Greetings all
We're starting the last bit of Kay's story, except for some of the time-travelling that Saita will be doing. I hope you all enjoy the ride!
Caring for Kay was brutal. The injury was severe, and it was made worse by Kay’s fevered thrashing, wanting to get away from an invisible phantom no one could understand. Silens had tried to pad her injuries, but while Kay was weakened by her injury, she was by no means left without protection.
Several times, Silens and Mitis had to avoid being cut up by energy claws. Silens hadn’t wanted to tie Kay’s hands down, but she had no choice. It was the only way to continue treating her.
After about four days of irrigating the wound and checking the maggots, the smell of rot from Kay’s leg had drastically improved. Most of the feasting decay eaters had wandered from the wound, and the rest had been carefully picked out by Silens until she was sure that the wound was clean.
She sighed in relief when she only noticed pink, healthy tissue. However, the bone was steadily growing greyer, and she needed to clean it now, followed by immediately splinting the leg. Kay’s delirium and fevers had spiked at the worst of it, despite taking some of the medications.
Between the fevers and chills, Kay was rarely conscious, and when she was, she would mutter incoherently to her abuser. Now restrained, she couldn’t hurt those around her, but Silens could hear the terror in her voice. She knew this terror. She had seen Saita’s memories, guided her through them. She hadn’t wanted to know more about Kay’s past, but the surface thoughts were always there, and they were difficult to block out.
When Silens and Mitis needed to rest, women from the village would bathe Kay in cool water, change her dressings and soiling cloths, and try to get her to drink something. Deep bruising was starting to form on her body, revealing more injuries from her fall and frantic survival struggle in the river.
Silens had to steel herself for what was to come. The hunters and the king had returned with the herbal additions she needed. She prayed that it was enough to ease what she would have to do to Kay. She had spent late evening trying to talk to the fevered woman, but nothing stuck. Nothing except the man who had done everything to destroy his daughter except kill her.
Mitis had begged Silens to wait with realigning the bone, but Silens couldn’t wait anymore. With the flesh clear of infection and decay, the muscles were already pulling tight, and healing was occurring around the edges. If she didn’t clean the bone now, she might as well take Kay’s leg.
After making the draughts she needed, she tried her best to give them to Kay, but the girl was combative and spat out anything placed in her mouth. Silens had been forced to ask a huntsman to hold Kay’s head steady while drops of the powerful remedies were dripped onto her gums. Silens hoped that something was absorbed because the next part was going to test everyone’s resolve.
Silens slowly went through ancient techniques she had seen shamans use when she was a child. She scoured over the notes left by the previous shaman for all the help she could get. A small metal knife with a leather handle was resting close to the fire, several sterilised stone flints were just within reach, and a bowl of antiseptic wash was placed close by for her hands. Once things were in place, she sent Mitis away. She didn’t need the girl to see what they were going to do to Kay.
The young woman had fought, but the King had ordered two of his men to take her and their child to her parents’ home in the village.
“What can I do?”
The King looked dishevelled and exhausted. He had collected the herb that was needed and had barely rested afterwards.
“We will need to tie her down. I can’t have her moving during what I am about to do. She will scream, and she will fight. A broad strap across her chest, hips, and arms, and her working leg tied down. I will also need someone to hold onto her left thigh as I try to reposition the limb. There also needs to be someone at her head, making sure that she doesn’t inhale any vomit. I don’t believe she has drunk enough of my mixtures for her to be as pain-free as I would like.”
Silens grit her teeth. “She is going to hate me for this if she remembers any of it.”
It's a good thing that Kay won't remember most of what is about to happen to her.
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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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 143>>You are Here>>Part 2
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