Page 61 of Nixx
“Kitten, they're just scratches. This blood is the blood of those monsters, not mine. Do what you know how to do, I'm going back to Liamm who just lost his father in the worst way. He will need support.
“Liamm? The beautiful angel with the silver wings?” she asks me.
Her question consumes me in a split second. Until now, I was her ‘beautiful angel.’ The fact that she calls another Erian by the same nickname triggers an unprecedented rage in me. Liamm is notorious for his feminine successes. That my companion noticed his beauty triggers an unreasonable jealousy.
I take a deep breath and leave the tent without a word. I join him by the body of his father. We mourn five victims of the gortach attack. Several women are preparing the bodies of the deceased, while the men are assembling a small platform for cremation. With Amill's death, Liamm has not only lost his father, but also his leader. Amill was a respected leader.
Liamm is now the new leader of the Eastern Bastion. Witnessing his pain, I put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“The time of recollection has come. We will accompany our dead to the Winds and heal our wounds and help the Middle Lands to repair what has been destroyed. But very soon it will be time for revenge. You warned my father of the danger Nurr posed. Amill chose to stall, convinced that Nurr would not go so far as to knowingly be dangerous to others. I am not my father. I will do what must be done and commit my Bastion to your side. And this is not about revenge. It's about doing what's right to stop this man from doing more harm.”
“I understand, Liamm. Unfortunately, this is what I have been sensing for a few weeks, from the various reports I have received. Azarr agrees in principle as well. The best thing would be for us to ask for an official meeting of the four leaders of Bastion and to confront Nurr about his maneuvers on that occasion.”
“Yes, that's a good idea. I'm going to use my new appointment to make that formal request. We can estimate holding it there in two days, three at the most.”
“That's fine. I'll go and tell my partner that our stay here might be a little longer than I first told her.”
“Your companion surprised me. You told me about her appearance. And certainly, she is very different, but also very pretty. On the other hand, her courage, her fiery character . . . you have been blessed by the Winds it seems. When I saw this fury standing up to a gortach . . . You’re lucky that she is yours, because I would have taken my chances with such a woman.”
“As you say, she is Mine!” I answer him a little bit dryly.
A big smile lights up his face, and he raises his hands as a sign of peace.
“Don't worry my friend, I don't run after women in general and especially not after those of others. And no risk with a Life Partner.”
The concern is that Sarah doesn't know that she is one. From what I've heard, especially from humans, they don't have that notion. They just have affairs, more or less long. But their commitment is not necessarily as final as ours. And if Sarah decides that Liamm is more suitable for her, there is nothing to stop her from choosing him over me.
I shake my head and try to refocus on the funeral preparations around me when Hugg contacts me.
“Nixx, your companion has finished treating the wounded and asks that the warriors also come for treatment in the tent.”
“Hugg, tell her we're busy and it's just a few scrapes.”
“Your companion has already explained to me that some of the cuts need to be stitched up and especially that all of them can become infected and poison the blood because of a substance on the horns of the gortachs. Tell Liamm and the others to come and join us in the tent so she can look at it.
And Nixx . . . if you don't want to, please come and explain it yourself. Your companion gives orders like a boss and I don't want to be in her line of fire for not following her instructions. Especially if you think about the way she yelled at that poor gortach who had upset her day!”
“We're coming!”
I inform Lokk, Rymm, Zakk, and Liamm that we must join Sarah. Strangely enough, none of us grumble and we leave the cremation preparations to join the already famous healer at the camp.
I note that she has taken Polly under her wing, who helps her by scrupulously following instructions and explanations. My friend, Lokk, has a few scratches on his forearms. Sarah quickly finishes her task before moving on to Liamm.
He was gored in the shoulder and summarily bandaged his wound with a cloth of some kind, now soaked in blood. Sarah gently undoes the bandage and throws away the soiled cloth. She reveals a deep wound that is still bleeding heavily. Sarah gently removes Liamm's long hair from the wound. She then cleans it thoroughly with water. She bends over the wound to better inspect the damage.
Liamm is sitting and Sarah, standing between his legs, is leaning on his shoulder. This picture turns my stomach. But I grit my teeth. Liamm is wounded and Sarah is only trying to heal him.
She then grabs a small, long, thin object between her fingers and applies herself to stitch a muscle inside the shoulder. She is concentrated on her task and does not see Liamm's subjugated look. I do!
A dull roar that I can't hold back comes from my chest. Surprised, Sarah stops and turns to me. I glare at her. She shrugs her shoulders and goes back to her task. As for Liamm, he is now concentrating on the floor.
“Nixx, my friend, please accept my apologies, I meant no disrespect.”
I don't bother to answer him. When Sarah is finished with him, she gives him some advice about immobilizing his arm for four weeks. I don't think he'll take it.
I hear the little voice of my companion expressing her regrets for the death of his father. Liamm then thanks her and adds:
“Nixx had praised your qualities, I understand exactly what he was referring to.”
