The Breath of Kyne - Chapter 10: Soup

  • Fjorrod was busy, cooking a meal for himself and Ma’osri. As a result, he didn’t notice her eyes flicker open briefly as she smelled the meal. Ma’osri felt like she had aches all over her body, her torso and left arm being the worst. She tried to get up, but didn’t make it two inches off the ground before falling down again, drawing the attention of Fjorrod.

    Fjorrod rushed to her side. “Ma’osri! Stay still, shush, it’s okay.” He said, adding the last statement in a gentler tone. She smiled at him, grateful for his concern. “What happened? All I remember is… the tornado, then… we were separated, and… Arrgh, I just can’t remember anything in a way that makes sense, it was all so chaotic!”

    “It’s okay, stay still. I found you, over there some 25 meters,” Fjorrod said, gesturing with his head to the right.

    Ma’osri looked around while he continued to talk. She was outside, laying on a soft mattress of furs, which gave the oddly enjoyable feeling of laying on a cloud. A fire burned in the middle of their make-shift camp site, with soup hanging over it, cooking. A river gurgled softly nearby, and trees shaded her from the sun, though she was clear of any potential widowmakers.

    As she noticed the soup, Fjorrod hurried to it, tasting it before proclaiming the meal ready, helping Ma’osri up so she could eat it.

    Ma’osri took care to blow on the soup, giving it a minute or so to cool before eating it. Slurping in a direct contrast to how she was raised, she greedily sucked the meal down, tearing into the meat that came with it. Fjorrod watched with contentment, satisfied that he had made a good meal. After Ma’osri was done, she fell back down to the furs, releasing a soft sigh of contentment, before wincing in pain from her chest and arm.

    Her eyes closed, Fjorrod presumed her asleep. He was startled when she asked him, seemingly out of nowhere, what had occurred in the storm. He regained his composure, took a moment to organize his thoughts, then vaulted into the tale, leaving nothing out, not even his emotions. His voice was filled with wonder as he described the mysterious diamond that gave him the vision of the trees, glancing at the pouch that still held the gem as he talked about it. His voice caught when he described her all alone, helpless, being mauled by a wolf, before he ended his tale abruptly, wiping his eyes and looking away to hide it, despite her eyes never having opened while he talked.

    “Matter of fact,” Fjorrod said after a long silence, “I still have the diamond.” Ma’osri opened her eyes at this, and started to sit up. Fjorrod made to help her, but she waved him away, gathering her strength, before launching herself into a sitting position. Removing the stone from a pouch, he passed it to Ma’osri. “It’s lost some of its… I don’t know, shine, sparkle, the ember inside it that made it so… special.”

    Ma’osri looked appreciatively at it for several minutes, admiring it with both an eye for beauty, and a trained eye that could value items in seconds, thanks to her merchant upbringing. She then turned to Fjorrod, and with a determined face set in lines, she said “It should be returned to Kyne.”

    Fjorrod thoughts for several seconds before rising, taking the stone from Ma’osri. Looking around, he saw the river nearby, and drew his arm back to throw. Taking a breath, he hurled the stone into the fast moving water, before it was lost among the depths.

    “Thank you Kyne, for all of your help.” Fjorrod prayed silently as he watched the water run by. “Now,” he said, speaking aloud, “Get some rest. When you wake up, I’ll have some herbs for you to take.”

    Making a face at the thought of bitter plant leaves, Ma’osri fell back down to her furs. “What a treat," she muttered sarcastically.

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Comments

5 Comments
  • Edana
    Edana   ·  June 4, 2016
    I liked this chapter a lot!! And I agree with Sotek too. Nice to a glimpse of how they would normally interact when not faced with tornadoes and the like. Glad to see Ma'orsi isn't too banged up too. :)
  • The Long-Chapper
    The Long-Chapper   ·  June 4, 2016
    Glad to see Ma'osri is on the mend. 
  • Lyall
    Lyall   ·  June 3, 2016
    Thanks Sotek! I'm glad you think I did so well on this. 
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 3, 2016
    Nice to see more of this Lyall. Its a nice relaxed chaper and flows realy well. The end was good too. It made for a nice finish.
  • Lyall
    Lyall   ·  June 3, 2016
    I changed the title of Ark 1 from "Questions Unanswered" to "Wandering". This was a fun one to make, and... edit, surprisingly. Normally I dread editing chapters, but this was enjoyable. Maybe you guys are just starting to rub off on me