*Book 1 in the DragonKin series*
Vada and her siblings spend their days carving out a living in the Rystwith Mountain village of Riska. Together they live as outcasts in a small two-story hut just outside the lowland village centre, cast out due to...
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Later that day, atop one of the nearby plateaus covered in dense woodland, Vada crept through the underbrush as silently as possible with a bow and arrow at the ready. She had followed the tracks of her prey and could hear the rush of a small stream nearby, hoping the deer had stopped for a drink she rounded a large boulder only to halt in surprise.
Sitting by the stream, attempting to wrap his own bleeding arm, was a man of mountainous proportions. Even though he rested on the ground, his legs were long and wide with muscle, Vada could easily see that he would tower over her if he were able to stand. It was not only his legs that were powerful, he was broad at the shoulders, but his torso tapered at the waist. A light shadow coloured his sharp, angular jaw line, but his face was young and handsome nevertheless. Though she stood at a distance, Vada could see that his icy blue eyes were clear, despite the poison evident by the blackening wound he was attempting to wrap.
Her heart hammered with apprehension, she was not the type to leave a man with such an awful wound to die lost and alone, but were he to see her as a threat, it could easily be her life in danger.
A tight knot twisted in her gut as she watched him fighting hard against the poison flooding his system. Sweat sprang up on his brow and began running in rivulets down his face, obscuring his vision. With a loud groan his fumbling hand fell from his blood spluttering wound. Unconciously Vada took a step forward, she knew that without immediate treatment he would surely die but fear still had a hold on her.
Taking a deep steadying breath, Vada returned her arrow to it's quiver. Chastising her fearful heart she stepped around the boulder and walked briskly towards the man. He looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and alarm as he scrambled for an old, poorly kept sword that lay in the dirt nearby.
Placing her foot firmly on the long blade so that he may not raise it against her she said, in a firm but soothing tone meant to put him at ease, 'you won't be needing that.'
Still standing over him, she reached into the satchel that hung at her side. Despite her attempts to appear non-threatening he recoiled at the action and anger flashed in his eyes. Worried he would do something silly and worsen his condition, Vada explained without breaking eye contact, 'I have a balm for your wound.'
The mans eyes darted from her face to the bag and back again, then he nodded slowly and released the hilt of the sword, dragging his hand back to his side with great effort.
Despite the display, Vada plucked up the sword and the man momentarily panicked, flinching away from her until she threw the sword far away from the two of them. As the sword clattered against a nearby tree their gazes met once more, each as wary as the other.
Taking to her knees, Vada began her work. As carefully as she could manage, she cut away the cloth around the mans infected wound with her hunting knife. He didn't so much as flinch which surprised her as the wound was clearly a very painful one.
