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Greeting Readers

I decided to post a slightly longer read for all of you today. I will add a trigger warning that this update is a little gruesome. Other than that, enjoy!

With the huntsmen looking for the herbs and mushrooms she needed, and the King out from underfoot, Silens could finally see to Kay. She had been terrified when Venator had suddenly appeared in her doorway with Kay slung over his shoulder, unconscious.

Her skin had been pale, and she barely breathed. Once she had been laid out on the bed, Silens finally could see the reason she wasn’t able to come home by herself. Even with immediate help, the injury would have caused lifelong problems. But after being exposed to the elements for three days, it was now life-threatening.

The village women helping Silens had shuddered at seeing the mass of feasting decay eaters, and one had wanted to flush the wound, but Silens had stopped her.

“They are eating the decay away. Leave them be.”

The exposed bone’s edges had lost their white sheen, and Silens knew that clearing it of infection would require a treatment that would make most men go mad. Heating and scraping. The first order Silens had was for someone to set out meat to attract flies. The more eggs she could collect, the bigger colony she could grow to keep the wound clean. Experience had taught her that the flies in this area only ate decay.

After that, she had Kay stripped of her soiled clothing. She needed to be cleaned and warmed up. She had made a tea to help with the growing infection, but she knew it was nothing but a band-aid.

However, Kay was too far in her fever to drink, and a village woman had dripped the tea between her gums and lips, ensuring she got something in. Kay would need more help than what was on offer, but Silens and villagers were all she had.

Once the girl had been cleaned, the bed changed, and soiling clothes laid down, Silens could finally have a better look at the broken leg. The splint had been removed, and the old dressing soaked off with an herbal solution. The wound was ragged, with blackened edges, and pus running down in small rivulets. The leg was also swollen and hot to the touch. Silens had been worried when they removed Kay’s shoes to see that her foot was mottled coloured. But Silens had found a pulse in the foot, weak, but there. Kay wouldn’t lose her leg this day.

Kay hadn’t been conscious when she arrived, but with the undressing, washing, and soaking off the old dressings had roused her. However, she was so deep in fever, she kept switching between incoherent babbling and screaming at someone who wasn’t in the room.

“No. Leave me. Stop.” She would groan in a language only Silens understood.

The shaman had promised herself that she would never enter Kay’s head unless invited, but now her memories were laid bare. Surface thoughts were thrown out by a confused and overheated brain. Silens could see that Kay was trying to fight off a larger man, who resembled her. All the pain they were causing her was being interpreted by her brain as the past she had already survived. Kay had mentioned her father beating her, but the memories weren’t how Silens had pictured it.

A shattered arm, a split lip, shoved down the stairs, being kicked. Each memory pained Silens. Had she known that Kay had gone through any of this, she would have had far more patience when the girl had been stubborn. She would have offered something akin to affection instead of just mentorship. She felt guilty, and she had no time for that.

Silens and Mitis instructed the village women in what to do and what to prepare. A wash had been made to pour over the wound. It wouldn’t kill the decay eaters but rather kill bacteria. The pus needed to be dealt with next without destroying the wriggling mass.

With a warm, antibacterial solution rich in honey and other powerful herbs, it was poured over the wound; the maggots went into a frenzy of movement. However, Silens couldn’t afford to lose any. Those that wriggled free from the leg dropped onto a fine cloth waiting for them. They would need to be returned to keep any rot at bay.

The village women were too squeamish for this task, so Mitis and Silens busied themselves with cleaning the area around the fractured bone. While the running pus eventually stopped, there was a crust of it along with dirt, moss, and blood that surrounded the bone. This would take a while to clean, and it didn’t help when Kay started trying to throw those trying to help off her.

She screamed foreign words at them while Silens’ heart broke for her. She was calling out, begging her father to stop. She bargained, screamed, and finally resorted to begging for forgiveness for existing.

Having seen Saita unclothed many times, Silens could see which scars belonged to the addition of the machine and those that came from Kay’s father. The man truly hadn’t cared for his child.

Once they were done cleaning her leg, they bound the area in a breathable cloth. The next thing that needed tackling was the fever and pain. It was already late into the evening, and Silens had sent the women home. She wanted to send Mitis to bed, but the woman refused.

“This is all my fault. I should have stopped her.” Said Mitis as she threw a blanket over Kay’s top half.

“It was a terrible accident. No one meant for this to happen.” Silens looked at the jutting bone.

“The king should have known better.”

“As should Kay have. Hunting alone is dangerous. Wearing her armour with no friendly faces made her look like a predator. If you will not rest, then water down the broth in the kitchen and feed her. She likely hasn’t eaten in days.”

Mitis immediately complied, but despite Kay’s obviously famished form, her jaw clenched in defiance.

“No.” she growled.

“You need to eat.”

Silens didn’t want to resort to tying Kay down, but if she didn’t get sustenance, she was going to fade. Sighing, she indicated that Mitis stand on the girl’s left side, while she knelt behind Kay, lifting her head and shoulders slightly.

“Eat.” She commanded with a calm but firm voice.

“No…” It sounded like Kay was on the verge of crying.

“I will keep him at bay.” Whispered Silens as she stroked Kay’s fevered brow.

“No, you won’t. No one does. No one cares.”

“I care.” Hissed Silens. “I wouldn’t have taken you under my wing if I didn’t. Eat!”

The broth was cold by the time they got her to take a few spoonfuls. It didn’t stay down for long, as Kay retched a few minutes later. That didn’t stop either woman from trying to get a few more spoonfuls into her. The second helping stayed down, and this time, Kay fell silent. A few sips of a sleep draught later eased her way into sleep.

“She won’t be out for long.” Said Silens as she laid Kay down.

A crack of thunder boomed through the forest and rain started pouring once more.

“Who is she seeing, Silens?”

Silens snapped her attention to Mitis. It was the first time that the girl had used her name. Nothing would be gained from lying, but it wasn’t Silens’ story to tell. She considered her options as she placed a woven basket over Kay’s leg and extended the blanket over it and her other leg. Silens noticed the swelling in Kay’s other ankle and made a mental note to check if it was a sprain or simply bruised from her fall.

Once she was done with her task, she simply said, “Her father.”

“Her scars…”

Silens nodded. There was no way she could make Mitis understand what most of Kay’s scars were.

“We should let her rest. She’s going to need it in the coming days.”

And there you have it. Next week will be a short piece with Saita. Until then, cheers!

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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