Bound in Spirals Ch. 06

She nodded sadly and waved as she left. Sam stepped into the doorframe and waved back, as she started down the street toward her mother's home. When he turned back, he jumped slightly as he saw Fenella looking at the chest of supplies curiously. She had a larger chest of her own resting on one of the chairs.

"She really went all out didn't she. That woman is quite strange. I'm a little disappointed she won't be joining us, but I won't pry into your reasoning." Fenella said, looking up at him. When Sam did not reply she continued, "I'm ready to depart whenever you are, but I suppose eating something before we leave would be a good idea."

"Yeah, we should. Do you mind if I try cooking for us? It's been a while since I was able to cook, and I miss it a bit. I used to do it a lot back home." Sam said honestly, reminiscing about the times his father had made meals with him.

"Sure, I don't mind. I can do a final check on your friend before we leave while you do it. I need to put some new bandages on him." She replied and Sam nodded. "Follow me, I'll show you where I keep the food and spices."

———

Hennel groaned as he opened his eyes. He blinked away sleep, and tried to recall what had happened. 'After I collapsed... What happened?' Pushing himself up, he looked down at his bare stomach. A wicked purplish scar was all that remained of the wound that had been there. It throbbed painfully.

"Hello?" He called out into the dark room.

"P-Prince!" He heard an excited voice. A clicking sound echoed, and the light of a lantern flickered on. "Thank the spirits! I was worried that my healing would not suffice!"

"Ah it is you, Fiernil." Hennel said as he saw the short, elven man rushing over to him. The lantern light flickered on the surface of Fiernil's orange eyes. "What happened to me after...?"

"H-Hold your questions for a moment if you please, Master Hennel." Fiernil said. His bright red hair began to lift as though weightless, and flickered like a flame with red light. He pressed his hands to the sides of Hennel's head, and he began to feel a deep warmth run through him. "Ah, as I expected. I cannot seem to repair your wound any further, unfortunately. Perhaps another more skilled than I could do it, but the poison on that blade was very potent."

"So the knives were poisoned. That explains why it was so abnormally painful." Hennel commented as he pressed on the scar experimentally. He winced, it felt like he was touching a still open wound. "Fiernil, please tell me. Was anything discovered about the assassin?"

"I'm afraid not, Master Hennel. Apparently, they were unable to identify her, and she had nothing on her person aside from a number of other knives." Fiernil replied with a worried frown as he looked at Hennel's new scar.

"How long was I unconscious?" He asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Only a few hours actually. I must admit, you are surprisingly resilient." Fiernil answered in his odd accent which tended to switch between lilting and slurring. "Despite that, I recommend you stay resting. I was only barely able to keep the poison from killing you, after all."

"I appreciate the recommendation, but I am quite alright." Hennel said, but as he stood he felt a sharp pain from his stomach. The only sign he'd even felt it though, was the subtle twitch of the corner of his left eye. "I have a duty to uphold, and I cannot rest if there are assassins roaming the palace."

Fiernil looked like he wanted object further, but he kept silent as Hennel grabbed the shirt that was draped over the back of a chair. 'Perhaps it would have been best if I did rest...' He thought regretfully as the pain continued to stab at him. He was already shrugging into his purple coat by the time he reached the dark wood door.

"I will return for a check up later." He said over his shoulder as he turned the silver handle. Fiernil nodded hesitantly, worry clearly written on his sharply featured face.

"About time." Came the familiar voice of Deredd as he stepped out. He was leaning against the wall to the left of the door, his shaggy black hair as messy as usual. "If you took any longer, I'd have thought you were just using it as an excuse."

If Hennel wasn't in so much pain, he'd have been glad to see Deredd waiting for him, but as it was, he wasn't in the mood for his usual jests. "Don't be an ass. What is the status?"

Deredd seemed to pick up on his foul mood and turned serious. He fell into stride next to the prince and they headed toward the high guard's meeting room. "We found one of the other sword captains dead along with his attacker. It seems he was stabbed in the shoulder and the poison got to him before he got help. The palace staff have been checked and told to report any suspicious activity. We have found two other assassins carrying the same knives, both are women. They are under interrogation, but we have not managed to get anything out of them yet. At least, that was how it was last I heard."

Hennel did not reply as he buckled on his sword belt, and hastily combed his sandy blonde hair back with his fingers. 'Damn. This pain is worse than I thought. Maybe I really should go back to rest.' Each step seemed to send an intense burst through him.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright?" Deredd asked, looking at him with concern. "You're sweating quite a lot."

"It hurts, but I'll manage." Hennel replied. 'Why would only the sword captains be attacked? My first instinct was Tenall, but this isn't her style. Not enough suffering. Along with the fact that she had no reason to go after the other captain.'

He felt another jolt of pain, and another, and another. He could feel his sweat coming out profusely. 'Ergh, I don't have time for pain right now.' His training was beginning to fail him at this point, and he was showing signs of his pain. He was twitching with each step and his teeth were clenched to the point of hurting, though he didn't notice this at the time.

"Hennel, maybe you should go back and lie down. Your face is very pale." Deredd said, the concern on his face becoming even more obvious.

Hennel began to consider it, as they approached the stairs. 'Yes, he's probably right. I can't think clearly in this situation.' He took a step down, and suddenly he felt himself tumbling forward. The pain had become too much and he stumbled. Now, he was crashing down the stairs, and all he could do was feel like an idiot as he hit the bottom and blacked out...

———

Sam stirred the pot of soup that hung above the fire in Fenella's fireplace. The flames licked at the bottom of the dark pot, and lit the blackened stone of the chimney. The mixture he'd managed to fix up was a crude attempt at the potato soup his father used to make. It was quite difficult with only the bizarre ingredients of this world.

'Well, at least I have potatoes and noodles, the core ingredients.' He thought as the water began to boil. The smell of some of the odd spices wafted up into his nose. It smelled hot, or spicy, rather. 'Does that make sense?' He added in the noodles after a few minutes of boiling and some of the other strange vegetables.

The small yellow roots, which were a strange rectangle-like shape, were the closest thing he could find to carrots. They were a bit sweeter than he would have liked, but ultimately it wouldn't affect the taste too much. Finally, he pulled the pot off after he checked that both the noodles and potatoes were relatively soft. Ideally, he would have put more time into it, but he didn't have the luxury at the moment.

"Okay, the soup is done." He said, placing the pot onto the foldable metal table Fenella had brought out of a closet. He pulled off the large oven mitts, and grabbed two of the clay bowls off the shelf.

"You've gotten me curious now. I've never seen tates used this way before, or the fentils either." Fenella said as she sat down and started ladling soup into her bowl.

'I suppose a fentil is what those yellow things are called...' Sam thought as he pulled his own chair back and sat. Laughing, he said, "Don't expect too much. I'm quite unfamiliar with the spices here so I had to improvise a bit."

Using a carved wooden spoon, she scooped soup out of her bowl and blew on it to cool it. Sam ladled soup into his own bowl. "Mmm. This is far better than I expected. Better than I can make, that's for certain." She said. "Though I suppose that's not saying much. I'm not the best of cooks."

Sam was skeptical, but when he put the spoon into his mouth he was surprised. It was almost as good as his dad's. The flavor was quite different though. Spicier and sweeter, and not quite as rich. 'Not too bad after all.'

Sam finished his serving just as Fenella finished her second. 'Jesus, is it really that good?' He wondered with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have a lid or something for this pot?"

"Uh, no I think it was destroyed a while back." She said, and when she saw his questioning look finished with, "Don't ask."

"Alright, I guess I'll just use the pot Lorry got me. We can have the rest tomorrow or something." Sam said as he stood and retrieved the pot and lid from his new chest of goodies. After transferring the soup he wondered about spillage during the bumpy ride. 'Ah, I can just bind the lid down. This whole 'magic' thing is pretty convenient.'

With that, they packed up, and left Fenella's home and shop behind. The sky was dyed a deep purple as they pulled their small wagons toward the lake, where Letta was waiting. Even though it was dark out, the streets were still busy. The flickering light of lanterns lit the cobblestones as people passed by. Even the slums seemed to be thrumming with life as Fenella led him through the safest route.

Theodore was lying in the wagon Fenella was pulling, wrapped snugly in a thick wool blanket. Sam pulled their chests on the smaller wagon Lorry had brought. Fenella's chest was quite heavy, and by the time they finally reached the lake he was breathing heavily.

"Stop here, I don't think I can pull this if we go on to the rougher terrain. I'll have Le-Lucy meet us here." Sam said, barely keeping himself from saying Letta's actual name. For the moment it was probably best to keep that a secret.

She nodded and brought her wagon to a halt. They were only just outside the town, but he figured that worrying about causing a stir at that point was just silly. 'Letta! Meet us at the edge of town!' He shouted mentally.

'I am on my way.' She said simply. A few moments later, he saw a massive, dark silhouette prancing through shallow waters. As she came closer he noticed she had her mouth open and her tongue was hanging out. She bounced toward them like a giant, playful puppy. Sam laughed at the absolute ridiculousness of it.

'Looks like your paws are feeling better.' He said, and as soon as he did Letta closed her mouth, lowered her head, and started feigning a limp. She whined loudly. He chuckled and shook his head. 'Jesus christ...'

Letta resumed her playful bounding as she finally reached them, and stopped suddenly, causing dirt to spray outward. A clod bounced off Sam's shoulder and landed in the grass. He looked down at it. Fenella just looked on at the scene indifferently. 'You done yet?' He asked Letta.

'For now, I suppose.' She knelt down and rested her head on her paws, waiting for them to situate themselves.

Sam hefted Fenella's heavy wooden chest, and slid it up onto Letta's back. He clambered up after it, careful to keep it from falling off. He aligned it evenly and bound it securely with his magic. 'Pretty convenient indeed.'

His own chest followed suit, resting up against the other one. Then, Fenella gently lifted Theodore out of her wagon and handed him up to Sam. He then bound him to Letta's back similarly to the chests, making sure he wouldn't be jostled too much. Finally, he reached down a hand to help pull Fenella up behind him. She adjusted her split, pink skirt which seemed meant for riding, and told him she was ready to go.

'Alright, let's go!' Sam said to Letta, and gripped two handfuls of thick, gray fur. She stood, and in a matter of seconds they were heading north at what felt like 50 miles per hour.

———

Dettella woke to the sounds of people shouting. Outside her carriage, a fire was beginning to blaze uncontrollably in the pitch darkness of night. The light flickered around the edges, and through the gaps in the closed curtains. 'What is going on?' She shook herself awake and peeked out the window. What she saw made her tremble more than when they had been attacked the previous day.

Dark, looming figures danced in the bright light, their shadows growing and shrinking as they moved. The creatures' naked skin visible in the light of the fire seemed a blue that was near black. Small speckles of purple dotted the bulging, warty spots that were most prevalent on the monstrosities' arms and legs. Their arms hung down to the ground despite how tall they were. Gnarled fingers curled up from those dragging arms and were tipped with long, jagged, white claws.

In the moment that she was watching, one of the beasts whipped an arm forward with disturbing speed. It's claws shredded through one of the scampering winnem, leaving it in four pieces. It knelt down and began chewing into the spilling organs, and Dettella saw that it had blue eyes as big as dinner plates. She couldn't see the whites or pupil on either one, and that was the last thing she could see before her carriage started moving.

It dashed away with the speed of a frightened animal. Which she supposed was appropriate due to what was pulling it, a frightened animal. She heard the screeching of winnem behind and ahead of them as they tried to escape whatever those creatures had been.

"M-Milady?! W-What is happening?!" Yalene cried out. They both yelped as the carriage jumped suddenly and they were tossed from their seats.

"I-I'm not sure! Some creatures attacked us!" Dettella gripped the window frame, trying to keep herself steady. She pulled back the curtain and searched the darkness for any sign of Darrel or one of the other guards. Muffled shouts surrounded the hurtling carriage. "Light a lantern Yalene. Keep the flame low."

A moment later, dim light filled the coach. Dettella could see the sprinting forms of winnem outside, with riders on top. Further into the night she saw more shadows... larger shadows... 'Are those creatures keeping pace?!' Her eyes widened as one of the shadows moved toward the clustered riders around the carriage.

A scream echoed into the night. Dettella only caught a brief glimpse as a spray of blood splashed into her eyes. The creature had slashed through both mount and rider, and the parts fell behind. She fought back the urge to cry out as she recoiled back inside the coach. Yalene however, did not resist that urge, she shrieked as she saw the blood soaked face of her mistress.

"M-Milady! A-Are you hurt?!" Yalene's voice was so high pitched that Dettella barely understood what she'd said.

"No. I am fine." She replied as she accepted the handkerchief that was proffered to her. 'I can't say the same for that soldier, though...' She trembled slightly as she wiped away the still hot blood. "Are there any knives in here?"

"W-Why are you asking that, milady? W-What, what about the guards?" Yalene asked, her pitch growing higher and higher, to the point that it was hurting Dettella's ears.

"It is best to be cautious, rather than hope the guards can handle everything." She explained, trying to maintain her outward patience. Inside, she was screaming at Yalene for being an idiot. "Whatever those creatures are, they are frighteningly strong."

"O-Okay... There are some cooking knives in the back somewhere." Yalene answered and began digging through the storage area behind the back seat. "H-Here you are..."

Dettella took the large, unwieldy knife absentmindedly. Her thoughts were scrambling for any idea of what those things might be. 'They match the description of the gurilthenn... but the books never said anything about them attacking people. They're just supposed to hunt small game and livestock.' She looked down at the long, serrated blade in her hand. 'Would this be enough to kill one of those things?' Recalling the fleeting glimpse she'd had of the hulking beasts, she shook her head. 'Not likely.'

Suddenly, the carriage lurched sharply to the right. Dettella found herself tumbling over and over, the knife fell from her grasp. She heard Yalene scream, and more shouting from outside. A horrible shredding sound came as ivory claws ripped into the wood of the carriage. The rolling came to an abrupt stop. She felt her head collide with the roof, which was now the floor.

Black and white specks crept into her vision. She groaned, trying to push herself up on shaky arms. Looking around, she saw Yalene lying unmoving in a heap beside her. The knife she'd been holding a moment before was embedded to the handle in Yalene's left thigh. Dettella grabbed her forehead, trying to steady her wavering consciousness. 'I need to think fast.' She pulled off her light blue silk gloves and pressed the left one to Yalene's leg as the other yanked the knife free. She pulled forth her power and silvery light glowed out from her hand as the forms glided across the surface of her skin.

The light became more intense as she focused it into her left hand and pushed it into Yalene. Forcing her will into it, the magic pulled Yalene's blood back to her and sealed the wound. She turned away from Yalene then, her mind forming the next course of action. The terrible shredding sound continued as the creature tried to open the coach.

Dettella lunged and grabbed one of the huge claws as it dug into the carriage. She quickly placed a rather sloppy binding. The claw was now stuck into the bottom side of the carriage, though it would likely not remain for long as it was. She quickly set another bind on the next claw, this one stronger. Then, she repeated it with the last one. A silver web of spiraling patterns now lit the inside of the carriage where the creature's hand was stuck.

She could hear the thing grunting as it's claws gradually got pulled together. The wood creaked as the claws were crushed inwards by the force of the bind. The creature was howling now. 'Alright, that should occupy it for now.' Dettella turned back towards the unconscious Yalene. She crawled toward the door and tried to open it, but it was jammed shut. "Damn..."

She grabbed Yalene's limp form and dragged her toward the door, then began shoving her through the small window. "Ergh! How are you so heavy...?!" Finally she managed to fit the handmaiden through and followed her out.

Glancing back, she saw the tall form of the gurilthenn trying to pull it's knobby hand free from the toppled carriage. It's purple protuberances glowing faintly, looked like grapes growing out of the creature's skin. For the moment it hadn't seen her, but she needed to get out of it's reach quickly. She stifled a groan as she hefted the dead weight of Yalene up and into her arms. 'Uuu... I can't carry her for long.'

She stumbled away from the carriage, not bothering to check her surroundings. The flitting black and white spots were beginning to creep back into her vision. She bumped into a tree and fell backward. "Oof," Dettella winced as she pushed Yalene off of her. "Where are the guards? Were they already defeated by these things?"

She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Before she could speak, a voice whispered in her ear. "Hide behind this tree for a moment. I will kill the gurilthenn and retrieve the coin from the carriage." Darrel was kneeling down next to her, his face splashed with a gory mask of blood. He spoke in his deep monotone, "We will continue to the town on foot."