"It's hot."
His voice ripped through the hush of chattering leaves. It was aggressive but soft, as though his vocal chords were sandpaper scratching out sounds. It sent his recent sip of whiskey out with the consonants, clear brown drops sticking behind the peeled skin of his lips. All she could think was that, if he was taken, they wouldn't get much blood out of him. His body was raw and dry, and anything tangible was peeling or chipping off. His leg was the most frightful. Just a mass of tangled flesh at this point.
"Here," she said, thrusting her half-filled Nalgene of burnt water against his chest. "And stop talking."
She reached forward to the lantern and turned the key, dimming the flame slightly.
He took a drink, holding himself back from finishing it all in two swift gulps.
"It hasn't rained...in 9 days," he rasped.
"It may not rain again," she said softly over the flame. The dancing light created shadows like hyenas against the canvas wall of their tent. She dared not move closer to him, or else the heat would fully take wing. "The blessing of the Hunters has been mocked. It is known that a human must avenge."
His eyes fought to focus on her face."I won't let you do it," he breathed.
That is good to hear, my love" she said, grasping for the last drop of whiskey, "because I am no longer human."
No comments:
Post a Comment