Going through the motions

Alexis tended to Gonyaul first, allowing herself to focus only on the next grisly injury to take care of and nothing else.

She was barely aware how dreadfully long the procedure was taking and how very much of her bandages she was using up just to get her dear bràthair beag into a condition in which he might actually open his eyes again. Likewise she completely ignored her own numerous wounds, deeming them irrelevant in comparison.

Finally she concluded there was just nothing more she could do and that everything else was up to her friend‘s resilience.

Looking up, Alexis found the rest of her friends and the young witch either straight up unconscious or close to it. Maybe for the better. After a short assessment Tarmen was next. She carefully removed the dagger from his leg and replaced it with a tight bandage. Then she cleaned his other wounds and bandaged where necessary, but there wasn’t much she could do about the bruises and possible fractures.

She kept going through the motions, not allowing herself to let her thoughts wander, knowing they would only go to dark places. But she could only do that for so long.

After Voah and the girl were patched up, as well, Alexis found herself staring into the water of the fountain in the courtyard of the Red Keep, where she had to go numerous times to draw water for cleaning the wounds. She had checked for possible pursuers each time, but so far it seemed the Brotherhood had actually lost their trail. But for how long?

Anywhere you go now, I have got your scent.

Alexis sat at the fountains rim, burying her face in her hands. She noticed she was shaking. Taking a few steadying breaths, she finally started to take care of her own wounds. It was more to center herself than anything else. At this point all her bandages were gone and she had taken to cut stripes from her robe. It wasn’t doing much to disguise her anymore anyway, ripped and bloodstained as it was.

She needed to leave, and soon.

Whatever that stone was, it certainly sounded like that hound could track her with it. He had hit the other Helian after her, and maybe that meant he was now the assassin‘s unfortunate prey. But she didn’t know for sure, and she wouldn’t risk to lead the hound to her friends. So she had to go.

Where to, she didn’t know. Not to Izil, that was for damn sure. She would not make the young merchant a target for the Brotherhood. She considered sending him a message, but maybe it was better to make no contact at all. Depending on what the word on the streets would be after tonight’s happenings, he‘d probably be able to draw his own conclusions. He was clever enough for that.

So probably just the desert. Alexis would simply chance it and try to get to the obelisk on her own. Probably completely fail and die doing so, but if nothing else, it would get the hammer head out of the Brotherhood‘s reach. Maybe that would just have to be enough.

The mercenary just sat there for a moment looking up at the indifferent night sky. She felt like crying.

She got to see her friends again and this was how it went down? It was just so fucking unfair.

But as always, what good would pitying herself do? Nothing. Pushing some wayward strands of hair out of her face, Alexis pulled herself together and stood.

She had to start packing.