《The Silencing of Esteria》Chapter 7
Advertisement
The villagers carried the unconscious man to Kinic’s house.
Not bothering to knock, they pushed into the treatment room that occupied the whole first floor of the house and lay the man on a table as Toland hastily cleared it.
“Kinic!” shouted Rin up the stairs.
Toland hurried over to the dying fire, grabbed the bucket of water beside it and set the kettle to boil.
“Kinic!” shouted Rin again, this time he heard the sound of boots hitting the floor.
Kinic hurried down the stairs, pulling a jacket on.
“Sorry, sorry,” he said as he ran, “I was only going to close my eyes for a moment…”
Then he saw the man lying on the table.
“Horo’s beard,” he breathed and took off his jacket again.
“I need some water to wash the…” he started before Toland handed him the kettle.
“Right, thank you.”
Kinic then washed his hands with the remaining water and set to work. Gently undoing the bandages, washing the wound and then with a spool of thread began delicately tying off exposed arteries.
“Toland,” Kinic said as he worked, “Find the bullwort and some herdgrus, mix them with a few drops of anaregia and then place them under his tongue. Do not let him swallow it.”
Toland nodded and went off to find the items from the shelves of ingredients.
The men watched in silence as they worked, huddled around in a semi-circle.
The girl slid between the men and took up a place next to the bench, looming over Kinic.
“Will he live?” she asked so quietly Toland thought he might have imagined it.
“I… Maybe… He has lost a lot of blood, but judging by his condition he got help very quickly so his odds are better for it…”
Advertisement
He took his eyes off the man’s leg for a second to glance up at the unfamiliar voice and stopped dead.
He looked at her dumbstruck, her sapphire eyes locked with his.
The village of Hinswirth was on the western most edge of the Kingdom of Esteria, the Aravengali mountains were considered inhospitable, unclaimed territory and as such were the perfect border between Esteria and the Kingdom of Anglave. The villagers had never been further east than the small market town of Dunlun, as such they had never seen anyone from the royal family, or even seen a picture of them. This far from a city it was even rare to see a coin than might have had a stamped imprint depicting the king.
But Kinic knew, and his brain could come up with no reasonable explanation for why Katrina, first princess of Esteria, only child of King Telagash and heir to the throne, was stood in his house in her nightclothes in the middle of the night.
Toland had mixed the herbs as instructed, and using a small spoon placed the reddish-brown liquid under the unconscious man’s tongue.
“How?” asked Kinic.
The villagers shifted uncomfortably, unsure as to why Kinic was looking at this girl so strangely and not wishing to interrupt his work.
Toland glanced up too, but when he realized Kinic wasn’t talking to him, he returned to administering to the unconscious man.
The girl met Kinic’s stare for a second, then gestured to the man, “Please, continue.”
Kinic shook his head clear and nodded, returning to administering to the wounds.
After Toland had administered the herbs as best he could, he used the spoon to push down on the man’s tongue, keeping the mixture in place.
Rin took off his coat and placed it around the girl’s shoulders then said to the rest of the villagers, “We should leave these three to it, we should return to the watch.”
Advertisement
The men grumbled their assent and Kinic’s house, clearly unhappy that they would not find out how two mysterious strangers in their night clothes found their way to their hill in the dark this night.
After another hour of work Kinic sat back in his chair, satisfied that he could do no more.
Katrina looked at him expectantly.
“I think he will live,” Kinic sighed and washed his hands of blood.
She nodded.
“Thank you. I… I have no coin, I…”
Kinic held up his hand, “There are no coins out here, this land is harsh and cold, if we kept ledgers of favors owed and debts incurred we would have died out long ago.”
She nodded again and placed her hand on the man’s chest, grabbing ahold of a clump of his shirt.
“Nevertheless,” she said, “I will see you repaid, I swear it.”
It was Kinic’s turn to nod.
“Is there any of the mixture under his tongue left?” he asked of Toland.
Toland took a moment to check, then nodded.
“Take it out and throw it away then, its done its job.”
Toland did as he was told and then washed his hands as well.
Then the front door burst open again, this time the villagers were carrying Duglan Ir Shan and Herdru in. Both had massive wounds on their chests and faces, broader and deeper than any wound even a mighty two-handed broadsword could inflict.
“Horo’s pale…” Kinic began and caught himself before he said the next phrase in front of a princess.
The villagers lowered the stricken men onto the other tables in the room and Kinic began fussing over them.
The villages gathered around the two men, looking at them with awe.
“They did it, Kinic,” one of them said, “The crazy fools… We ran, but these two. Well mainly Herdru… But… its out in the village square now, dead.”
“The wolf?” Kinic replied.
The men nodded.
“Herdru killed it, stabbed it through the neck. Its blood was black, Kinic, black as tar. The direwolf is dead.”
Advertisement
- In Serial1363 Chapters
VRMMO: The Unrivaled
Lu Chen used to be a ranker of the most popular VRMMO game, Spirit of Grief. After a car accident turned his dreams into dust, his disability left him incapable of escaping the pit of mediocrity he was thrown into. Helpless and defeated, his story ended.Two years later, the Eternal Moon Corporation launched a new VRMMO called "Heavenblessed", and Lu Chen stumbled into another terrible accident that left him in a complicated situation far beyond his ability to handle. That won't stop him from rising to the top, however. Not again.Come witness the rise of the sword-wielding zombie and the relationships he makes during his journey to the apex! For riches and bi- ahem, for career and love!He wields a demonic sword from Hell, he dons armor shining with Heaven's light. His boots stride across the sky as his helmet devours the souls of his enemies. On his left side sits the Goddess of Death. On the other, the Angel of Beauty.From the land of ice and death, a generation of Asura Kings rises, their roars reverberating throughout the world.Tremble in fear, noobs!
8 8156 - In Serial1353 Chapters
Refining the Mountains and Rivers
A young man's life changes when he stumbles upon a mysterious item. Qin Yu had never been a lucky person. Weak of body, bullied by his peers, and with only his friend as his family, he struggles day-by-day to live. But everything changes when he stumbles upon a little blue lamp. An immortal and demonic cultivating adventure.
8 3344 - In Serial2455 Chapters
Mortal Cultivation Biography
A poor and ordinary boy from a village joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple by chance. How will Han Li, a commoner by birth, establish a foothold for himself in in his sect? With his mediocre aptitude, he must successfully traverse the treacherous path of cultivation and avoid the notice of those who may do him harm. This is a story of an ordinary mortal who, against all odds, clashes with devilish demons and ancient celestials in order to find his own path towards immortality.
8 1050 - In Serial1503 Chapters
Dragon Prince Yuan
Destiny stolen at birth, the prince of the once mighty Great Zhou Empire, Zhou Yuan, has been plagued all his life by a fatal poison, forced to suffer powerlessly until one day when fate draws him into a mysterious domain where he meets a beautiful girl in green, a bizarre dog-like creature and an unfathomable old man in black.Join Zhou Yuan as he is thrust into the whirlpool of destiny while he seeks the pinnacle of cultivation.
8 1057 - In Serial677 Chapters
Ranker's Return
In the early days of the virtual reality game, Arena, meleegod was the strongest ranked player! He deleted his character and suddenly left. In order to restore his bankrupt family, he returned to Arena!"Do you want to create a character?"
8 1715 - In Serial1525 Chapters
Monarch of Evernight
Qianye rose from hardship but was felled by betrayal. From then, one man, one gun; he tread the path between Evernight and Daybreak and became a legend. Even if Evernight was destined to be his fate, he still intends to become the ruler who dictates.
8 22861