guard.”
“Two urvaalgs?” said Jager. “And you’re still alive?”
His smile was nearly a rictus.
“I don’t want history,” said Ridmark, “to repeat itself.”
###
Ridmark sat against the wall as Calliande examined the cuts across his ribs.
“They have to be cleaned first,” said Calliande, frowning as she concentrated. “Urvaalgs have all kinds of poisons upon their talons, and if I heal the cuts first, I might seal up the poison within you.” She dabbed at one of the gashes, every touch sending a pulse of pain through his chest.
He had endured worse.
“You know what you are doing,” said Ridmark. “Do as you think best.”
“This will likely hurt,” said Calliande.
“That seems a just punishment,” said Ridmark, “for the folly of having an urvaalg slip past my guard. Certainly the consequences could have been worse.”
Calliande frowned. “You think this is your fault.”
Ridmark said nothing. Morigna stood at the other side of the tower, alternating between bickering with Jager and glaring at Calliande. She knew that Calliande could heal him, but Morigna nonetheless did not like Calliande touching him.
Though considering how badly his side hurt, there was nothing enjoyable in the sensation.
“I should have paid better attention,” said Ridmark.
Calliande nodded. “The urvaalgs caught you off-guard, while you were distracted.”
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “I should have known better.”
“Your attention never wanders,” said Calliande, dabbing away a bit of crusted blood. “The only thing that I can think of that might distract you would…”
He blinked and they looked at each other for a moment.
“Oh,” said Calliande with a bit of embarrassment. “Forgive me. I did not mean to pry.”
Ridmark closed his eyes. “How long have you known?”
“Since the night before we left the Iron Tower,” said Calliande. “You went into the woods during the wedding feast. I thought you just wanted to be alone. But Morigna had already gone into the woods, and, well…neither of you came back until much later. It wasn’t hard to realize what had happened.”
Ridmark sighed. “I didn’t plan it. I did want to be alone. Then I happened across her and, well…”
“Nature took its course?” said Calliande. “That seems the most polite of the available euphemisms.”
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “She was…insistent. Though the responsibility is mine.”
Calliande snorted. “Knowing Morigna, I am sure she would insist that the responsibility is hers alone.”
“I should have been on my guard,” said Ridmark. “Else those urvaalgs would not have caught us.”
“Urvaalgs are stealthy,” said Calliande, discarding one cloth and picking up another. “And if…ah, nature was taking its course, I imagine you would have been distracted.”
“It was after,” said Ridmark. “So I am merely a partial fool, rather than a complete one.”
“That would have been an ignoble end,” said Calliande, “ripped apart while you were sporting with your lover the wild sorceress.”
Ridmark looked at her.
“No, no,” said Calliande, squeezing the bridge of her nose. “Forgive me. That was…inappropriate. You owe me nothing, and I have no right to mock you like that.”
“Do not chastise yourself,” said Ridmark. “I owe you a great deal. You have saved my life not once but many times, and you have healed my wounds again and again. I promised you that I would help you find your staff and your memory, and if I live long enough I will do so.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “I would not have been able to save your life if you first had not saved mine.”
“And if,” said Ridmark, thinking of the kiss they had shared the day the wyvern had poisoned Kharlacht, “and if things had been…different, if we had been different people. Or if we had met at a different time. I wish things could have been different.”
Her smile was sad.
“Two urvaalgs?” said Jager. “And you’re still alive?”
His smile was nearly a rictus.
“I don’t want history,” said Ridmark, “to repeat itself.”
###
Ridmark sat against the wall as Calliande examined the cuts across his ribs.
“They have to be cleaned first,” said Calliande, frowning as she concentrated. “Urvaalgs have all kinds of poisons upon their talons, and if I heal the cuts first, I might seal up the poison within you.” She dabbed at one of the gashes, every touch sending a pulse of pain through his chest.
He had endured worse.
“You know what you are doing,” said Ridmark. “Do as you think best.”
“This will likely hurt,” said Calliande.
“That seems a just punishment,” said Ridmark, “for the folly of having an urvaalg slip past my guard. Certainly the consequences could have been worse.”
Calliande frowned. “You think this is your fault.”
Ridmark said nothing. Morigna stood at the other side of the tower, alternating between bickering with Jager and glaring at Calliande. She knew that Calliande could heal him, but Morigna nonetheless did not like Calliande touching him.
Though considering how badly his side hurt, there was nothing enjoyable in the sensation.
“I should have paid better attention,” said Ridmark.
Calliande nodded. “The urvaalgs caught you off-guard, while you were distracted.”
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “I should have known better.”
“Your attention never wanders,” said Calliande, dabbing away a bit of crusted blood. “The only thing that I can think of that might distract you would…”
He blinked and they looked at each other for a moment.
“Oh,” said Calliande with a bit of embarrassment. “Forgive me. I did not mean to pry.”
Ridmark closed his eyes. “How long have you known?”
“Since the night before we left the Iron Tower,” said Calliande. “You went into the woods during the wedding feast. I thought you just wanted to be alone. But Morigna had already gone into the woods, and, well…neither of you came back until much later. It wasn’t hard to realize what had happened.”
Ridmark sighed. “I didn’t plan it. I did want to be alone. Then I happened across her and, well…”
“Nature took its course?” said Calliande. “That seems the most polite of the available euphemisms.”
“Yes,” said Ridmark. “She was…insistent. Though the responsibility is mine.”
Calliande snorted. “Knowing Morigna, I am sure she would insist that the responsibility is hers alone.”
“I should have been on my guard,” said Ridmark. “Else those urvaalgs would not have caught us.”
“Urvaalgs are stealthy,” said Calliande, discarding one cloth and picking up another. “And if…ah, nature was taking its course, I imagine you would have been distracted.”
“It was after,” said Ridmark. “So I am merely a partial fool, rather than a complete one.”
“That would have been an ignoble end,” said Calliande, “ripped apart while you were sporting with your lover the wild sorceress.”
Ridmark looked at her.
“No, no,” said Calliande, squeezing the bridge of her nose. “Forgive me. That was…inappropriate. You owe me nothing, and I have no right to mock you like that.”
“Do not chastise yourself,” said Ridmark. “I owe you a great deal. You have saved my life not once but many times, and you have healed my wounds again and again. I promised you that I would help you find your staff and your memory, and if I live long enough I will do so.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “I would not have been able to save your life if you first had not saved mine.”
“And if,” said Ridmark, thinking of the kiss they had shared the day the wyvern had poisoned Kharlacht, “and if things had been…different, if we had been different people. Or if we had met at a different time. I wish things could have been different.”
Her smile was sad.
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