Shadow
Chapter Twenty-Four

Raedwulf Dolph

Idonia helps me stand up and we continue the journey in the direction she thinks is south. I keep a firm grip on her as she helps lead us. She shivers occasionally, and I try to hurry us along even though I’m the one slowing us down. My beast knows that by being hurt, by being slow, out mate is suffering. So he pushes me to continue on, well, he pushes me, but Idonia is my real drive.

A force meets us, nearly pushing us back into the darkness. Once we break through, the light burns my eyes. I put a hand up to cover my eyes from the morning sun. Idonia barries her head into my chest, reacting the same way I am.

“Khanel! Khanelea!” Miss Osmund runs up to us. “Oh, dears.”

Her cloak is removed and wrapped around my mate. No matter the new warmth surrounding her, Idonia stays by my side. Slowly, my eyes adjust to the light and I can see the small farm that had last greeted my eyes. Once my vision is totally restored, I glance down my my mate. Her eyes were still buried in my chest and her arms squeezed my torso tightly.

"Idonia," I coo, running my finger to her hair and push it back. Her dark hair is matted back and filled with dirt and blood. Her head moves up, the shining blue eyes looking at me. Then she backed away, gripping the cloth coat and pulling it over her.

"Com'on, yer greatnesses," Miss Osmund grabs my mate and rubs her arms. "Ye look worst than last 'ime, yer greatness."

"Where is Rikki?" I ask the old female, following her into the inn. She sits Idonia in a chair and summons a maid.

"Draw a hot tub for the Khanelea," Miss Osmund orders the girl, who bows to us and leaves. "Rikki returned south two days ager."

"How long were we gone?" I ask her, shock and panic rushing through my body.

"Nearly ten sunrises."

I look down at Idonia as she looks up at me. "We need to get a message to Rikki that we are not dead. He may be on the way to Bethlianna to inform my parents that..."

"He left two sunrises ago, he's barely back to my homestead. We'll catch up with him," Idonia assures me, then she shivers once more. I lay my hand on her shoulder and she leans into my body. Mates feel warmth in each others' touch. The maid returns to retrieve Idonia, when I try to follow though, Miss Osmund stops me.

"No ser, ye need those wounds looked at," she orders, sitting me in the chair as another girl brings out bandages, ointments, hot water, and what seems to be a cup of tea. "Drink this, it'll help with the pain."

"I would rather tend to my mate," I say bluntly to her, but the female just shakes her head.

"No, ye need to see a healer, we ain't got one though so I'll have to do," she opens some of the ointments. "Take off yer tunic and britches so I can see yer injuries."

I do as Miss Osmund asks since there was no use in fighting her. She started with my face, a large gash laying across my eyes. First it was cleaned with hot water, then a burning cream was placed over it. When I hiss, Miss Osmund just chuckles and continues on. She finished with a small bandaged that covered one eye.

As she went to my chest, looking at all the bruises, Miss Osmund began to speak, "She did it again, didn't she?"

"You mean..."

"She told me last 'ime. The lass had horrible nightmares afterwards. Madam Idonia stayed here for a few sunrises after the return. She would wake up screamin with terror."

"Have you seen..." I clear my throat. "Anyone else like that?"

Miss Osmund nods, "A male came back once, naked as the day he'as born. Told me the beast took 'im over and killed the shadowbeast. Killed all the Viker with 'im too."

"All of his company?"

"E're last one. Idonia said that all those Viker 'ere dead before she shifted though, and I believe 'er," Miss Osmund said that last bit with commitment. As if she was telling me that I should as well. Not that I had even thought that Idonia could have killed those Viker. "She wrote to me, after she went home. It 'as a few year after, but she told me she still had the terror, the nightmares. Though, just be'ore you left, the lass said she hadn't had one in a long while."

"Do you think they'll start again?"

Miss Osmund shrugged, continuing to work on the injuries of my body. She reminds me to drink my tea, which I promptly follow her directions. Slowly, the pain in my chest and legs are soothed to a dull ache. She didn't use many bandages, seeing as most of my injuries were internal bruising. However, she did cover me in creams and ointments that the older female swore by. Once she was satisfied and all the nasty smelling pastes has been absorbed my by skin, she led me upstairs to where Idonia was bathing.

Idonia's head was leaning back, resting on the back of the tub. A fire sat in the corner with more water warming and the room is filled with steam. Miss Osmund left us alone, so I finish stripping from my undergarments and climbed into the bath with her. Seeing her peaceful state made me believe she was asleep, but as soon as I got in, she moved herself to have her back resting on my chest.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked me first.

"Much, Miss Osmund tended to me well," as I say the words, Idonia lets out a slight chuckle.

"She used all those nasty creams and such, didn't she?"

"She did," I say with contempt. "They smelt nasty. You seem much warmer."

Idonia just hums and nods, her head then nuzzled further into my chest. I wrap my arms around her, holding my mate close to me. "I can't believe we were gone ten days."

"Me either, but time moves differently in the darkness."

"We only slept once."

"Because no sun dictated the time that we slept. For all we know, we could have slept for days."

"I'm sure Rikki is beside himself," my voice turns soft as I think of my friends, both of them. Rikki must feel horrible for letting us go, but it was the right thing to leave him behind, to protect him. Though his sworn job is to protect me, the Khanel.

It was Danal's sworn job too, and he will be honored for the sacrifice. He died fighting a shadowbeast, an honorable death. I know though, that I will miss him. Already I've noticed his absence. They way he would fret over me when injured and his calculated decisions. There will be no way to replace him as a Viker or a friend.

"Danal Ohlson, your greatness," the squire introduced me to the boy who stood beside his father, Aeral Ohlson from the Isle of Waerham. It is the Isle closest to Bethlianna.

"Your greatness," Danal bowed to me, before looking up at my red hair. Rikki stood behind me, and gave Danal a nasty glance for inspecting my hair. Many of the Viker, Masters, and Aerals found my hair peculiar and strange. They always examined it first before anything else.

"Leave us, I require time alone with him," I ordered the squire and the Aeral. Both bowed and left, while Rikki stood still, he knew if I wanted him gone I would address him specifically. Once they had all gone, I circled Danal. "How many years?"

"Eleven, your greatness, only one more than you."

"And you are a forth son?"

"Third."

"Interesting," I stood behind Danal and gave Rikki a look, making him almost drop the stoic act to laugh. "You fight?"

"I am very good with a sword, a bow, a slingshot, I ride, I hunt, I can sail. You'll replace me quite adaptable, Khanel Raedwulf."

"Did I say you could use my birth name as such!"

"N-no, your greatness."

Rikki finally cracks, falling to the ground in a fit of laughter. With this I grab both of Danal's shoulders, "You'll do finely."

Rikki and I had spent the next year or so torturing the kid, molding him into our newest found friend. Idonia call me out of the daydream by gripping my arm, "What are you thinking of?"

"Danal."

"I am so sorry for the loss, he was your friend."

"He was more than that, he was akin to a brother."