A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 78 The Cruelty of The Gods - Part 3

Chapter 78 The Cruelty of The Gods - Part 3

He blinked at her in owlish confusion, as though not understanding quite what had happened. "Sorry," he said in a hoarse voice that made it sound like he was seconds away from death already.

She glanced at the wound on his leg, and pulled apartthe severed cloth of his trouser leg so she could see it better. She gasped at the sight of it and bit her lip. He shouldn't have been walking at all. It needed stitching immediately. Blood was flowing freely from the wound as it struggled to clot.

But there was nothing they could do until they reached the village. At best, they were twenty minutes away from her house.

"Beam," she said anxiously, but firmly. "We need to keep moving, Beam. It's too cold for you to be out here with no shirt on, and your leg needs stitching straight away – if you lose any more blood, it'll be dangerous."

"I got it, sorry," Beam said, using a tree to climb to his feet again.

Nila watched, shaking her head. "You have no idea the state your body is in, do you? Here, let me take those. And use my shoulder. We can't have you collapsing again."

"Sorry," Beam said again, his forehead wrinkled in frustration. He hesitated to put his arm over her offered shoulder. "I'm going to get blood on your stuff..."

"Idiot," she said, barging him so he had no choice but to fall on her anyway. "As if I'm going to complain about a little blood after you saved my life. Here, let me take those as well," she said, reaching out for the bag.

"Oh goodness..." She said quietly. "Get him inside," she said, before even asking her what happened. It was moments like these that her mother let her true life experience show. Often times, she seemed airheaded and ditzy, as though she constantly needed someone to look after her. But in times of peril, Nila knew that she could rely on her.

Nila nodded, helping Beam down the steps into the house. Her brother and sister stared with wide eyes at the bloodied body brought into the room. Nila lowered him into a chair, and Beam sat there, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"His leg, mother," Nila said urgently. "He got cut bad on his leg. I think he's lost a lot of blood, but I'm not sure how much."

"I understand. Let me see to it," her mother said, returning with a needle and thread from her sewing kit. "Warm some water over the fire and get me a cloth to clean him with. Get the honey from the winter storage too."

"Sorry for intruding, ma'am," Beam said weakly, as he sat there, half delirious.

"Sssh, nonsense sweetie," she said, "you just keep talking to me, okay? Keep yourself awake whilst I get you all stitched up, okay?"

"Got it," Beam said. "About the... firewood... I had to leave it... I'll see that you get it next week at latest."

Nila shared a glance with her mother, and shook her head. "He was going to try and bring it back, despite the state he's in. Some people really need other people to look after them, I guess."

She brought over a bowl of water that had already been heating on the fire. It seemed her mother had just been about to prepare food with it and it was already more than warm. She stuck a cloth in it and offered it to her mum.

"Can I cut your trousers here, dear?" Her mum asked, as she struggled to get a better view of the wound on Beam's leg. "I can stitch it back together later for you."