Crimson Rebirth

Part 4

 As she changed out of her ruined dress and bathed, she stared at her flesh, mottled with cuts and bruises, some much worse than others. All hurt in the water. "This....." She murmured. "Could prove to be a problem."

Her voice quietly rang out, staring at the marks that criss-crossed her midsection. "Do you happen to have a first aid kit?" Gene asked, wondering if Lusitania had left the area or not.

"Aye!" L returned, funny enough carrying the first aid kit and what appeared to be poultice jars. She sat on the bed and noted, "Now let's take a look at you."

Despite being cleaned up, the cuts and bruising seemed to be even MORE prominent on her pale flesh, her red locks damp from the bath. Yet underneath all of that, Genevieve was still rather pretty, petite and almost made of porcelain. She was wrapped in a towel, and the only wound still bleeding was the one Riskel had left her.

"Thank you." She said gently, carefully with the pain in her mouth and the bruising on her cheek.

L nodded, going to work on her injuries since she cleaned herself. It was easier to gauge the severity of them, and how much medicine to apply as best as she could. With a practiced and ever careful hand she dabbled smears of poultices that surprisingly had an aromatic, gentle smell, not so overbearing to some whose noses were more sensitive.

"So Miss Starglow," L started, "Tell me your story. Every runaway has one, and whatever story is told can best tell me how to help."

Gene's face fell. "It's.......... a long story. M-My clan, witches and the like, we had rather.... Rocky relations with a nearby vampire coven. Involves a long set of circumstances regarding one of the vampires trying to kill me a century back, anyway."

She wasn't sure while she was babbling as she was, but continued to do so anyway. "The vampires came in the night, and stole away all of the adults, each separate nights, but always in groups. We aren't a large clan, so it wasn't too hard. Even less hard since we foreswore fighting and the like. On their final night, they came for me."

She traced a few of her bruises absentmindedly. "I made a bet with the leader, if I got away, he would let my clan members go..... I was hunted like an animal, that's how I got two thirds of these....."

L sighed and shook her head. "They shouldn't be doing that," She told Genevieve. "That's a breach on the Elshenlan laws. No vampire clan is to hunt other colonies for mere game but are permitted to hunt wildlife and livestock on the condition that the owned animal/s are not imperiled. Hunting can include and is limited to the sick, the wounded, or the old. Any victim of humanoid appearance and has cognitive functions to be able to defend him or herself in the face of court can pursue charges, ranging punishment varying on the criminal offense."

She shook her head; she sounded more annoyed at herself that she was aware of these laws. Was she a native of the Capital?

"It sounds to me like I know exactly who you should speak to," She stated, "But my schooner is no boat that can make a large distance. At morning we sail West for Brausshern, and I will take you with me far south to visit his Elder Lordship Turynmis and her Ladyship Brissalia. From there, they may suggest we head west to visit His Majesty."

Gene tilted her head, clearly unfamiliar with the names and titles. "One, how did you know the laws and rules governing such so well?" She asked. "Two....... Who are those people?"

"I helped establish them," L stated, "I used to be the Queen to his First Majesty, Cellestine. After the Flame War took his life and my son Kalvarryn took the throne I became Advisor of Justice. Then the Second Flame War happened, and, well, the Capital was besieged. I had no choice but to flee, and thus I made it a point to rescue those in need as best as I could while I still had a working boat."

Gene stared at the ground for a moment, rubbing her right wrist. "That's very noble of you, my lady." She said, her voice as prim and proper as she could make it with the cuts in her mouth. "And from what it appeared above, you've been very successful in that endeavor."

"Ah, it's not perfect," L stated, checking her bones. She heard Gene wince at her ribs and told her, "That one I'd personally suggest you see a healer about. I'm no surgeon unfortunately."

"Unfortunately, I am a healer." Gene said sourly. "And I don't have the necessary pain relievers to do it.... Ribs are tricky. Can't wrap them easily, hard to set, and simply relies on time to heal."  

 She shrugged her shoulders carefully. "Best I can do, anyway, is try and tone down the pain and let time run its course."  

  L nodded and handed her a dark blue dress, telling her, "Try to rest as best you can." With that said she headed above deck, calling out orders to ready the ship.

  Gene slowly nodded her head, feeling the rocking of the boat starting to lull her to sleep already. She dressed, and curled up to sleep, her mind trying to plague her with thoughts of her clan, thoughts she narrowly avoided as she fell into a fitful sleep, one that carried her through the rest of the night.

 By morning, all was set, and off they left from the islands of Zenia, towards what Genevieve thought would be an uncertain future.