Among Strangers, Part 3
We walked side by side along the dirt path leading out of Grusaak. Every step that took me further from the stench of the kobolds brought me a distinct feeling of relief. My senses had been on high alert throughout that unfortunate ordeal, so I felt a strong need to recover, to find comfort and, perhaps, solace.
To put the stress of our capture behind me, I chose to focus on the sensation of my feet treading the path and the grass brushing against my legs. I also examined the strange object I had been given as restitution for that misunderstanding: a piece of golden armor adorned with copper accents. It was, in truth, a rather ill-suited gift, given its design and my own anatomy. Nevertheless, an offering was still an offering - and, above all, a diplomatic gesture I was obliged to accept.
“Did they foist… did they give you an apology gift, too?” Percival asked.
I gave him an amused smile. Despite the gravity of the situation we had just endured, I now felt peaceful and safe again beside the leader of Koperdam. That said… Grusaak wasn’t the only one who owed this man an apology.
“Percival. There is something I wanted to discuss with you, now that we are alone again.”
He turned his head, looking inquisitive.
“I wanted to thank you for helping me during the fight against the ra - I mean, the kobolds. Despite the dire circumstances, I saw that you were right the other day. You wield your shield and weapons with kindness and goodwill, rather than disdain and vanity. I admire that, and I apologize for attributing intentions to you that you did not possess.”
He stared at me for a moment, before smiling.
“You don't need to apologize. I understand why you thought what you did" he said, briefly glancing down at his shield.
"Besides, I suspect I would have done the same if I had only seen someone put themselves between an attack and myself.”
He adjusted the strap on his equipment.
“Though perhaps next time, we should both try to remember that neither of us is entirely helpless.”
A faint chuckle escaped Percival.
“We seem to have a habit of protecting each other when we probably shouldn't.”
I saw right through Percival’s game. He was trying to reassure me by making light of the situation. Even so, I still felt indebted. So I continued:
“Furthermore, I was utterly unable to protect you... to protect us, despite the power of the Six. It is needless to say that we were lucky to survive. And even then, it was surely thanks to your attitude towards their leader. All I could do was remain silent.”
He stopped smiling for a moment, as if looking a little more serious.
"You weren't unable to protect us. We were simply outnumbered" he said before pausing for a moment, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"I don't think the Six expect their followers to win every fight they enter. In addition, if your silence helped keeping us alive, then I'd say you did rather well."
He proceeded to smile once more, still trying to reassure me that everything was fine.
"And for what it's worth, I don't think surviving that ordeal was luck alone."
He looked ahead down the road.
"We both made it out. That's what matters."
I stopped and turned to face Percival. Clearing the veil from my eyes, I stepped closer to him and placed my hands behind his elbows.
“Percival…”
I felt my legs give way and my heart pounding in my chest. Since I was little, I had read stories featuring situations like this. And yet, actually living through one…
No…
My field of vision began to narrow. My breathing grew shallow. Yet, my mind was calm. It was something else. I…
What is happening...?
Everything went black.
....................................................................
The road vanished beneath my feet.
One moment, Semet had been standing before me.
The next, her legs gave way.
“Semet!”
I caught her before she struck the ground.
“Semet?”
Nothing.
I checked her breathing.
Normal.
Her pulse.
Present.
There were no visible injuries, no wounds, no obvious explanation for why she had suddenly collapsed.
“Semet.”
Still nothing.
An unease began to settle in my chest.
I moved us from the road and quickly prepared a small camp beneath the trees. I laid Semet carefully on my bedroll, covered her with a blanket, and placed her belongings nearby.
Then I opened my notebook.
No visible injury.
No fever.
Breathing stable.
Pulse stable.
No response.
I paused.
Cause unknown.
Normally, those words would have interested me.
They did not.
I closed the notebook.
Hours passed.
I remained beside her, repeatedly checking her breathing and pulse despite knowing they had not changed. My thoughts moved through every possibility, exhaustion, illness, something from the fungal village, something from the kobolds.
And then there were the Six.
I knew little enough about them to begin with.
Eventually, Semet stirred.
My attention immediately returned to her.
“Semet?”
Her eyes opened slowly.
“You're awake.”
The relief in my voice was more obvious than I intended.
I reached for the water beside me as the Queen of Kedet mumbled, unable to form any word.
“Don't try to stand.”
Supporting her as she moved, I offered it to her.
“You collapsed. Quite suddenly, I might add.”
A faint smile appeared.
“You have a rather unfortunate habit of doing unexpected things.”
The humour quickly faded.
“You've been unconscious for some time.”
There were countless questions I wanted to ask.
What happened?
Was this connected to the Six?
But for once, they could wait.
“You frightened me,” I admitted quietly.
The words escaped before I could reconsider them.
“I am sorry.” she replied briefly, barely able to articulate.
I looked away briefly.
Then back at her.
“At least you're awake now.”
I adjusted the blanket around her.
“We're not continuing until you're well enough to travel. We can afford to lose some time.”
I glanced toward the road ahead.
“For once.”
Despite the fatigue, the Queen of Kedet radiated a certain determination. She was clearly trying to put on a brave face, notwithstanding her dire condition. Noticing my concern, she finally broke her silence after several minutes.
“I am fine. Do not worry about me. It is just that… I have to return to Kedet. We should continue our travel.”
When I looked back at Semet, the questions were still there.
But they could wait.
She was awake.
She was alive.
And, for the moment, that was enough.