† Kohryn †
Kohryn's eyes tore open with a shallow gasp as her vision swam and her head throbbed. The memory of Era and the astral plane wiped away as her surroundings came into focus. The first thing she noticed was her father who sat above her, sniveling and teary eyes.
"Hey kid." A small smile of relief formed on his worry ridden face. One of her hands was squeezed in his tight grip.
Kohryn blinked away the last of the fog in her vision. "Dad? What's wrong?" She attempted to sit up and her brain painfully pulsed in her skull. "Urgh." It made her stomach lurch. The skin and flesh of her head felt strangely numb while her brain beat in its cage.
"Stay there, okay." Mikhails's voice soothed her as a large hand gently pushed her back down. She realized her head was in his lap, cushioned by one of his frilly blouses. He'd removed it, left in the night air in a tight undershirt beneath and a royal blue leather satchel strapped across his breast.
She tried to move again, despite the confusion, heat rising in her cheeks at the sudden and very unfamiliar proximity.
"Korhyn, relax. You have a bad wound on your head and you need to stay still." His hand lightly rubbed the shoulder he had pushed her back down by. Anxiety also marred his face, but so did scratches, a cut lip, and a bruise that was blossoming under his left eye. Even beaten up, his charm shone through in the hesitant tilt of his lips as he gave her a sympathetic smile. It ignited an odd sense of pity in Kohryn.
She attempted to sit up once more. "What happened to your- ah, ow, ow." Her head swam and once again Mikhail guided her back down.
Off to the side a guard watched, straight spined, face shadowed in their helm. A couple of the elders and a councilmember whispered amongst each other, out of earshot.
"Just stay there kid." Samhir demanded in a low tone, moving a bit of hair from her face. "Idoni is on her way to heal you up."
Korin sank back down into Mikhail's lap, a smog of confusion fueled further by the smell of dust, old flowers, blood, and the late summer forest. The blond foreigner stared down at her so intently and she openly looked back for a moment, ashamedly caught in his pretty gaze. "You have really beautiful eyes." They were spring green. "One of my favorite colors." And they glowed, swimming with darkened flecks and ringed by a thin circles of deep gray.
His pretty eyes widened and he blushed under tanned skin. His hand lightly covered her view of him when she didn't look away. "She's clearly delirious."
She heard her father hrmph. "I'd say so."
_________________________________________________________________________________________
† Mikhail †
Beating the hells out of himself was one of the single most absurd things he had ever done.
He'd really seen no other way to go about it. That night, as he'd sat with Kohryns unconscious body limp in his arms and contemplated how to mend the situation, he'd had to fight the demon's desire to finish the job. It wanted to destroy the men and Mikhail would not allow it. The village was too paranoid about Kohryn already. A couple of slaughtered men in her proximity, and Mikhail was sure they would be at her doorstep with torches and pitchforks in hand. Its counter offer was just to take the woman and leave. Another horrible idea.
Only when it'd come to making the set-up believable did the demon quit its pouting. The thing was more than accommodating in helping him rough himself up. Laughing at him in crackling caws as he slammed a fist into his eye and threw himself around.
A vial of crystalized mind control costing nearly 100 gold coins, another healing elixir of half the value, damage done to his pretty body, a little dirt tossed on his ego, and he went for help. Sira at the tavern sent for the guard, and Mikhail returned to Kohryn to wait for them.
When they finally arrived he was happy he had thought well to fabricate a story.
The guards looked at the woman like a beast and a councilman by the name of Tatch kept trying to insinuate that it was the girls fault and he whispered with the village elders.
The gash on her head was slowly crusting but a slow patch of blood was slowly growing across the garment he used to cushion her head. "Guards, please get the medicine woman, it's a serious injury and she is still bleeding."
One guard looked at him with an angry sneer and the other rolled their eyes.
"Mikhail Maaroi!" Councilman Tatch scolded. "Do not assume to order the village guards around like your title carries weight here."
The demon hissed within. Kill them. Kill them, It encouraged in a fit. Mikhail held steady in the wake of its violent tantrum. "My apologies, Councilman. I do not mean to offend, it's just that I worry for your fellow villager. The wound on her head is large and still bleeding."
Tatch held up a lantern, looking over the two and looked down his nose at the mess that was Kohryns hair. "Hmf, it does not look too bad."
The wound was horrible. The woman's head was covered in blood and her hair was matted and tangled. The cut itself had to have been at least three fingers wide and a hand long, and that was after he had healed it a bit.
Mikhail felt his lip twist and he almost didn't catch the demon's snap, but a half intoxicated Samhir storming onto the scene saved him. "What is going on!? Where's my daughter?"
The councilman turned with a hand raised in an attempt to stop Samhir, but it only earned him a swiping shove. Nearing six feet and muscled from the years of work in the village, her father practically threw the man to the side. "Out of my way Tatch! I don't have time for your snakey ass attitude tonight."
Tatch gasped as he caught himself before he lost his footing.
One of the elders, a squat man with large golden disks threaded through his ears, hid a chuckle behind his hand. The taller elder next to him gave a disapproving look, but no action was taken towards the distraught father.
Samhir knelt next to them, taking one of her hands in his grip. Tears sprung to his eyes as he saw his head for the first time. "GUARDS!" Mikhail watched him get into a scuffle at the tavern with Sven but even that did not amount to the fury in which he shouted at the two men glaring in their direction. "GO GET IDONI!"
Tatch looked indignified, one guard puffed his chest out and the other suddenly looked nervous. It would seem that Samhir had quite the reputation amongst his villagers, because all it too was a barking, "NOW!" and the nervous one was scurrying off down the path to retrieve the medicine woman. "Ulias, what happened here?" His voice cracked a little as he turned his attention back to Kohryn.
The elder with the golden disks stepped forward. "From my understanding a couple of men from the caravan wandered up the mountain after Sari had to toss them out of the tavern. They came across Kohryn on her way back from a delivery. Our young visitor here," Ulias gestured to Mikhail, "went to check on her and ended up in a fight with the men after they shoved Kohryn. Which is how she sustained the wound." The elder frowned down at the woman, a soft look in his gaze.
"The men?" Samhir growled and Mikhail could smell violence on him.
"They have been taken to holding cells until it is decided what to do with them tomorrow."
A quick and shuttering gasp from Kohryn had everyone flinching. Pale yellow eyes opened to find her father and then him. Small relief rushed through him that they were back to their normal color. Her words slurred heavily and Mikhail watched as her pupils dilated and contacted. She kept trying to rise in her confusion, muttering and gagging when she moved too much. Finally Mikhail held her down, tried to soothe her as he rubbed a little circle into her shoulder.
She finally relaxed on his lap, moon-eyed and looking up at him. "You have beautiful eyes." Her monotone cadence sounded so factual. "One of my favorite colors."
An odd fluttering string pulled tight in his throat. Mikhail covered her eyes. Hiding the odd smile the flutter put on his lips.
Three days passed and Mikhail was irritated to find out that Kohryn's attackers had simply been exiled and banned from the village. Surely they had deserved a little worse. Contrarily, the demon rejoiced that the men were free for him to hunt. It paraded and paced about him, evil intent and violent thought set on relay. Mikhail was amused, afterall a demon was a demon and their proclivities often swung towards the aggressive side of things. Once time had passed perhaps he would give in to the demonic desires, but for now he needed to lay low.
A planned luncheon with Kohryn present and it was forgetting its vile plans in favor of fawning over her. The thing was quickly becoming obsessed with the oddity. Kohryn was intriguing to Mikhail as well but he felt like there was something the demon was not letting on about. Secrets that drove its obsession that it wouldn't share. An important part of the cards and the prophecies he suspected.
A table and a series of mismatched chairs had been dragged into a small grassy knoll. Mikhail could see Kohryn quietly seated by herself, a bandage wrapped around her head. Samhir and Menia stood off to the side assessing the hill, Samhir explaining the contents of a piece of paper they were crowded over. Plans to make the mountain accessible for the elderly woman.
Around the corner came a lanky Aasai witch of Seval. Dark skinned with deep bronze hair flowing in an abundance of long thin braids, the sashayed around her as she carried a tray of chilled refreshments and small dishes. Mikhail had learned that this was Idoni, Talis' (who he'd spotted on a few occasions but had avoided for the time being) older sister. She served as the local medicine woman and the owner of the apothecary. She'd come to heal Kohryn but he had not introduced himself to her.
Descending the large staircase, he watched as Idoni set the drinks in front of Kohryn and called to Samhir and the old retired medicine woman.
Kohryn thanked Idoni, her expression back to usual. Yet Mikhail had failed to rid his mind of the hopeless and painful way her face had contorted. How the sockets of her eyes were nothing but voids only expelling a twisted despair, tears washing lines into her bloody face. How the demon had leapt forward, cautionary and on edge, yet ready to embrace whatever it was, arms wide open savoring the power that leaked from her. He had seen her in a vulnerable moment and the demon had basked in it.
Always on high alert. Kohryns attention snapped to him before anyone else spotted him and she politely waved her hand. "Good afternoon, Mikhail."
He felt guilty. She was clueless to what he had seen or what she had done. He quelled his stomach before it could twist and charmingly smiled at the strange woman. "Hey, Kohryn!" he called brightly, catching the attention of the others around her. He held up a paper sack. "I brought some desserts from the bakery."
Ms. Menia and Samhir, already familiar with the newcomer, simply waved before focusing back on the paperwork. Samhir had drawn up a few different proposals and blueprints for an automated gondola to transport goods and people up the mountain as per Kohryns request. Over the last two days he'd thrown himself into the project.
Mikhail was quickly learning that Samhir had a way of sacrificing himself. Using his knowledge and labor in an attempt to appease his fellow community members. Ones that had been on edge with him and his family for years now. He'd build the gondola and that'd probably make up for shoving the councilman.
Mikhail placed the bag of treats on the table and introduced himself to Idoni with an outstretched hand. "Hello. I'm Mikhail. We didn't get a chance to properly meet the other night."
"Ah, it's nice to meet you as well. My name is Idoni. I'm Talis' sister and I run the apothecary." Idoni was tall and could be considered imposing with a hard glass gaze and a firm grip. She shook Mikhail's hand as she studied him, her hazel eyes almost lighting from the inside.
He put forth his most alluring smile. Aasai witches were highly perceptive and their powers varied greatly from one to the next. Those who served as medicine women often had abilities to see deeper than skin level. Attuned to root out internal diseases and ailments, some could also discern who was and wasn't human. Mikhail did well to hide his true nature but he did not know just how powerful Idoni was.
She scrutinized him for a moment more before turning towards Kohryn. "I brought some more salve. Let's get that bandage off so I can see your progress."
"Alright." Kohryn nodded, beginning to unwind the wrap that had covered a large gash on the back of her head. Rolling the bandages and removing the gauze, the large cut was revealed, hair meticulously pinned away from its edges. It was still red and angry and raw and swollen, with twelve stitches pinning its borders. It would definitely leave a scar.
Mikhail bit his lip. He would have healed it all himself but he had needed the wound to support the story he fabricated.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
† Kohryn †
With the dressings cleared away, Idoni assessed the damage. It had been very large, and truthfully, the healer was a little surprised that Kohryn was alive. It had healed significantly with her first and second treatment yet still looked hellish and jagged.
She used a small spoon to scoop up some of the light blue healing salve and gently applied it to the cut. Setting aside the paste and the spoon, her hands hovered over the back of Kohryns head. Idoni twitched and spread her fingers, slow and smooth. Her skin rippled and vibrated, hummed in a melodious ring as the tell tale pale light of Aasai healing magic began to glow around her.
Kohryn sighed as the warm energies caressed her scalp. Her muscle and epidermis started knitting itself further closed, new skin swallowing stitches designed to dissolve.
Idoni dropped her hands and wiped a little sweat from her brow. "Phew. That'll do for now." The cut was less gory and Idoni finally felt a little relief. Puffy silver scaring looked much better than exposed flesh. She took some fresh bandages and gently concealed the remaining wound. "One more session and you'll be right as rain."
"Thank you." Her head felt significantly better and the headache she had suffered for the last few days finally eased a bit.
Mikhail sat next to Kohryn and began to take out the desserts, arranging them amongst Idoni's beverages of condensating herbal teas. "I brought some of Etan's new experiments." There were a couple varieties of thumbprint cookies, some crispy golden cakes, and aromatic fruit tarts. Etan heard of their little lunch and sent Mikhail with plenty of each as well as directions to report back everyone's critique. He pushed a fruit tart towards Kohryn. "I really like this one, you should try it first."
The tart was made up of a small golden crust that held a thick custard topped with ruby red raspberries. Kohryn took a generous bite. The custard was pleasantly sour and lemony, the berries were juicy and sweet while a crispy crushed cliff grain butter crust rounded out the dessert. She would have to give Etan a compliment later and suggest it for one of their specials. "It's very good." She said after swallowing down her large bite.
Mikhail smiled, pushing one of the herbal teas in front of her to wash down his offering
She saw her father watching them from the side with an odd look on his face. He'd been drifting somewhere nearby all week, always present as Mikhail checked on her multiple times a day. He had brought her books, puzzles, various snacks and drinks, making sure that she was entertained and eating every meal. And her father was there overseeing it all.
.
From Samhirs point of view Mikhail appeared to be rather infatuated with his daughter. It seemed fitting, in the way that opposites attract; that the level headed and persistently stoic Kohryn would attract the attention of the very outgoing and friendly Mikhail.
Unlike an overprotective father, Samhir watched on, happy that his little girl was receiving positive attention for once… But still remained close enough to snoop in a way most fathers did.
.
"How is everything at the bakery?" With the convoy in town, Kohryn was sure it was busy.
"It's been pretty hectic but we're managing." Mikhail admitted.
"Ah, I see. I'm sure I can return tomorrow. I'm feeling better now."
He shook his head. "No, it's fine. My aunt has been helping out." Mikhail's eyebrows bounced as he smirked in amusement. Amelia had wanted the 'full Ipahnish experience' as she put it and the bakery had been giving her a run for her coin. It was always amusing to watch his rowdy aunt be humbled. He'd been throwing 'I-told-you-so's' at her all week.
"You should just take it easy and focus on healing right now." He pushed forward another cookie. This one was embedded with almonds and sliced dates. "I actually wanted to see if you would like to go look at some of the vendors with me?"
Kohryn cocked her head to the side. "I thought you just said I should be focused on healing?"
It was getting easier for Mikhail to understand her subtle body language. She was teasing him. "Shopping is a very leisurely and relaxing activity. I've even heard that it can be quite therapeutic and healing." His words had earned a slight laugh from Idoni. After a moment he softly added, "Only if you're up to it, though."
She nibbled at the cookie, not as pleased as she was with the tart. It was good but it was lacking in something. She would have to notify Etan. "Very well." She nodded, placing the treat down. "We should invite Talis too."
Kohryn felt brave in Mikhail's persistence and presence. Maybe it was because he treated her like she was normal. She had grown so used to how everyone always avoided her that the feeling of inclusivity, though uncomfortable, was becoming addicting.
"That is a good idea." He actually didn't like the idea at all. He didn't hate it, but he had hoped to have her attention for himself.
Kohryn turned to Idoni, who had taken up a seat and was also sampling the desserts. "Miss Idoni, will Talis be joining us today?"
"I told her that we were all having tea today but she seemed preoccupied with her studies." Talis was training to become a healer like her sister. "I'll extend your invitation. Just give me a few moments." Idoni rose up, quickly stuffing the rest of a cookie into her mouth and grabbing the salve that if left too long in the heat would become damaged. With long and graceful strides she soon disappeared down the small path to her home.
Kohryn relaxed into her seat and Mikhail pushed a piece of cake towards her. "Now try this one."
It was creamy and crumbled in her mouth, moist with goodness and rich on the tip of her tongue but light in the back of her throat. Peaches had been crushed and blended in with the batter so well that their flesh went unnoticed. Their summery sweetness coated her tongue and teeth leaving behind a pleasant and potent peachy aftertaste. A heavy competitor to the fruit tart. She ate one more of each.