He looked down, his vision doubling and merging.Her other hand had pressed into his stab wound, pushing against it until his flesh tore and blood poured out so profusely he could hear it drip to the floor.
He reached out to grab her hand and pull it away, but she only pushed in deeper and he fell to his knees before her.
With haggard breaths, he tried to look up.Her hair was lit up by moonlight, glowing in such an ethereal manner he struggled to process.
…Why?
His body was hot, his heart thumped, and his head screamed for him to run, but he was arrested in that state, paralysed as if bitten by a viper.
"Pathetic," she said, her eyes so chilling he felt his heart nearly stop in his chest.
The man failed to consider that the reason he felt so stumped in his position at her feet was because he’d never knelt before any mortal, beforeher.
His body struggled to remain upright as the blood loss claimed him.
He reached out, but considering she was wearing nothing but loose robes, he found himself grabbing onto her waist so as not to fall.
His breath was laboured, and he struggled to keep looking up.Her bloodied hand grabbed his chin, forcing him up in his haze.Her visage blurred, her crown of gold falling over her shoulders.
"If I don't save you tonight, your life will end.Remember your saviour, Azul of the Borjigin."Her voice came once more, but he was already struggling to see."You owe me your life, a debt you must pay; do you understand?"
His world sank into the depths.
Indeed, his survival was an act of god.
Daylight stopped Azul in her tracks.She straightened her back, cleaning her bloodied hands on a strip of cloth as she looked out to the brightening forest.
She had worked her way through the night—cleaning, disinfecting, and stitching.She knew he had lost a lot of blood, so he wouldn't wake up for another three days at the very least.She sighed as she rolled her shoulders.Her knees hurt from the position she'd taken to suture his wounds.Now her beautiful silver needle set would need to pass through flames and alcohol to clean them for her next patient.
She heard footsteps approach."Nkiru?"she called out, stopping the child from coming in.
"Akwaugo, you're awake?"the girl called from the other side of the door.
"Yes, of course, no need to help me with my hair today; I’ll be out in a moment, just wait for me outside."
The girl seemed to hesitate, but eventually, she answered."Yes, Akwaugo."
Turning back to her patient, Azul found her bed empty.
Before she could comprehend what had happened, a hand dragged her arms back into the hold of a man.She wished to scream but he transferred both arms to one hand and used the other to cover her mouth quickly.
Leaning down, he spoke against her ear, "Do you wish to die?"
So much for the sedative; it clearly didn't work!Of course, making your own concoctions was nowhere near as efficient as ordering it from a pharmacy.
His grip was strong despite his injuries, his body heat radiating against her back like a furnace.She could feel the tension in his muscles, the way his chest heaved with laboured breaths.He was running on adrenaline and rage.
But what did she do?She only saved his life.
Azul huffed and stopped struggling for a moment, her body going deceptively limp in his hold.Ragnar's grip loosened slightly—his mistake.
She threw her weight backwards, slamming into his chest.More importantly, she drove her elbow directly into his bandaged side where she'd stitched him up.
Ragnar's grip shattered as agony ripped through him.His hand fell from her mouth and she heard the sound that tore from his throat—half-growl, half-scream.
She spun, and as he doubled over, she planted her hands on his shoulders and shoved.His weakened body couldn't compensate.He fell backwards, hitting the floor with a heavy thud that surely tore at least half his stitches.
Her hard work was being wasted on a meathead.
