his fear for her kept him up. Her beautiful face was covered in sweat.
A bone protruded from her forearm. One of the local toughs, a tall young man
with a patchy beard, a pockmarked face, and a large bronze dagger, squatted
down by her side. He eyed Arjun suspiciously, and spoke to Inina.
“Inina, you all right?”
She hissed, “Belil, what do YOU think?”
“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner. What were you
thinking, insulting those guys like that? They were ready to run!” said Belil.
“I was keeping them around long enough for you to get
here.”
“They could’ve killed you before we did!”
“Nah, I had my friend Sharur with me…” she smiled
weakly and clutched Arjun’s hand.
Belil eyed Arjun, but his expression softened to a
smile. Then he turned to the boys in his gang and barked, “Search the bodies
and clean out whatever loot they’ve got, then dump ‘em in the alley!”
6.
The Tale of Growth and Decay
Belil and the gang of toughs took Inina to someone
they knew. He was a thin old man in a white kilt. Prominent in his home was a
statue of a slender man with a shaved head and an upraised arm, Inkiddu of the
White Hand, god of healing. He was only mildly surprised at someone showing up
with wounds at this hour, but was a good deal more so when Arjun offered to pay
for her treatment on the spot, and in full.
“My boy, thank you. People here often pay me back over
time, except when they don’t. I can hardly tell you how much this helps!”
Belil whispered quietly through his teeth, “Sharur,
you’re lucky we knew you were Inina’s friend BEFORE you flashed all that coin.”
The healer looked Arjun over.
“You need some help too, my lad. No broken bones, but
you’ve been bleeding quite a bit. I’ll tell you what, for paying so promptly
for her, I’ll add your treatment for free.”
Arjun felt too weak to argue.
Inina turned out to have a cracked rib as well. They
carried her in and put her on a soft mat as the healer called upon his magic
and went to work. In a couple of hours, it was done. Inina’s bones were set and
mending, and Arjun’s wounds were clean and closed. He still felt like his body
had a lot of recovery to do.
“Honored healer, what should we do next?”
“Just get some rest, and a good breakfast in the
morning. It will take your bodies a day or so to recuperate and restore energy,
but you’ll be fine.
“Thank you,” said Arjun, with a stiff and painful bow.
Belil and his gang insisted on accompanying them as a
guard back to the seedy apartment block where Inina stayed. When she got inside
the door, she smiled weakly and thanked them.
“Good night, Inina, talk to you soon,” the rough young
man said as he and the others faded into the shadows of an alley.
Arjun turned to leave as well. Inina grabbed his hand.
“Don’t go. I’m not feeling safe by myself right now,
and… I’m a little dizzy.”
He helped her up the stairs and to her room. He barred
her door. She sat on the edge of her cramped little bed and thanked him in a quiet
voice, tried to start a longer conversation, but then tipped over and curled up
asleep instead.
Arjun rested on the floor next to her, his head near
hers, and his sword in his hand. He thought with shock that he had killed a man
tonight with that sword. But then anger welled in him at what the man had done,
and had planned to do. That man’s face blurred with Bal-Shim’s in his mind. Red
anger flowed, and then gradually faded. The man had deserved it, Arjun thought
harshly as he drifted off to sleep.
~
When Arjun awoke, the sun was already high in the sky.
Inina was curled in the same position she’d fallen asleep, save that her arm
had dropped over his chest. He thought of all that had happened to him in what
was still only a day and a half. The contrast of horror and beauty, of pain and
of the simple joy he felt sitting near her, seemed almost too much to bear.
But he had to. He had much to do.
He
A bone protruded from her forearm. One of the local toughs, a tall young man
with a patchy beard, a pockmarked face, and a large bronze dagger, squatted
down by her side. He eyed Arjun suspiciously, and spoke to Inina.
“Inina, you all right?”
She hissed, “Belil, what do YOU think?”
“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner. What were you
thinking, insulting those guys like that? They were ready to run!” said Belil.
“I was keeping them around long enough for you to get
here.”
“They could’ve killed you before we did!”
“Nah, I had my friend Sharur with me…” she smiled
weakly and clutched Arjun’s hand.
Belil eyed Arjun, but his expression softened to a
smile. Then he turned to the boys in his gang and barked, “Search the bodies
and clean out whatever loot they’ve got, then dump ‘em in the alley!”
6.
The Tale of Growth and Decay
Belil and the gang of toughs took Inina to someone
they knew. He was a thin old man in a white kilt. Prominent in his home was a
statue of a slender man with a shaved head and an upraised arm, Inkiddu of the
White Hand, god of healing. He was only mildly surprised at someone showing up
with wounds at this hour, but was a good deal more so when Arjun offered to pay
for her treatment on the spot, and in full.
“My boy, thank you. People here often pay me back over
time, except when they don’t. I can hardly tell you how much this helps!”
Belil whispered quietly through his teeth, “Sharur,
you’re lucky we knew you were Inina’s friend BEFORE you flashed all that coin.”
The healer looked Arjun over.
“You need some help too, my lad. No broken bones, but
you’ve been bleeding quite a bit. I’ll tell you what, for paying so promptly
for her, I’ll add your treatment for free.”
Arjun felt too weak to argue.
Inina turned out to have a cracked rib as well. They
carried her in and put her on a soft mat as the healer called upon his magic
and went to work. In a couple of hours, it was done. Inina’s bones were set and
mending, and Arjun’s wounds were clean and closed. He still felt like his body
had a lot of recovery to do.
“Honored healer, what should we do next?”
“Just get some rest, and a good breakfast in the
morning. It will take your bodies a day or so to recuperate and restore energy,
but you’ll be fine.
“Thank you,” said Arjun, with a stiff and painful bow.
Belil and his gang insisted on accompanying them as a
guard back to the seedy apartment block where Inina stayed. When she got inside
the door, she smiled weakly and thanked them.
“Good night, Inina, talk to you soon,” the rough young
man said as he and the others faded into the shadows of an alley.
Arjun turned to leave as well. Inina grabbed his hand.
“Don’t go. I’m not feeling safe by myself right now,
and… I’m a little dizzy.”
He helped her up the stairs and to her room. He barred
her door. She sat on the edge of her cramped little bed and thanked him in a quiet
voice, tried to start a longer conversation, but then tipped over and curled up
asleep instead.
Arjun rested on the floor next to her, his head near
hers, and his sword in his hand. He thought with shock that he had killed a man
tonight with that sword. But then anger welled in him at what the man had done,
and had planned to do. That man’s face blurred with Bal-Shim’s in his mind. Red
anger flowed, and then gradually faded. The man had deserved it, Arjun thought
harshly as he drifted off to sleep.
~
When Arjun awoke, the sun was already high in the sky.
Inina was curled in the same position she’d fallen asleep, save that her arm
had dropped over his chest. He thought of all that had happened to him in what
was still only a day and a half. The contrast of horror and beauty, of pain and
of the simple joy he felt sitting near her, seemed almost too much to bear.
But he had to. He had much to do.
He
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