Ka’Verai Dawn part 5

 

*********Chapter 3*********

 

“Ki”Von, shes coming around again.” It was Rhafallia’s voice, Ka’Verai could not see her. Ka’Verai could feel something cold and wet dabbing her face. A sickly smell of singed hair hung in the air. She noticed that the pain was gone. She could feel a little tingling where the acid burned her but the pain was gone.

“Rhafallia is that you? Why can’t I see? Where is Shadout and Ki”Von?” A squeak in Ka’Verai’s voice showed her state of panic as she reached up and tried to pull away whatever was covering her eyes only to find nothing there. Some soft furry hands gently pulled her wrists and set them down on her belly.

“Relax, We are still here.” Ki”Von’s deep voice assured her. “Shadout is resting. The acid reacted to the spell and caught fire. You and Shadout got burned pretty bad, he’s been healing you but had to stop to heal himself. I’m sure that when he gets done healing himself that he will heal you up good as new and you’ll be able to see again.”

“FIRE? How? What caused it? Was anyone else hurt?”

“Relax. As Ki”Von said something in the acid reacted when Master Shadout cast his spell you and him got burned but no one else got hurt and Master wasn’t hurt that bad.” Rhafallia’s voice comforted Ka’Verai. The cold, wet cloth dabbed at Ka’Verai’s wounds. “Your wounds seam to have closed and are not reopening. I think the acid burned off in the fire. We’ll know for sure when Master wakes up from his nap.”

“The pain is mostly gone just some tingling and I can’t see!”

“Master will fix that I’m sure. Now try to rest. I’ll keep your scabs wet so they don’t harden and become harder for Master to remove.” The cold cloth continued its work. A soft voice began hum a gentle melody.

“I’ll check back on you in the morning.” Ki”Von declared.

Then Ka’Verai heard the thump and drag of his tail as he left the room. The humming continued and she felt very sleepy and she drifted off to sleep.

A soft furry hand was patting her cheek. “Ka’Verai, wake up.” Shadout’s voice said.

Ka’Verai opened her eyes with out thinking and there was a gray light where blackness had been when she went to sleep. The hand kept patting her cheek she reached up and made a grab at it, missing but a shadow passed through the gray light that filled her vision. “I’m awake now.”

“Good, Good. How is the eyesight? Rhafallia told me that the pain was gone.”

“I can’t see anything but a gray light.” Ka’Verai replied

“Damn. I hoped for more, well at least we got the acid under control. A little time and we will get you seeing and all the scars cleared up.” Shadout said.

Ka’Verai felt a soft hand touch her then the gentle pulse of the empaths power pull through her. This time, unlike the times when Shadout was fighting the acid, the pull was soft and almost sensual. Ka’Verai leaned in to it and sighed softly. The soft pulse settled in Ka’Verai’s chest, face and eyes. After a few minutes shapes started to emerge from the grayness in her vision. She could make out the parallel beams of the rafters and a blur she figured to be Shadout. Slowly these images became sharper but still had a fuzzy quality to them when Shadout sat back against the upright of the healers cot and blindly reached in to his satchel, feeling about a bit then coming up with a small tin. Fumbling it open he pulled out some salve from it then closed it. Holding the salve up he mana charged it, a faint blue light gathered about the salve, then he rubbed it in to his eyes.

“There, give that salve a minute to work and I’ll be able to see the work I’ve done. How is your vision?”

“A little fuzzy still.” Ka’Verai replied

“It shouldn’t be.” Shadout touched her again. “Ahh, still a little scaring left on the eyes. I’ll clear that up in a minute. Huh?!” Shadout shook his head in disbelief and rubbed his eyes to clear them. “Your scars are still there? They should be healed and gone?” He reaffirmed his empathic touch. This time the pull was aggressive and sharp. “I don’t feel them but I see them. How can this be?” He pulled again. “There is no wounds to pull but I can see them? Rhafallia!” Shadout shouted her name. Startling her out of her sleep. “Wake up. I need you to go find Master Col and get him over here now!”

Ka’Verai sat in shock listening to the panic in Shadout’s voice.

Rhafallia caught her breath, blinked a few times and then stretched her lithe figure. The blanket she had covering her fell away revealing her furry naked form. “Yes Master, right away. You think he is at home?”

“There or the guild hall. If he’s working the guild tell him to get healed up before he gets here. I need him in good shape. Send Ki”Von back with some tea water on your way out.”

“Yes Master.” Rhafallia said as she slipped in to her shift again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you Master.” Then she made her way out of the room.

(Writers note: This is the last of the stuff I have prewritten that some have read already my next post will be all new.  Also in the near future I will be posting up an adult story following how Master Shadout and Rhafallia met.  Croaker) 

Ka’Veria Dawn part 4

 

Ki”Von entered the room drying his hands on a towel. “She is right, Shadout is the best empath I know. I’ve used his services myself after many a tavern brawl. How is our patient doing?”

Shadout answered from behind closed eyes, “I think I’ll live my old friend but a strong ale would help.”

“The whelps are bringing ales ’cause I knew you would ask.” Ki”Von chuckled, “I was asking about Ka’Verai, is she going to be okay?”

“That’s still a little in the air. As you can see I got her conscious, but I can’t get the acid neutralized and the wounds keep opening as well as the scar tissue is building up faster then I can keep up with.”

Ka’Verai frowned at this. Then smiled as five whelps came in to the room. The two foot long lizards each struggling with a tankard of ale that stood almost as high as the sklan whelps were tall. The whelps held their tails out behind them to act as counterbalances But Ka’Verai feared that were the tankards not lidded there would be a fair bit of ale on the floor.

“You’ll get it, Master.” Rhafallia said as she continued to clean Shadout’s fur. “Your ale is here Master.”

Shadout opened his eyes and gathered the mug from the whelp carrying it and took a long pull of the dark liquid. “Ahhh, thats better.” taking a quick count with his finger he asked, “Why five? I need to still be able to work here Ki”Von?”

Ki”Von rolled his eyes independently. “They are not all yours. Two for you and one each for the rest of us.”

“None for our patient here. I need her wits about her and I don’t want to mix any thing with that tea I gave her. Drink up you.” he said with a sideways glance to the frowning Ka’Verai.

She took another sip from the mug of cooling tea. “How bad are the scars?” She asked after swallowing hard.

“When I’m done there shouldn’t be any scars at all. Thats if I can get this acid to stop doing damage. You would think after three days it would have burned its self out. Are you feeling any more effects from the tea?”

“ I feel like I got a build up of mana and I need to cast a spell soon or its going to burn me, plus my vision has gone blurrier and everything is hurting again.” Ka’Verai replied

Shadout quickly touched Ka’Verai’s chest and muttered a few words releasing the mana in Ka’Verai. She screamed and there was pain and darkness again

Ka’Veria Dawn part 3

 

 

****************Chapter 2****************

 

“Master, she is waking up.” The strange voice said. Ka’Verai opened her eyes to see a blurry prydian face, her white and silver fur matted with a smear of dried blood. Then there was a male prydian in her view his black and white face looking with concern.

“I’m Shadout, the empath,” The male said, “and this is Rhafallia. Dear, go tell Ki”Von that she is alive and I need some hot water for tea.”

“ Yes, Master.” Rhafallia replied and scampered out of the room her tail twitching with the good news.

“Alive? Why do I need an Empath? Why can’t I see very well? Every thing is all fuzzy?” Ka’Verai asked in a panicked voice. “What happened and where am I?”

“You’re in a spare room at Wyrmkin’s tavern. About three days ago you were splashed with an acid of some type, it damn near killed you, Ki”Von intervened and drove off your attackers and then summoned me here. I’ve spent the last days trying to keep you alive. I think I finally got the acid neutralized, do you feel any burning anywhere?” Shadout asked.

Ka’Verai nodded and indicated her face and chest

“Damn, I hoped I had got it.” Shadout continued “ your vision is fuzzy because of the salve I placed in your eyes. Two days ago you didn’t have eyes, its taken a lot of healing to get you where you are.” He touched her shoulder, she felt the empathic touch pass through her body then the pull on the wounds. She watched as the wounds opened up on Shadout and the blood started to appear on his feline face and across his furry chest. The burning in her chest and face subsided but only slightly.

“Master! You need to heal yourself before you take on any more wounds.” Rhafallia said on her return. She carried a tray with a steaming pot and three earthenware mugs. “Ki”Von says he’ll be back here after he closes up for the night. Master, please make some tea and heal yourself, I think the dangers passed for the moment shes awake and not bleeding badly.”

“Yes, my Songbird, your most likely right the danger is past for now. Set that down over here.” Shadout wiped a little blood away from his eye then reached in to his herb satchel and produced a small brown pouch and poured some of the contents in to one mug. “That one is yours love.” He put the pouch back and came out with a blue one. Opening that one he pinched some of its contents and set it aside. Holding the herbs he pinched up he focused some mana in to them and then evenly distributed them in the remaining two mugs.

Rhafallia poured the still steaming water in to the mugs. Ka’Verai took a moment while the tea steeped to take in her surroundings. She lay on a healers cot with Shadout seated in the attached seat, Rhafallia was standing next to a short stool that held the tea set. The room was small and crowded with boxes and barrels lining the rough plastered walls. The broad beams of the ceiling held hanging hams. She looked over her companions, Shadout was a short furred prydian with black and white markings in a pattern that made him look as if were wearing a white shirt, black vest and black gloves. His lower regions were covered by a heavy leather kilt and his black tail peaked out from under that. His assistant, Rhafallia, was a silver and white tabby prydian. She wore a lightweight blue shift and an emerald studded collar. Shadout passed Ka’Verai a cup of the mana charged tea. Ka’Verai tentatively accepted it. “Drink slowly, I want the mana to seep in to you. I’m not sure what it will do to you. I’m hoping it will counter the acid with out burning you itself. Ki”Von tells me your a mage so tell me if you feel any mana burn.”

Ka’Verai sipped her mug and wretched, sputtered and coughed.

“Mana burn?” Shadout asked quickly touching her shoulder.

“No, not yet, just wretched tasting.”

“Well drink it all anyway. I don’t know what honey would do to the mixture and I’m already experimenting.”

Shadout lifted the other mana charged cup and downed it in two fast swallows. He then nodded to Rhafallia to drink hers.

Ka’Verai put on a brave face and sipped again gagging to get the foul liquid down. Meanwhile Shadout pulled a little tin out of his satchel. Pinching some of the contents of the tin he mana charged it and wiped some in to each of his eyes. Putting the tin back he pulled a jar of a thick liquid and a sponge, soaking up the liquid in to the sponge he held it up and mana charged it, and swabbed down his chest and face. Ka’Verai watched as the wounds on Shadout began to close almost as soon as the sponge wiped away the traces of blood.

“Does that hurt?” Ka’Verai asked the empath over her still mostly full tea mug. “I’ve never been tended to by an empath.”

“All the time. You get used to pain when you’re an empath.”

Shadout asked. “How is it you have never been tended to by an empath?”

“I live a peaceful life and have avoided getting hurt. When I have gotten injured it was just minor and a bandage took care of it. I’ve seen them work, I’ve just never really needed an empath.”

“Thats amazing, I thought everybody had seen an empath at least once in their life. Can you feel any effect from the tea?”

“I’m feeling a little jittery like I’ve got a little bit of mana in me, though not burning me. The pain is still there in my face, neck and chest.” She gently touched her face then looked closely at her now sticky fingers.

“Some puss is still oozing from the wounds. If I can’t get the acid neutralized it will start bleeding again.” Shadout answered her unasked question. “Right now I need to heal myself and get a little rest and you need to drink your tea and and rest too.” Shadout leaned back on to the upright of the healers cot and closed his eyes with a deep breath.

Rhafallia gathered the sponge from her master and rinsed it out with a little of the tea water. She then started to wash away some of the blood from Shadout’s fur with gentle strokes. “Your in good hands, my lady. Master Shadout is one of the best empaths in Ravensford. When he wakes up I’m sure he will find a way to get rid of the acid and heal up the scars.”

Ka’Veria Dawn part 2

 

“Very good tips tonight I saw a few gold crowns go in to my bag tonight. I won’t keep you late by counting it here I know you would like to get back to your mate. She has another brood in the nest doesn’t she?”

“Yes she does and these ‘ittle ones,” he gestured to his busy little crew, “will be reaching naming age soon.”

Ka’Verai giggled as she watched two of the little lizards push a heavy wooden tub full of dishes back to the kitchen. Their wide spread back legs tangling in each others and tripping themselves up. Ki”Von rolled his eyes independently as his only daughter ended up in the dish tub and one of his sons wrapped around the bottom of it with his tail and nose touching. The other whelps were wiping tables and mopping the wooden floor.

“Thank you, Ki”Von for letting me dance here. I do enjoy it.”

“Always a ‘leasure, Ka’Verai, you are one of the best ‘formers I get here at Wyrmkin’s. Your dances make the patrons ‘hirsty.” the lizard replied as he got up to help his children with the tub.

Ka’Verai placed her tea pot in to the tub as Ki”Von carried it by. She stood up and said “I’ll let myself out. Don’t forget to lock behind me.” She made her way across the tavern to the door, worked the bolt and let herself out. Looking up and down the deserted street she started for home.

As she crossed the alleyway that ran to Wyrmkin’s back door six small stocky figures emerged from the shadows the moonlight glinting off the small blades they carried as they quickly surrounded Ka’Verai. “Give over the pouch!” One of the little dwarven toughs demanded at the same time one of the others slashed with his short sword cutting Ka’Verai’s hip.

“Ouch! You little bastards!” Ka’Verai screamed hoping to attract the city watchmen. She reached in to her pocket like she was going to get out the pouch, getting a grip of mica and quickly charging it with mana, “Here! Take this!” She screamed, spinning to spread the mica dust over all of her attackers. Just before she triggered the magic in the spell she was weaving a golden liquid flared up in to her face. Then there was blackness and pain.

 

Excerpt From “Ka’Verai Dawn”

This is the opening of “Ka’verai Dawn” by Croaker.

———-

The evening was going well and the audience was captivated by the light footed movements and sensual gyrations, Ka’Verai danced to the drummers tempo adding staccato finger snaps that made the firesilk top and skirt come to life with sound of the fire it imitated.  The skirt flared out with her spins to reveal her toned legs.  The blouse was restrained by a tight knot just below her ample bosom, the crowd was a little too rowdy tonight to leave the top free to flare possibly giving a peek to lusty eyes.  She began to spin faster to hide the movements of her hands as they reached in to a hidden pocket to get a pinch of ground mica.  Spinning precariously close to the edge of the small taverns stage she charged the mica with the mana she built with her dancing. Looking over the crowd she picked her target, a table with two elves, a dwarf and a city watchman all of them watching her dance intently.  Coiling in to her spin Ka’Verai sprang from the stage, twirling through the air letting the mica fly in all directions she landed solidly on her target table triggering the magic in the mica making it flash and sparkle brightly.  She dropped to one knee bowing and flipping her raven hair forward to hide her heavy breathing from the crowd that had broke in to applause, whistles and tail thumping from the table of the lizard like sklan.

Ka’Verai peered out of her flowing tresses with her dark eyes and smiled as the patrons dropped coins in to the small brocade bag that a sklan whelp was passing from table to table.  The whelp was the bartenders hatchling and had not reached his naming age.  Ki”Von, the bartender often let him run the tip bag about for the performers.  After finishing his rounds he went up to the table Ka’Verai was being helped down from by the city watchman.  The elves held out some coins for the bag.   She saw a few gold crowns going in to the bag.  Her beautiful face glowed as she winked at the elves.  She gathered the bag from the whelp and reached inside giving the whelp a copper crown.  She made her way back to the stage and tipped her drummer as he was packing up for the night.  Ki”Von called last round and Ka’Verai sat at the bar sipping on a cup of tea as the crowd finished their drinks and made their way out of the tavern.  Ki”Von helped the last patron out the door and latched it, waddling over to the low stool near Ka’Verai where he perched himself.  “’ittle ones, time to work!” he bellowed and out of the kitchen came half a dozen whelps that got to the tasks of cleaning up the tavern. He turned more  toward Ka’Verai and said, “Was a good night, no blood.  Good tips?”