Intertwining Destinies

Chapter 13

Nuada sat on the edge of his bed with his head resting on his palms. He remained there a long time with eyes closed. He was sieving through his memories to recollect something that held any semblance to what the woman had just told him. He couldn't recall much of the histories of elves or humans who had ever been endowed with such power, but didn't altogether trust his knowledge when it came to chronicles. Those were Nuala's field of expertise, as was war craft to Nuada.

He could not dismiss the fact that the human might just be lying to gain few more precious moments of her pathetic mortal life. Nuada scowled. He would test her words and then ponder the source of her powers. Thinking that, he got up and walked into the kitchen area of the cavern. He hastily shifted the assortment of pots in the larder to see if Wink had stored any fruit there, and soon found a couple of ripe peaches inside a small basket. He chose one and tore it apart in his hands to disengage the seed into his hand. He would simply ask the human to demonstrate her powers. If she was telling the truth, she could make this seed germinate into a plant, at the very least.

He walked back to the outer chamber where he had left her. He found her lying on the floor, apparently unconscious, and saw the blood seeping from her deeply cut wrists curling its way into a thin ribbon. He nudged her slightly on the side with his boot. She remained motionless. Nuada swore loudly in Gaelic. The woman had injured herself severely enough to cut through her veins and bring her own death closer. He had not as much as even lifted his sword to her; and here she was, bleeding out on the floor of his cavern.

With Wink gone, he himself would have to mop up the human filth. Hadn't he told her what would happen should she fight against her restraint? Humans were not only weak, but also stupid; their cunning was used only to harm others. It galled him to think that now he would have to tend to her wounds. Of course, he didn't care if she died - as long as there was time enough left for him to satisfy his curiosity regarding her powers. He was now beginning to regret Wink's absence.

Placing the seed into the folds of his sash, Nuada returned to the kitchen. From a large wooden chest, he retrieved a number of glass bottles containing dark liquids, and bunches of dried herbs and roots. Reading the runes etched on the surfaces of each bottle, he selected the desired one, and found a strip of clean linen. Taking these items, he went back to the woman.

He knelt down beside her and carefully untied the knots of the cord. He stared into her face, making sure she was truly unconscious and would not attempt to escape. Satisfied, he scrunched up the piece of linen and dabbed the woman's wrists to absorb the excess blood. He uncorked the bottle and let a few drops of the liquid fall on her wide, bloody slashes. After only a few minutes, the potion took effect, and soon the blood stopped pouring from the wounds. It would take only a few hours for the potion to heal the wound. It vexed Nuada to waste the precious potion which he had acquired after much excursion into the forests of the Amazon to find the native nymph hedge witches who had concocted this particular healing liquid for him.

Nuada could have summoned a healer to look after her, but he refrained from doing so. He was not yet sure what he would unravel from this woman, but he didn't want anyone else knowing about it. He replaced the potion back into its box. He brought a second bottle and poured its contents into her mouth. It made her cough violently, and slowly she opened her eyes.

"Water...please," she mouthed. Nuada's sensitive elven ears picked up her faint sound, and he felt a twinge of pity for the woman. If she had been a non-human female, he would have gone to great lengths to comfort and protect her. But, she was a human and nothing more – an empty hearted creature. However, he wasn't a complete brute, and would not torture her needlessly. Bringing a small pitcher, he helped her to sit up and gulp some water.