Bard: Chapter 15

Trista all but collapsed against Laura’s side, and she was much heavier than she looked. Laura caught her around the waist and helped her stay upright, Liam went to her other side, taking some of the weight off.

“I’m sorry,” Trista murmured weakly.

“Sorry for what? Saving us all?” Laura asked. Trista rested her head against Laura’s shoulder and she could feel her horn against the side of her head.

“Three cheers for the bard!” one of the men yelled across the clearing, and a cry went up, even among the injured being loaded onto the cart. A few of the other volunteers rushed over to them and Laura and Liam closed ranks, pulling in close beside her and keeping the others away.

“She’s a little out of sorts at the moment,” Laura told them. “That was a big exertion.”

“Can you walk?” Liam asked Trista. She nodded, but her eyes were drooping closed. For a moment, Laura felt certain she would faint, but she righted herself, blinking hard and standing straighter, still holding onto Laura. “We can get you into the wagon.”

“No, no,” Trista protested. “They need it.” She nodded towards the recently thawed people being helped into the back of the cart. Even with the danger passed, there was wailing and weeping amongst them. Laura saw limbs blackened with frostbite as people were loaded into the wagon. The medic had split a crying man’s trouser leg open nearly to the hip, exposing a leg gone entirely dead. Next to him, a woman with reddish hair cradled a hand with darkened fingers. Laura shivered.

They trudged back to the town, a strange mix of triumphant and morose. There were cheers towards Trista, and random whoops of joy at being freed from the ice, interspersed with sharp cries or shouts of anguish from those who would be facing a surgeon’s saw in the town.

“I don’t know how to fix it,” Trista said quietly, her voice cracking. “It’s not the same as a wound. I can’t put it back together.”

“Fix what?” Laura asked.

“Their bodies,” Trista replied. “I don’t know how to do it.”

“That’s alright,” Laura assured her. “The medic will see to them, and I imagine the town has a doctor or a surgeon to help.”

“They’re hurting so much,” Trista groaned, and Laura felt that unnatural heat roll off of her again.

“You did your part,” Liam told her. “They’re alive, and they’ll all make it home. A few limbs will be lost, but they’ll all make it.”

Trista nodded, her head drooping. Laura worried again that she might faint, but she kept moving forward between them.

As the expedition emerged from the trees a cheer went up and they were rushed by townsfolk, all very eager to help now that the danger had been dealt with. Warm blankets were brought out, and hot cider. The surgeon was called, and joined the medic in attending to the injured. Smoke rose from the chimneys all through town in friendly puffs. Even though it was still covered in snow and ice, everything looked warmer.

They were ushered into the inn, and invited into the hot springs to warm up while dinner roasted in the kitchens. The thought of a fresh, hot meal made Laura’s mouth water, and the hot spring sounded particularly inviting, but as she moved them that direction, Trista tensed, pulling away from her.

“I can’t,” she said quietly, looking meekly between the two of them. “You two go.”

Liam glanced at Laura and she waved him off.

“I’ll see to her,” Laura said. Liam looked like he might protest, but Travis passed by, grabbing him jovially around the shoulders and herding him along towards the hot springs.

“Aren’t you joining us?” one of the other women asked, nudging Trista. Trista hunched her shoulders awkwardly, looking unsure of how to make her excuses.

“Oh, she’s shy though,” Laura said cajolingly. She moved beside Trista, looping their arms together and turning her towards the innkeeper. “You go on without us!”

“Thank you,” Trista murmured, “but you should warm up.”

“I intend to,” Laura said. She pulled them up in front of the innkeeper and flashed him a smile.

“This is the little bard?” the innkeeper said, giving them both a once over, a broad smile growing on his face.

“She is indeed,” Laura said, giving Trista’s shoulders a friendly squeeze.

“You got us out of a right jam, I hear.”

“It’s nothing,” Trista said softly, the innkeeper scoffed.

“It most certainly is something,” he said, slapping his big, meaty hand down on Trista’s shoulder so hard her knees buckled. Laura caught her around the waist and helped her stay up. The innkeeper looked abashed. “So sorry! You’ve had a right day of it, haven’t you?”

“A little,” Trista murmured.

“We’re looking forward to the hot spring you so generously offered up,” Laura said fervently. “We’re just waiting a bit because my friend here is a bit shy about sharing a bath with strangers, you know how it is.”

“Oh, not to worry,” the innkeeper said, reaching under the counter and pulling up a key. “We’ve got a few smaller rooms. For you, it’s on the house.”

“You’re too kind,” Laura said, smiling brightly.

“Thank you,” Trista said softly. She glanced at Laura, then took the key from the man. “I appreciate it.”

“You did a grand deed,” the innkeeper said, and Trista smiled weakly before Laura led her away.

“May I join you in your private suite?” Laura asked. “Or would you like your privacy?”

“You should take it,” Trista said, passing her the key. “I shouldn’t risk it.”

“You’ve got to be freezing too. I don’t care how hot you run, you were standing in a wind that froze men in place just hours ago,” Laura insisted. “I’m sure the doors have locks, and if they don’t we’ll barricade it.”

Trista hunched up her shoulders, looking at her apprehensively.

“You don’t mind?” she asked timidly.

“Mind what?” Laura asked pointedly. Trista furrowed her brow for a moment, giving her a quizzical look. “I don’t mind you, Trista.”

Trista blinked, nodded, and stepped into the private room of the hot spring. The door did lock, and Laura locked it securely behind them.

It was several degrees warmer even than just outside in the hall, and Laura sighed contentedly. There was a raised area just inside the door for undressing, with shelves to either side for storing clothing. The space in front of the tub was covered in spaced wooden slats to the let the water through, with buckets and soap ready for scrubbing. Opposite the door, the wooden tub steamed invitingly.

Laura tried not to stare at Trista as they scrubbed, but she was so unusual. Laura had always imagined that Trista looked human, just with violet skin and a tail tacked on, but that wasn’t the case. Trista looked human from the shoulders up, but below that she was far more like a snake with legs tacked on, and awkwardly at that. She was scarred as well. Laura had expected the brand just beneath her collar bone, but beyond that were scars peppered along her body. Here and there, at strangely regular intervals, were a rough scars where it looked like a scale had been carved away, or a sliver of flesh. She wondered if it had something to do with her house. Who knew what demons did in their spare time? They looked too intentional to be random injuries.

Laura rinsed and lowered herself into the tub, cursing with every movement. The water felt hot enough to boil her, though she knew that was only because she was cold to her bones. Trista didn’t seem to notice, sliding into the water right up to her neck and leaning against the edge with her eyes fluttering closed like she might fall right to sleep.

“Careful you don’t slide under,” Laura said jokingly. Trista shook herself, hooking her arms over the edge of the tub and resting her head on the side.

“This is nice,” she murmured.

“You don’t think it’s hot as the hells?” Laura asked, wincing as she settled fully in at last.

“I’ve never actually been to the hells,” Trista said, raising her eyebrows, her eyes staying closed. “But this is very comfortable.”

“You don’t seem to mind the cold either,” Laura noted.

“It hurt,” Trista said, opening her eyes lazily, just long enough to meet Laura’s. “Not as much as it was hurting you. I think I’m warm enough to survive more cold than humans.”

“Handy that,” Laura said. “To be able to take both extremes.”

“I wouldn’t have lasted long in the gale if there weren’t so many humans around,” Trista murmured. Laura raised an eyebrow at that, remembering the feeling as the gate had ripped open, and the sudden, roiling heat that melted the snow around them and Trista crying out as if in pain.

“What happened today?” Laura asked.

Trista was silent for a long time, and Laura thought she might have nodded off. Eventually, she opened her eyes and lifted her head, looking down at the floor instead of at Laura.

“There was just… a lot going on, in the clearing,” she said quietly. “It was overwhelming, and…I learned that my mother’s power and the music power don’t mix very well.”

“Is that why you fell?”

“Yes.” Trista sounded relieved. She lifted her eyes to Laura’s again, smiling weakly. “It hurts, trying to hold both at the same time.”

“Why not let go of one?”

“I needed the music one to close the gate,” Trista said, “and the other doesn’t—I can’t just…let go of it.”

“Because your mother is reaching?” Laura asked. Trista lowered her head, looking away from her again.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” she said quietly, her voice cracking.

Laura relaxed against the edge of the tub and decided not the push the matter any further. She didn’t like it when people pressed about her parents, so she wouldn’t do it to someone else.

They lounged together in the tub until Laura’s skin started to turn pruny and Trista had fallen asleep.