation,” Bailey said. “But we have yet to set our friendship.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You would be wise to do so.” She let her horse fall back.
“You could get kicked out of a convent,” Tommy told me.
“She started it.” I told him.
“You keep telling yourself that.”
“Aren’t you on my side?” I asked.
“Not if she’s on the other,” he smiled.
“Nice, I’ll remember that.”
“Good to see you up,” Azile said, coming quietly up on my side.
“How the hell did you do that?” I asked.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, getting close enough to place her hand on my chest.
“If you press too hard I’ll probably fold in on myself.” Although I have to admit the touch from her felt electric.
“Drink this.” She handed me another leather pouch, as she took her hand from my chest; apparently satisfied with what she had detected. If I had my way she could keep her hand there, it was comforting somehow.
“Blood?” I asked queasily. That sounded about as good as shots of whiskey with a world-class hangover.
“Yapatas root and mulberry.”
“Sounds horrible.”
“It’ll make you feel better,” she said as I took the pouch reluctantly.
The whiskey would have been better. Bitter was such an inadequate descriptor; it was like calling Godzilla a pissed off iguana.
“What’s the matter, couldn’t find any elk piss to make this taste worse?” I asked her gagging.
“Drink it all.”
“Are you poisoning me because I messed up the covenant thingy?” I asked her, choking down some more of the vile brew.
“On the contrary, you may have bought us some time. Timbre was one of Xavier’s greatest warriors and his death will affect his confidence. He will not strike now until he is assured of victory.”
“Not sure if that sounds better or worse,” I said as I muscled down the rest of the contaminated contagion.
