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Pain flashes through Talon’s body in sharp bursts. All she can think of is the pain as she lies on the cold stone. The demon had vanished, disappeared into the tunnels below the city. And it was her fault. More people were going to die, and another body would end up outside her window. She had to stop it, she had to control it.
She’d tried to stop it, and here she was, lying in a pool of her own blood. She tried to move, but pain shot through her stomach. She grits her teeth and forces her arms to move, and pushes herself up into a kneeling position. Her head spins, and she looks down. The grey stones are tinged black, and are slick with blood. Far too much blood, all of it hers. She stumbles to her feet, and almost falls back, but she catches herself on the wall.
To her left is the heavy wooden door, her way out. Talon considered taking the stairs but in her weakened state, that extra exertion would cost her too much and she couldn’t risk passing out again, for fear of someone discovering her. Or worse, the demon could return. If she was unconscious, there was no telling what it might do.
Slowly, and rather unceremoniously Talon very slowly walked towards the door, one hand clutching the deep wound in her side, still bleeding heavily. With a significant amount of effort, she forces the door open, pushing her weight onto the frame. White spots appear in her vision, but Talon is determined to at least make to out of this godforsaken stone tomb before she collapses. Or she would have done, had she not heard someone approach.
Shit
Talon didn’t believe in gods, luck, or fate, but as the footsteps grew closer she wished she had something to beg to.
The footsteps grew louder.
And louder.
And then.
“Hello?”
Even in her barely conscious state, Talon recognized the voice as belonging to Gwynn. Which was both a blessing and a curse. Talon spun around wildly, looking for somewhere – anywhere for a place to hide, but it was too late. The shock of blonde hair appeared, and Gwynn Calkussar set eyes on Talon immediately. Alarm appeared on her features and she rushed forwards, hands outstretched, ready to catch her.
Talon scrambled back. “No, Gwynn, you have to leave, you can’t be here.”
The desperation in her voice did nothing to deter Gwynn, and she grabbed Talon’s bloodstained hand.
“Talon are you alright?” She asked. Her gaze flicks sharply to Talon’s blood. “Is that… black blood? Is it yours?”
Talon pushes her away, but Gwynn’s grip is like a vice. “Gwynn I-“
Those blue eyes are piercing, and Talon recognizes her own fierce nature reflected back in them. “It doesn’t matter. You’re in no fit shape to talk, you’re coming with me.”
Before Talon can respond, her legs buckle from under her, her face slamming into the stone. Everything goes black.
She can hear something. Is that a voice?
The noises are unintelligible, and Talon is sure she’s dreaming. But slowly, ever so slowly the voices begin to get louder, and they gain more clarity.
“You can’t just bring her here!” Talon isn’t sure whose voice that is. And there there’s another voice.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave her there?”
The voices sound familiar. A man and a woman. Suddenly, Talon is all too aware she is not dreaming, and her eyes snap open. She is staring at a large brown table. Or least, she thought that’s what it was, but as she squints and moves her head, she realizes she is actually staring at the ceiling. She is lying on a bench. She tries to sit up, and pain shoots through her. Not as bad as before, but still extremely unpleasant. She groans. Looking down, she expects to see the same mottled mess of black staining her skin, but she is clean, and three appears to be a bandage around her wound.
One of the voices is closer this time, and it’s the female voice she heard.
“Oh thank god you’re awake.” Says Gwynn
Talon rubs her eyes, and now notices that the young woman is stood close to her makeshift bed. She tries to smile, but it only came out as a grimace. Gwynn’s nimble hands come to grip her shoulders.
“Easy, easy, you’ve lost a lot of blood. Be careful, and lie still. You’re lucky I found you” She says, offering a smile.
“How did –“ Talon’s question dies in her throat.
“Ah yes, you have me to thank for that.”
Janzo.
Talon laughs, which only causes her to wince.
“So, Janzo, you saved me once again?” She asks.
A grin appears on the young brewer’s face.
“Well, I uh- I wish I could take all the credit.” He said “But actually it was Lady Calkussar that brought you here. There is only so much I can do, so consider yourself lucky that she got you here as fast as she did.” He pauses to push his glasses onto his face once more. “But, I suppose I did play quite a vital role, what with actually doing the healing part and all that” he adds.
Gwynn rolls her eyes, and gives Janzo a sympathetic look. “I couldn’t have saved her without you Janzo. Quite frankly, your talents are being wasted spending all that time in the Tavern, when you can do” – she gestures to the various projects Janzo has scattered around the place – “all this!”
Averting his gaze, Janzo nods his head in agreement. “I suppose I can be rather useful when the need arises.”
“Janzo, don’t put yourself down, you saved my life. Twice!” Talon explains.
The hunched man offers a smile, before turning away and leaving the two women to their own devices.
Gwynn shifts her gaze back to Talon. Her face nestled with genuine concern.
“How are you feeling?”
Talon scoffs “Just wonderful”
“Alright, next time you get into trouble I’ll just leave you there shall I?” Gwynn taunts playfully.
Amused, Talon shakes her head. After a pause, she looks at the blonde.
“Why do you keep coming back?” She questions, her tone somber. “Most people usually find a reason to either betray me, or get bored of me by now.”
Gwynn seems taken aback by Talon’s question. She takes a moment to collect her thoughts, her hands twisting together.
Her tone is unusually gentle “I could never get bored of you, Talon”
Feeling suddenly vulnerable, Talon looks away. Gwynn continues.
“The moment I met you, I knew you were different.”
“Yes, the black blood is quite obvious” Talon jokes
If Gwynn found the jokes amusing, she didn’t acknowledge it but instead said “No, that’s not what I mean, and truthfully, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change who you are. “ She pauses “I knew you were different, like me.”
Talon’s brow furrows in confusion “Gwynn, what do you mean?”
“I feel as though you and I are two sides of the same coin.” She says “We may be very different, but, we complement each other well.”
“What was it you said? That we were good partners?” Talon asks
Gwynn smiles “That’s right. I’d say we are”
Changing the subject, Talon raises an eyebrow “Why did you save me?”
The sudden intensity in Gwynn’s gaze is one that Talon cannot look away from. The blonde draws closer.
“I couldn’t let you die.” She says, her voice barely a whisper.
In that instant, Talon forgets about her pain, about the wound in her side, and leans closer to Gwynn, closing the distance between them. She kisses Gwynn, quickly.
To her surprise, Gwynn smiles. Before long, her hand rests on Talon’s cheek. She pulls her closer, and their lips meet once more. Gwynn kisses her back, slowly, carefully. She takes Talon’s hand into her own, and as they kiss, Talon wishes she could feel this way forever. Gwynn made her feel safe, she trusted her. And she was sure that Gwynn felt the same.