Stranger in the Night
Here's chapter two, please say you like!! And thank you SO MUCH, Merry, for your really nice review! I hope you like this one too! And please, if you're reading this, review!
*Disclaimer:* if you don't know this by now, then that's scary. I own squat. Zip nada nothing except my OC. But that's it!
****
The journey was just as the weather mages had predicted. Shortly after the expedition had set out, it started raining. Kel was not too happy.
"Kel, what's wrong?" Dom asked her concernedly. "Where's our cheerful Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight of Tortall?"
"Gone with the sun," Kel replied annoyedly. "I hate rain," she sighed.
"Oh, by the way, Neal's here too," Dom said in an offhand voice.
"Neal's here?" Kel repeated, and brightened a little. "Why? And do you know where he is?"
"Whoa, slow down there," Dom said. "First, Neal's rudimentary healing magic would be good to have on this trip. You know, of course, that the number of healing mages has greatly decreased? Besides, he's a knight, too. So it's a two- for- one situation. And I think he's riding at the far end, with the other mages."
"Why hasn't he tried to find me?" Kel asked with some hurt. "He knew I'd be riding with this expedition."
"Who knows why our dear Meathead Neal does anything?" Dom said lightly, rolling his eyes up toward the rain. "He's probably thinking of some book or another that's caught his fancy. Or perhaps. a lady who's caught his fancy." Dom winked at her and Kel grinned, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"I'll go find Neal, then," Kel said. She turned Peachblossom away, after exchanging good- byes with Dom. She sighed. She knew she didn't want to get married or any of that stuff, but perhaps, if she was married to Dom, it wouldn't be so bad. She thought of his perfect smile and his dark hair that matched his bright eyes.
After some minutes of riding through the rain, she spotted Neal's horse, Darkwing. Kel didn't know exactly what Darkwing meant, or why Neal chose it. Knowing Neal, it was probably some great ancient general's war-horse. Kel urged Peachblossom on a little faster; it had been a long time since she had talked to her old friend. "Neal!" she called. "Hey, Neal!"
He turned and smiled, and waved also. He trotted his horse up to Kel's. Contrary to its name, Darkwing was neither male nor dark. In fact, Darkwing was a mare, and was a dapple-gray in color. Neal endured a lot of good- natured teasing about all that. He had picked out his horse's name before he had actually gotten his horse. Kel grinned, thinking it was typical Neal.
"Good day, Sir Lady Keladry of Mindelan," Neal greeted her, doing an odd sort of half- bow in the saddle. He almost toppled over, but then righted himself and started talking again in an affected accent. "I say, good Sir Lady, tip- top weather we're having, don't you agree?"
"Stop, Neal," she groaned. "Can't you ever be normal for once?"
"'To be normal is to ruin the very essence of human existence,'" Neal quoted. Kel didn't know what book it was quoted from, and decided not to ask. Neal opened his mouth to speak once more, and Kel, realizing he was about to delve into one of his long, complicated speeches, intervened.
"Please, Neal," she begged. "Not now."
They rode in peace for a while, with some good- natured conversation and joking. They heard a cry.
"Bandits!" Lord Raoul yelled from the front. His strong voice carried across the entire expedition. He barked orders to his troops.
[They're just bandits,] Kel thought a little confusedly. [Why is Lord Raoul so worried?] they topped a rise. And then Kel saw why Raoul was so concerned.
Hundreds of bandits, all armed to the teeth and riding strong horses, stood ready, waiting for them. One of them, who was at the front and riding the strongest horse, laughed. He was an unpleasant- looking man, in his mid- thirties, with broken teeth and a swarthy face.
"Bandits?" he repeated, with a derisive snort. He had a rasping voice, which grated on Kel's nerves. "You think we're bandits?" He gave a laugh; his men followed suit. "Look at us, so well armed and equipped with so much weaponry. Would we be mere bandits? No, I think not. We are the Desert Storm division, Fourth Company, of the Scanran military!"
"The Scanrans!" Neal gasped beside Kel.
"We intend to make war on you," Raoul challenged. "We are the Third and First Company of the King's Own of Tortall! You may have the weaponry to beat us, but we have the skill!"
"Oho, palace men," the leader said loudly. "Won't we make a pretty payoff from our Commander?"
"You won't live that long," Kel said, riding up to Raoul. "And not all of us are 'palace men.'"
"A girl?" the man asked incredulously. "What can a girl do?" He laughed loudly.
"Why don't you keep talking and laughing," Kel interrupted calmly, "and find out?" The man shut up at that.
"Attack!" The single word burst simultaneously from both Raoul's and the Scanran's mouth. With that, warriors from both sides charged into each other, weapons clashing.
[I'm glad I brought along my glaive,] Kel thought, even as she cut a man down with it. She spun and cut another; with the butt, she stabbed someone in the stomach behind her. She did not let herself feel for these people. She only thought of paying them back for all the death they had caused.
She heard Neal cry out in pain and glanced quickly over in his direction. She could make out blood pouring from a gash in his arm. She also saw two horsemen go down, slashed and bloody. Neal's sword was stained.
It was a long battle. Even Kel felt herself get a little tired. [Just one more Scanran], she told herself. [Just one more. just one more.] She thought she felt a pain in her stomach before it disappeared, though she cut down the Scanran nearest her. [Just one more...] Finally, there was only one more. In a daze, Kel grasped that they won.
"We will be back!" the lead Scanran said. He was still standing, though he was bleeding heavily from a head wound. "Mark my words, we will!" He and the rest of the gang, by now only less than 20, turned tail and fled.
"Come on, men- ladies," Raoul said wearily. He was not too badly wounded, though he winced when he lifted the reins of his horse. "Let's just make camp here."
The pain she had felt earlier returned, but she paid no heed, thinking it was a simple cramp or muscle spasm. Kel set up her tent quickly and went over to the healers. Neal had healed himself, and there were many others waiting on cots. Kel saw though, with satisfaction, that the wounds were not serious and not many were wounded. Only one was dead.
"Neal, can I help?" she called. Neal came up to her. But something was wrong; she felt faint, and that pain in her stomach was back.
"Kel!" he cried. "You're bleeding!"
"Am I?" Kel asked softly. She was suddenly aware of a sharp pain in her abdomen. The last thing she heard before she passed out was, "Kel!"
*** Kel woke up with a groan. "Where am I?" she asked, then grimaced in pain.
"I patched you up as well as I could," Neal said, somehow managing to be cheerful. He smiled, but there were dark rings under his eyes and a faint shadowing of stubble. Kel strongly suspected he had not slept at all.
"You did a good job," Kel complimented, as she swung off the bed. In the large healers' tent, many other soldiers were sleeping, their wounds for the most part healed completely. "Where's Raoul?"
"Over there," Neal said and pointed to the far end of the camp, near where Kel had set up hers.
"I'm going to go see him," Kel announced. "Neal, get some sleep. You deserve it."
She stopped in the doorway of Raoul's tent, and listened to make sure no one else was there.
"My lord Raoul," she began, as she saw Raoul bent over a map in the middle of his tent.
He waved it away. "You know I don't hold with title nonsense," he said. He looked up. "How're you feeling?"
"Good," Kel smiled back. "Neal did a good job of healing me." Then she became more serious. "Sir, I'm worried about those Scanrans. They knew we were going to be there. That doesn't strike me as natural."
"You're right, Kel," Raoul sighed. "But I think I know what was going on. I'm calling a meeting of all the commanders later this afternoon. You of course will be there, and then we'll see what has happened."
Raoul called the promised meeting shortly after they had dined. By informal decision, the group had decided to stay in that spot for the day, and start traveling again the next day, in order to let the wounded rest.
Gathered in the meeting tent were all the commanders and highest- ranking officers. Dom, along with Neal, was also there. "The Youkai." Raoul said the two words in the silence of the tent.
Kel glanced up sharply at that, recognizing the Yamani word for 'demon.' "The Youkai?" Kel repeated quickly.
"Do you know him?" Raoul asked confusedly.
"No- but 'youkai' is the Yamani word for demon. And still I've never heard of him."
Dom sighed. "You wouldn't have. Am I correct in saying that traitors are not talked about in the Yamani court?"
Kel nodded slowly. Dom continued. "It is said that the Youkai is a ferocious war leader. He was a Yamani; he trained in their military. He was the star of the Yamani order of knights."
"Then what happened?" Kel asked with interest. Now that she thought of it, she had heard some rumors of a traitor, whispered at night when there was no other gossip.
"He betrayed his country," the commander of the Fifth said. "He left to lead the Scanrans."
"You mean he's their king?"
"No," Raoul shook his head. "He leads the military division of the kingdom. He's very powerful, they say. But- and here's the strange part- he's never been seen in person. He never comes out in battle, and he always wears a cloth mask on his face. Probably to disguise some scar or another, but it's not important."
"So you think that this. leader. The Youkai, is the root of the problem?" Kel verified. "The plan is simple. Destroy him and we destroy the Scanrans."
"And this from the quietest girl in the Kingdom?" Raoul teased with a trace of a laugh. "But there's the problem. There is no way to fight him in person. No one knows what his real name is, what he looks like, and where he is. He may be in the dead center of Scanra. He could be in the Copper Isles." Raoul shrugged. "For all we know, he could be in Tortall itself."
"That's not helpful," Kel complained.
"Patience, Kel," Neal advised softly in her ear, placing one hand on her shoulder. Kel nodded and quieted.
"So what's our plan?" one of the men asked.
"I don't know. We've never fought against anyone like The Youkai. It is said he has powers like no one else. not just a mage, but something more. Something even more powerful."
"How can we defeat him then?" Kel asked in frustration. "We don't know anything about him. How did he manage such secrecy?"
"It is also rumored that he doesn't even use his real voice. He magicks it to sound different. There is nothing about The Youkai we know- save his name."
"Men- lady- I suggest we get some sleep," Raoul said loudly after a long pause. "I'm sure we can better discuss methods of defeating an unknown enemy after we get some rest." The men rose, saluted, and left the tent.
In her own tent, Kel lay, almost asleep, but thinking about all Raoul and the other men had said. The Youkai. a traitor. she'd defeat him, Yamani or no.
She was jerked out of sleep by rustlings outside her tent. Cautiously, she drew her sword and crept to the opening of her tent. She flung the doorflap open, her sword raised high above her.
"Please. help." a voice whispered. She looked down, and in the faint light made out a dark form. Kel immediately flung the sword aside and picked the person up, bringing them inside her tent and on her bed. She quickly lighted a lamp and held it up so she could see who her guest was.
It was a young man, about her own age. His left eye was swollen closed, but his open eye showed an amber pupil. His chaotic dark hair, held in place by a tattered red band with tails that reached his waist, was honey- gold at the top. He was slim but muscular. The remains of a red cape and dark cloth mask hung about his neck. A large gash cut across his scalp, bleeding profusely. Kel could make out the unmistakable features of a native from the Yamani Islands.
"Who are you?" she asked softly.
"Please. help." the man repeated again.
"I will." Kel tore through the camp, sprinting to Neal. In a breath she explained what happened. Neal was a little slow in coming, but Kel fairly dragged him along. By the time they reached her tent, Neal was fully awake. The man's breathing was ragged and labored.
"Neal, can you help him?" Kel asked apprehensively. She felt strangely attracted to this good- looking Yamani, stranger though he was. But Neal was already at work. Kel could see he strained to give life to the man. [Please work. please work.] she repeated over and over to herself. After some minutes that seemed like an eternity, Neal straightened. "He'll live- but just barely," Neal reported wearily. He groaned. "Gods, I need a drink."
"Thank you Neal, for helping him," Kel said.
"What else could I do?" Neal answered. "Watch him, tell me if anything changes for the worse in his condition. And whatever you do, keep him in bed. Give him a tincture of willow root and honey three times a day." He yawned, but Kel looked at him in respect. [He's really grown as a healer,] she thought appreciatively.
"Thank you again. Now go to bed," Kel insisted. Neal left with alacrity.
The man was now in an uneasy sleep, though his breathing was regular. He tossed and turned and cried out in his sleep. Kel stayed up the entire night, watching him by the light of her lamp. She never tired; she just kept watching him.
After a few hours of restless sleep, the man woke up. "Where am I?" he asked.
"I found you outside my tent, with a large head wound. You are in the camp of the Third and Fifth Companies of the King's Own of Tortall," Kel replied softly. "Now, who are you?"
He paused for a moment. "Seto," he replied. He gave no last name.
"You are from Yaman?" Kel asked in Yamani.
"Hie," Seto replied, saying yes in the same language. "And you? You are not Yamani, I can see that."
"I am Keladry of Mindelan- Kel," she said. "Now, no more conversation. Stay in bed, you need your rest."
"G'night, Kel," Seto answered sleepily. He fell asleep again, but this time he slept soundly.
Kel still stayed awake. By now, the sun was just coming up. After the sun had risen a bit more, she left the sleeping man alone. Silently, she slipped out of the tent and went to Raoul's.
"Raoul," she said softly. He was in there, packing his bedroll.
"Good morning Kel," he smiled. "Why up so early?"
Quickly, she explained what had happened. "I was wondering if he could ride with us- just until the next town I mean," she asked at the end.
"We-el," Raoul said. "I'm not one for that sort of thing- but you seem set on it. If you think he is of good character, then he is welcome to stay with us."
Kel could have hugged Raoul with delight, but she held herself. "Thank you, sir," she muttered, bowing stiffly to keep herself from running to Raoul. The moment she exited the tent though, she ran with abandon to her tent. Raoul didn't often let these things happen, such as taking on extras along the way on a mission.
[Neal's not going to like this, though.] she thought as she sprinted to her tent.
End of Chapter 2! Yay! I'm sorry if the characters, especially Kel, acted a little or a lot- OOC. And yes, for anyone else who watches anime, the Yamani is Seto as in Seto Kaiba from Yu- Gi- Oh! I don't own that either. Now, look down a little bit. yes, just a bit more. there! You see that little purple- blue button? Yes? Good! Now click on it and REVIEW!
Here's chapter two, please say you like!! And thank you SO MUCH, Merry, for your really nice review! I hope you like this one too! And please, if you're reading this, review!
*Disclaimer:* if you don't know this by now, then that's scary. I own squat. Zip nada nothing except my OC. But that's it!
****
The journey was just as the weather mages had predicted. Shortly after the expedition had set out, it started raining. Kel was not too happy.
"Kel, what's wrong?" Dom asked her concernedly. "Where's our cheerful Keladry of Mindelan, Lady Knight of Tortall?"
"Gone with the sun," Kel replied annoyedly. "I hate rain," she sighed.
"Oh, by the way, Neal's here too," Dom said in an offhand voice.
"Neal's here?" Kel repeated, and brightened a little. "Why? And do you know where he is?"
"Whoa, slow down there," Dom said. "First, Neal's rudimentary healing magic would be good to have on this trip. You know, of course, that the number of healing mages has greatly decreased? Besides, he's a knight, too. So it's a two- for- one situation. And I think he's riding at the far end, with the other mages."
"Why hasn't he tried to find me?" Kel asked with some hurt. "He knew I'd be riding with this expedition."
"Who knows why our dear Meathead Neal does anything?" Dom said lightly, rolling his eyes up toward the rain. "He's probably thinking of some book or another that's caught his fancy. Or perhaps. a lady who's caught his fancy." Dom winked at her and Kel grinned, knowing exactly what he was talking about.
"I'll go find Neal, then," Kel said. She turned Peachblossom away, after exchanging good- byes with Dom. She sighed. She knew she didn't want to get married or any of that stuff, but perhaps, if she was married to Dom, it wouldn't be so bad. She thought of his perfect smile and his dark hair that matched his bright eyes.
After some minutes of riding through the rain, she spotted Neal's horse, Darkwing. Kel didn't know exactly what Darkwing meant, or why Neal chose it. Knowing Neal, it was probably some great ancient general's war-horse. Kel urged Peachblossom on a little faster; it had been a long time since she had talked to her old friend. "Neal!" she called. "Hey, Neal!"
He turned and smiled, and waved also. He trotted his horse up to Kel's. Contrary to its name, Darkwing was neither male nor dark. In fact, Darkwing was a mare, and was a dapple-gray in color. Neal endured a lot of good- natured teasing about all that. He had picked out his horse's name before he had actually gotten his horse. Kel grinned, thinking it was typical Neal.
"Good day, Sir Lady Keladry of Mindelan," Neal greeted her, doing an odd sort of half- bow in the saddle. He almost toppled over, but then righted himself and started talking again in an affected accent. "I say, good Sir Lady, tip- top weather we're having, don't you agree?"
"Stop, Neal," she groaned. "Can't you ever be normal for once?"
"'To be normal is to ruin the very essence of human existence,'" Neal quoted. Kel didn't know what book it was quoted from, and decided not to ask. Neal opened his mouth to speak once more, and Kel, realizing he was about to delve into one of his long, complicated speeches, intervened.
"Please, Neal," she begged. "Not now."
They rode in peace for a while, with some good- natured conversation and joking. They heard a cry.
"Bandits!" Lord Raoul yelled from the front. His strong voice carried across the entire expedition. He barked orders to his troops.
[They're just bandits,] Kel thought a little confusedly. [Why is Lord Raoul so worried?] they topped a rise. And then Kel saw why Raoul was so concerned.
Hundreds of bandits, all armed to the teeth and riding strong horses, stood ready, waiting for them. One of them, who was at the front and riding the strongest horse, laughed. He was an unpleasant- looking man, in his mid- thirties, with broken teeth and a swarthy face.
"Bandits?" he repeated, with a derisive snort. He had a rasping voice, which grated on Kel's nerves. "You think we're bandits?" He gave a laugh; his men followed suit. "Look at us, so well armed and equipped with so much weaponry. Would we be mere bandits? No, I think not. We are the Desert Storm division, Fourth Company, of the Scanran military!"
"The Scanrans!" Neal gasped beside Kel.
"We intend to make war on you," Raoul challenged. "We are the Third and First Company of the King's Own of Tortall! You may have the weaponry to beat us, but we have the skill!"
"Oho, palace men," the leader said loudly. "Won't we make a pretty payoff from our Commander?"
"You won't live that long," Kel said, riding up to Raoul. "And not all of us are 'palace men.'"
"A girl?" the man asked incredulously. "What can a girl do?" He laughed loudly.
"Why don't you keep talking and laughing," Kel interrupted calmly, "and find out?" The man shut up at that.
"Attack!" The single word burst simultaneously from both Raoul's and the Scanran's mouth. With that, warriors from both sides charged into each other, weapons clashing.
[I'm glad I brought along my glaive,] Kel thought, even as she cut a man down with it. She spun and cut another; with the butt, she stabbed someone in the stomach behind her. She did not let herself feel for these people. She only thought of paying them back for all the death they had caused.
She heard Neal cry out in pain and glanced quickly over in his direction. She could make out blood pouring from a gash in his arm. She also saw two horsemen go down, slashed and bloody. Neal's sword was stained.
It was a long battle. Even Kel felt herself get a little tired. [Just one more Scanran], she told herself. [Just one more. just one more.] She thought she felt a pain in her stomach before it disappeared, though she cut down the Scanran nearest her. [Just one more...] Finally, there was only one more. In a daze, Kel grasped that they won.
"We will be back!" the lead Scanran said. He was still standing, though he was bleeding heavily from a head wound. "Mark my words, we will!" He and the rest of the gang, by now only less than 20, turned tail and fled.
"Come on, men- ladies," Raoul said wearily. He was not too badly wounded, though he winced when he lifted the reins of his horse. "Let's just make camp here."
The pain she had felt earlier returned, but she paid no heed, thinking it was a simple cramp or muscle spasm. Kel set up her tent quickly and went over to the healers. Neal had healed himself, and there were many others waiting on cots. Kel saw though, with satisfaction, that the wounds were not serious and not many were wounded. Only one was dead.
"Neal, can I help?" she called. Neal came up to her. But something was wrong; she felt faint, and that pain in her stomach was back.
"Kel!" he cried. "You're bleeding!"
"Am I?" Kel asked softly. She was suddenly aware of a sharp pain in her abdomen. The last thing she heard before she passed out was, "Kel!"
*** Kel woke up with a groan. "Where am I?" she asked, then grimaced in pain.
"I patched you up as well as I could," Neal said, somehow managing to be cheerful. He smiled, but there were dark rings under his eyes and a faint shadowing of stubble. Kel strongly suspected he had not slept at all.
"You did a good job," Kel complimented, as she swung off the bed. In the large healers' tent, many other soldiers were sleeping, their wounds for the most part healed completely. "Where's Raoul?"
"Over there," Neal said and pointed to the far end of the camp, near where Kel had set up hers.
"I'm going to go see him," Kel announced. "Neal, get some sleep. You deserve it."
She stopped in the doorway of Raoul's tent, and listened to make sure no one else was there.
"My lord Raoul," she began, as she saw Raoul bent over a map in the middle of his tent.
He waved it away. "You know I don't hold with title nonsense," he said. He looked up. "How're you feeling?"
"Good," Kel smiled back. "Neal did a good job of healing me." Then she became more serious. "Sir, I'm worried about those Scanrans. They knew we were going to be there. That doesn't strike me as natural."
"You're right, Kel," Raoul sighed. "But I think I know what was going on. I'm calling a meeting of all the commanders later this afternoon. You of course will be there, and then we'll see what has happened."
Raoul called the promised meeting shortly after they had dined. By informal decision, the group had decided to stay in that spot for the day, and start traveling again the next day, in order to let the wounded rest.
Gathered in the meeting tent were all the commanders and highest- ranking officers. Dom, along with Neal, was also there. "The Youkai." Raoul said the two words in the silence of the tent.
Kel glanced up sharply at that, recognizing the Yamani word for 'demon.' "The Youkai?" Kel repeated quickly.
"Do you know him?" Raoul asked confusedly.
"No- but 'youkai' is the Yamani word for demon. And still I've never heard of him."
Dom sighed. "You wouldn't have. Am I correct in saying that traitors are not talked about in the Yamani court?"
Kel nodded slowly. Dom continued. "It is said that the Youkai is a ferocious war leader. He was a Yamani; he trained in their military. He was the star of the Yamani order of knights."
"Then what happened?" Kel asked with interest. Now that she thought of it, she had heard some rumors of a traitor, whispered at night when there was no other gossip.
"He betrayed his country," the commander of the Fifth said. "He left to lead the Scanrans."
"You mean he's their king?"
"No," Raoul shook his head. "He leads the military division of the kingdom. He's very powerful, they say. But- and here's the strange part- he's never been seen in person. He never comes out in battle, and he always wears a cloth mask on his face. Probably to disguise some scar or another, but it's not important."
"So you think that this. leader. The Youkai, is the root of the problem?" Kel verified. "The plan is simple. Destroy him and we destroy the Scanrans."
"And this from the quietest girl in the Kingdom?" Raoul teased with a trace of a laugh. "But there's the problem. There is no way to fight him in person. No one knows what his real name is, what he looks like, and where he is. He may be in the dead center of Scanra. He could be in the Copper Isles." Raoul shrugged. "For all we know, he could be in Tortall itself."
"That's not helpful," Kel complained.
"Patience, Kel," Neal advised softly in her ear, placing one hand on her shoulder. Kel nodded and quieted.
"So what's our plan?" one of the men asked.
"I don't know. We've never fought against anyone like The Youkai. It is said he has powers like no one else. not just a mage, but something more. Something even more powerful."
"How can we defeat him then?" Kel asked in frustration. "We don't know anything about him. How did he manage such secrecy?"
"It is also rumored that he doesn't even use his real voice. He magicks it to sound different. There is nothing about The Youkai we know- save his name."
"Men- lady- I suggest we get some sleep," Raoul said loudly after a long pause. "I'm sure we can better discuss methods of defeating an unknown enemy after we get some rest." The men rose, saluted, and left the tent.
In her own tent, Kel lay, almost asleep, but thinking about all Raoul and the other men had said. The Youkai. a traitor. she'd defeat him, Yamani or no.
She was jerked out of sleep by rustlings outside her tent. Cautiously, she drew her sword and crept to the opening of her tent. She flung the doorflap open, her sword raised high above her.
"Please. help." a voice whispered. She looked down, and in the faint light made out a dark form. Kel immediately flung the sword aside and picked the person up, bringing them inside her tent and on her bed. She quickly lighted a lamp and held it up so she could see who her guest was.
It was a young man, about her own age. His left eye was swollen closed, but his open eye showed an amber pupil. His chaotic dark hair, held in place by a tattered red band with tails that reached his waist, was honey- gold at the top. He was slim but muscular. The remains of a red cape and dark cloth mask hung about his neck. A large gash cut across his scalp, bleeding profusely. Kel could make out the unmistakable features of a native from the Yamani Islands.
"Who are you?" she asked softly.
"Please. help." the man repeated again.
"I will." Kel tore through the camp, sprinting to Neal. In a breath she explained what happened. Neal was a little slow in coming, but Kel fairly dragged him along. By the time they reached her tent, Neal was fully awake. The man's breathing was ragged and labored.
"Neal, can you help him?" Kel asked apprehensively. She felt strangely attracted to this good- looking Yamani, stranger though he was. But Neal was already at work. Kel could see he strained to give life to the man. [Please work. please work.] she repeated over and over to herself. After some minutes that seemed like an eternity, Neal straightened. "He'll live- but just barely," Neal reported wearily. He groaned. "Gods, I need a drink."
"Thank you Neal, for helping him," Kel said.
"What else could I do?" Neal answered. "Watch him, tell me if anything changes for the worse in his condition. And whatever you do, keep him in bed. Give him a tincture of willow root and honey three times a day." He yawned, but Kel looked at him in respect. [He's really grown as a healer,] she thought appreciatively.
"Thank you again. Now go to bed," Kel insisted. Neal left with alacrity.
The man was now in an uneasy sleep, though his breathing was regular. He tossed and turned and cried out in his sleep. Kel stayed up the entire night, watching him by the light of her lamp. She never tired; she just kept watching him.
After a few hours of restless sleep, the man woke up. "Where am I?" he asked.
"I found you outside my tent, with a large head wound. You are in the camp of the Third and Fifth Companies of the King's Own of Tortall," Kel replied softly. "Now, who are you?"
He paused for a moment. "Seto," he replied. He gave no last name.
"You are from Yaman?" Kel asked in Yamani.
"Hie," Seto replied, saying yes in the same language. "And you? You are not Yamani, I can see that."
"I am Keladry of Mindelan- Kel," she said. "Now, no more conversation. Stay in bed, you need your rest."
"G'night, Kel," Seto answered sleepily. He fell asleep again, but this time he slept soundly.
Kel still stayed awake. By now, the sun was just coming up. After the sun had risen a bit more, she left the sleeping man alone. Silently, she slipped out of the tent and went to Raoul's.
"Raoul," she said softly. He was in there, packing his bedroll.
"Good morning Kel," he smiled. "Why up so early?"
Quickly, she explained what had happened. "I was wondering if he could ride with us- just until the next town I mean," she asked at the end.
"We-el," Raoul said. "I'm not one for that sort of thing- but you seem set on it. If you think he is of good character, then he is welcome to stay with us."
Kel could have hugged Raoul with delight, but she held herself. "Thank you, sir," she muttered, bowing stiffly to keep herself from running to Raoul. The moment she exited the tent though, she ran with abandon to her tent. Raoul didn't often let these things happen, such as taking on extras along the way on a mission.
[Neal's not going to like this, though.] she thought as she sprinted to her tent.
End of Chapter 2! Yay! I'm sorry if the characters, especially Kel, acted a little or a lot- OOC. And yes, for anyone else who watches anime, the Yamani is Seto as in Seto Kaiba from Yu- Gi- Oh! I don't own that either. Now, look down a little bit. yes, just a bit more. there! You see that little purple- blue button? Yes? Good! Now click on it and REVIEW!