Shift

Chapter 4

4

The steps were cold, the narrow corridor damp and dark. Vera’s shoes clacked on the stone. Bane walked beside her.

“Are you sure about this?” Bane asked.

“Someone has to put aside petty arguments. Besides, he’s chained and bloody.” Vera replied.

“Not for long…” Bane looked pointedly at the satchel she was carrying.

“I’m offering a trade.”

“He tried to kill you.”

“No, he tried to kill you, he saved one of my lives.” Bane blinked in surprise.

“What?”

“I jumped out of a tree.” Vera shrugged and turned a corner.

***

He was hunched in the middle of the cell on a pile of straw. Blood was everywhere. Vera felt a faint twinge of guilt.

“I’ve come to trade.” She told him. He stirred and looked up

“What on earth do you want from me?” He asked, confused. “More, what could you give me?”

“Information. I want to know why Valdor wants this.” Vera pointed at the pendant she wore.

“Why would I tell you?” He gasped and pressed a hand to his side.

“I can heal you.”

***

He felt the pain rattle in every bone that wasn’t broken. More, his head hurt and things blurred in and out. He wondered what the hell she’d done to him, and why she hadn’t done it outside the wall in the first place instead of leading him inside.

Yes, he felt bad about killing the guards, but better them than what waited for him on the other side.

Now she was going to heal him in exchange for information. But how was it possible? He looked into her eyes; they were the same syrupy colour as her golden hair. She wasn’t lying.

“Deal” He said.

***

She opened the door, Bane drew his sword behind her.

“He’s not going to do anything.” Vera scolded Bane,

“Not yet...” Bane growled in reply. Vera sighed and pulled out two bottles from her satchel.

“Take your shirt off.” She told the man. He obeyed slowly with a lot of wincing.

She’d done a fair bit of damage she noted, surprised. She hadn’t paid much attention before, it had happened too fast. First she opened the bottles and slathered ointment on his gashes, then she pulled a long roll of bandages out.

“Stay still” she commanded and took his broken arm. Carefully she felt the bone and moved it back into place. The man cried out.

“Stay still” she repeated as she began wrapping it with bandages.

“I thought you said you’d heal me” He grunted.

“I thought you said you’d give me information.” She replied, never pausing.

“Should it hurt this much?” He moaned.

“No. You deserve it.” She said.

“First time someone sliced me up and came back to fix the wounds,” He remarked. She smiled slightly at that. Moving, she took his other arm and placed her hand on his collarbone to brace herself before popping the dislocated shoulder back in. He screamed.

“Don’t be such a baby,” She snapped, and pulled a cup and knife from the satchel.

“What are you doing?” His eyes widened as she ran the knife across her wrist and slit it open. Blood poured into the cup and Bane came forward with some bandages and covered the wound.

When Bane had finished tying the bandage Vera picked up the cup and brought it to the man.

“Drink it.” She ordered. He took it, his eyes still wide in fear.

As he drank the gashes across his chest closed and his skin lost its sallow pallor.

Vera took a cloth and began to wipe the dried blood off his arms and chest.

“What the hell was that?” He cried when he set the cup down. In answer Vera slid the bandage off her own wrist and showed him the perfect smooth skin. He looked a bit faint.

“So that’s why you were still standing after…” He mused.

“Just a little perk.” She said. She wiped the cloth over his face to clean the gash Bane had made. Finished, she gathered her supplies and stowed them back in her satchel.

“Now you’ll answer every question I ask you.” She said, rising.

“I don’t know everything,” He pointed out.

“You know more than us,” Bane growled. The man shrugged.

“What’s your name?” he asked her. Bane shot him a dirty look.

“Fine, first, I’m Drake, happy?” He added glancing at Bane.

“I’m Vera” She told him, and Bane’s dirty look shifted to her. She returned it.

“Drake, what happened when the Forsaken left?” She asked.

“We prefer the name of Clan,” Drake caught another look from Bane and hurried on. “That was centuries ago…” Drake trailed off. “I didn’t think this place existed…” Vera saw the look in his eyes.

“What did Valdor tell you about us?” Vera asked.

“Nothing, until he started going on about the infection and having the cure… He sent one of us to get you, and return to the roost, and me to infect the water with the virus, that’s all I know.”

Vera’s breath snapped out as a wave of uncontrollable hatred seeped out, and she punched him so hard his head knocked back. He had barely got his ground again when Bane planted his fist into his chest and knocked the wind out of him. She blinked and realised if she didn’t leave she might very well kill him herself. Vera hissed;

“We’ll talk more later,” And slamming the cell shut with an ear-slitting clang, she and Bane vanished into the darkness.