And with all the strength left in his fingers, he pressed. Pressed just where Eft had shown him, just against Skald’s powerfully thudding pulse, and then held it, and smiled. And shivered, and kept smiling, and somehow even found his breath again, because had Skald’s grip on his neck loosened, just a little?
“Very well,” Kesst said again, still smiling. “I must beg your forgiveness, Skald dearest. Of course I hadn’t the slightest intention of disrespecting you, or the foggiest expectation that you should even take time out of yourverybusy schedule to show up back here in Ka-esh hell anyway. And if you truly feel that strongly about me, I —ack!”
Because at that moment, Skald’s hand had fully slipped from Kesst’s neck, his eyes rolling back, his head slightly tilting —
And then he sagged downwards, and sprawled to the floor at Kesst’s feet.
18
For a hushed, hanging instant, no one moved. No one but Skald, his huge body twitching on the floor, his eyes still rolled back, his claws scraping at the stone…
And then… silence. And the distinct scent of urine, growing ever stronger in the air. As Kesst’s shaking hands finally flitted up to cover his mouth, his eyes frozen on the sight at his feet.
“What — what happened?” he said blankly, with genuine-sounding shock in his voice. “Was he — was he shot?”
He glanced frantically around the crowded corridor, as if searching for an errant lurking human with a crossbow, and thankfully many of the surrounding orcs began to do the same. Not only Skald’s orcs, but Grimarr’s, too — though when Kesst’s eyes caught on Grimarr himself, Grimarr was looking straight back toward him. And in those familiar eyes, that was surely a flash of pure, gleeful, unfettered triumph.
We did it, they said.You did it, brother.
But then it was gone again, as Grimarr rushed down to kneel at Skald’s side, putting a hand to his throat. “His heart has stopped,” he said, curt and authoritative. “Efterar! Come here, at once!”
Eft swiftly obliged, and in the lurching, jumbled moments that followed, he and Grimarr delivered a highly impressive performance, displaying only the utmost urgency and concern for Skald’s welfare. Attempting and failing to re-start his heart, searching in vain for other possible solutions, and then calling for Kaugir. And luckily — or rather, conspicuously — Kaugir had still been up in the Ash-Kai rooms, enjoying an elaborate meal with the rest of his minions, and by the time his huge bulk stalked into the crowded corridor, the tale was already spun and set among all the surrounding witnesses.
Our Left Hand’s heart stopped. Worked himself too hard in the arena today, mayhap. Gaining more years than we knew. Even the new bewitcher could not help him. A grave mishap.
And also, much, much quieter,Shocked to see his silly wench take up with another orc. Ought to have known. Might have been kinder.
But it was Grimarr who again told the full tale to this father, his voice and eyes dark and solemn. Focusing most of all on Skald’s bout of unexpected rage, but also on Kesst’s eagerness to oblige him, and all the various valiant efforts they’d made at reviving their fallen Left Hand. A sad account that was willingly defended by all the witnesses present, even Skald’s own orcs.
It was a truly masterful display, but Kesst’s own heart had kept skipping as Grimarr had spoken, his eyes firmly fixed to Kaugir’s heavy, unreadable face. What would he do. What would he say. Was this the end…
But then Kaugir finally shrugged, and spun and lumbered away, with his hangers-on scurrying close at his heels. And watching them go, Kesst very nearly lost his footing entirely, sagging back against the wall behind him, his eyes again frozen on Skald’s limp body at his feet. The body he’d known so well, the body he’d killed.
Skald was gone. Gone forever. Because of… him. Because of Eft.Help me, Eft had said, and Kesst had done it. Gods above, he’d done it.
“Hey,” murmured a familiar voice, and with it, a familiar brush of magic into his bare back. “Kesst. Come with me?”
Kesst silently nodded, suddenly not quite able to meet Eft’s eyes, but he willingly clasped his hand, and followed. Followed him back down the corridor again, back into his mother’s old, abandoned room. And when Eft nudged him down onto his back on the bed, Kesst willingly did that too, blinking hazily up at how Eft had settled on top of him, his upper body propped on his elbows, his eyes alarmingly bright on Kesst’s face.
“You brilliant, beautiful wonder,” Eft breathed, his chest heaving warm and shaky against Kesst’s. “You miracle. Youmarvel. Yousavedus.”
Kesst’s numb-feeling body had somehow begun shivering, his head twitching back and forth. “That was you,” he whispered back. “You, Eft. I was sure you couldn’t pull it off, he scarcely even touched you, he —”
He couldn’t finish, the bare blaring fear of that moment churning through his belly, but already Eft’s magic was there, soothing it again. “I almost didn’t,” he said. “At least, not fast enough to keep him from killing us — but when you compressed that artery for me, you fixed it.Finishedit.”
Kesst was still shivering, the shock and the chaos still sweeping up and down the full length of his body, but Eft’s magic kept following it, settling it again. “And you played it so beautifully, Kesst, you fearless terrifyinghellion. I swear” — his voice cracked, his forehead lowering to gently bump against Kesst’s — “you nearly stopped my own heart a dozen times over. I amnevergoing to recover from that.”
Kesst felt himself gulp a laugh, his head shaking against Eft’s. “Me neither,” he managed. “I — Ik-killedhim, Eft.”
Eft’s exhale was harsh but warm against Kesst’s face, his eyes briefly closing. “I’m so sorry it ended up being you, instead of me,” he whispered back. “I’m sorry I took that from you. But” — he drew away a little again, his gaze flashing on Kesst’s — “he deserved it. And if we’d had more time, I would have damn well made every word of your tale come true. I would have made that swine suffer, and I’d havelaughedto watch him weep and plead for his death. He was never,evertouching you like that again.Never, Kesst.”
The pure, vicious vehemence in his voice sent another hard shudder up Kesst’s spine, enough that Eft grimaced, clearly regretting betraying all that — but in Kesst’s stilted, stuttering thoughts, there was the vague realization that he didn’t actually care. He didn’t care how brutal Eft was to anyone else, as long as he was kind to him. Honest with him. And maybe even treated him as a partner, after all.
“You don’talwaysrun around killing people, though, do you?” Kesst heard his voice ask, as his trembling arms belatedly slid up around Eft’s broad back, clinging tight to its strength. “The healing really is still your calling, right? Your gift?”
He was thinking back to what Eft had told him that day he’d carried him home, what felt like many moons before — and Eft was already nodding, fervent and quick. “I hadn’t for years,” he whispered. “I refused Grimarr on this job multiple times. But then he started telling me tales, tales about orcs likeyou, and I —”
He winced and shook his head, and Kesst stroked his hands up and down his back, clutching him even tighter. “It was so good of you to come help us,” he murmured. “Do you — do you think you might still — go away again, though? Now that this is —”
