Ten of Swords (Draft Only)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Sniffles, stop sitting around looking sad and go grab me some more elderflowers." Pepper shooed the teenage boy away from the makeshift cot made from hastily gathered plant straw and an old coat. She drenched a cloth in cold water, wrung it partially dry, and placed it over the forehead of their injured leader. Boss was running a fever, and if she wasn't regularly given elderflower to help with the pain, she would whimper and cry so weakly and terribly that it filled what was left of their team with dread.

"So, we've been cut off. I should have seen it coming." Boss wheezed, constantly fighting between the urge to hold her wound and the knowledge that it would do her no good. Though she had planned to make some kind of statement about what had happened, but she was promptly distracted.

"Gods, what hel is this?" Boss raised her arm up in front of her, seeing patterns like roots or veins in black and blue on her skin. She saw it again on her other arm and would have checked her stomach and arms had she the ability to get up on her own. "Did one of you paint on me or something?"

Pepper shook her head. "It appeared while you were out. I didn't have time to check if it was any kind of infection or curse but you were running so hot I was terrified me might lose you. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it's hurting you. Yet, I mean. Unless it's got anything to do with your temperature, in which case it might."

It could have been something to do with that strange dream, Boss surmised. Though, it was all so vivid and clear that she wasn't ready to commit to the idea that it hadn't somehow been real. The Dark Sea was only a legend, after all. It was a part of religions in many forms, but most often regarded as a metaphor by even the most faithful. What felt more likely, was that it was some kind of fever dream triggered by her doubts and fears that offered an easy but impossible solution. The 'price' was probably just her minds way of responding to her disbelief during the dreaming and trying to make it sound more probable.

"Ah, hel to it. We don't have the time to worry about weird shit. The old man probably suspects I'm still alive, which means he's going to be looking for us. He'd be in too deep now to just let us go. We need to get moving as soon as possible. Help me up." Boss reached out, prompting Pepper to roll her eyes and painfully help her up to her feet. As a half-elf, Boss was a head and a half shorter than Peper, who was a woman. If the Taig'ropoi were considered humans, giants, or something in between, was still a matter of debate. In the end, one's opinion on the matter was frequently reliant on what culture and social status one belonged to. To Boss and Sniffles, Pepper was Pepper, their herbalist.

"And so, the revolutionary becomes a tyrant," Pepper sighed. "Now what do we do? Even in the situation he didn't want to kill us I wouldn't want to serve an unworthy cause. Cutting down critics doesn't speak kindly for the regime that he wants to put in place. I hate to admit it, but you were right. He's gone too far."

Sniffles triumphantly pulled the last pouch of elderflowers from their medical rucksack, which he handed over to Pepper. "Shouldn't you still be resting? I don't think you should be on your feet yet, mom."

Boss messed up the boy's hair affectionately. "Shouldn't but must. We have to get moving. It's not safe to linger here."

There were a couple others who were still injured. The rest were dead. Poppy had a broken arm and a stitched up gash on her leg, while Butcher was beaten, bruised, and their nose was going to be a little crooked from then on. That was if he made it though the night. He was showing signs of delirium, suggesting that there was something very wrong. None of them were in any condition to fight, save for Sniffles and Pepper. But Boss didn't want Sniffles fighting, and Pepper was a doctor, not a soldier.