[Ridge]
After Kadeeth's little confession, we travel in silence for a while.
It's not that I'm shocked, or disgusted, or anything like that. Kadeeth has always seemed capable of something like that, and he's always been violent. Plus, I would've done the same thing for him, I'm sure of that.
It just didn't feel like a victory. He may have saved my life, and taken out two enemy soldiers by himself, but neither of us feel relieved. The Riddotha estate is gone, who knows how many people are on the run now, and we don't even know if our country's at war, or if we've already been conquered. I agree with Kadeeth, finding what's left of the Ravenous guard is a good move. We can worry about where to go from there.
It's about a three day walk to the hunting cabin from the estate. At least, when you're not carrying a fully grown man on your back. Despite that little fact though, Kadeeth's making up ground fast.
We don't know how long they'll stay at the cabin, but we have to hope it's long enough for us to catch up. Hopefully the Riddothas will remember that Kadeeth knows their planned meeting spot and they'll demand that they stay put for a few more days, just in case their son shows up.
Another pressing concern I'm avoiding bringing up is my ankle. I'm not worried about the minor burns all over my body, but more Knights succumb to injuries than actually die in battle.
The only thing I'd be able to do about it is wrap it up and maybe make some kind of splint. I can't even wash it because we don't have any clean water. That's another problem.
Despite all of these increasingly concerning issues, I can't find it in myself to address any of them. The up and down motions of Kadeeth walking are causing his shoulder blades to dig into my aching body. However, it's also compelling me to close my eyes and sleep. He did say I could rest, and Kadeeth's not stupid, he knows how high the stakes are right now. He'll be able to figure out our priorities without me pointing them out.
~*~
Kadeeth's feet have been dragging for a while now, and the sun is almost directly overhead. With it centered above us the heat, and even some light, can break through the leaves and branches that were previously keeping them at bay.
When I wake up from my light sleep a few hours have passed, and Kadeeth's red hair is slick with sweat. My ankle feels prickly. That can't be a good sign. With our country's limited medical options there's no way to get treatment. Especially during a possible invasion.
Even if we could make it to some kind of apothecary or medical outpost, there's no guarantee they could do anything if my injury is as severe as I think it is. Besides, the nearest town from here is several days walk north of our intended target, the Riddotha family's western hunting cabin.
"You need a break." I groan out. I might start shortening my speech so I'm not talking in short sentences while my throat recovers. Maybe I'll sound like Old man Pete.
"You're awake? Can you walk?" Kadeeth almost drops me with a start. He seems like he's in a better mood, but maybe that's just because he's tired.
"Don't know." My leg is starting to feel hot and itchy, not an ideal feeling.
He lifts me off his shoulders and over his head, "Let's check out that foot."
He helps lean me up against a relatively smooth tree trunk, then backs up to unwrap the makeshift bandage around my ankle. To my pleasure I'm able to help prop myself up some. Sleep really helped put some energy back into my exhausted body.
Kadeeth's not looking so good though. The skin under his eyes has turned a darker almost purple shade, and small burns cover his fingers, as if he grabbed something extremely hot. They're small wounds, but if we don't get them cleaned infection could cause some serious issues for him too.
We need to make it to the cabin soon, that's the best chance we have of beating these injuries. The hunting cabin is designed to accommodate certain impairments. Hunting is a dangerous sport after all. If we can meet up with the other Knights and the Riddotha's before they clear out the place, we might be able to treat the damage before it causes more harm.
"Shit, Ridge." Kadeeth hisses.
"Why, ugh- why do you sound worse than me?" I smirk. He tried to smile back, but it's the weakest attempt I've ever seen him make.
"I'm just," He thinks about it for a moment before pushing forward, "concerned. I'm worried."
A few days ago I never would've thought I'd hear that from him. We've really changed recently. It feels like everything has turned upside down. One moment I had everything I've ever worked for in the palm of my hand, and then there were the lies and secrets, piling in one by one, until suddenly I had nothing.
Nothing but my best friend. It's like I've started all over again from the beginning. All we have is each other, and I'm almost ready to stop chasing more. Maybe we should forget about the cabin and just go off together somewhere to live out our remaining days in peace. Haha... we can't do that. I'm so tired.
"Ridge? Ridge, hey can you hear me, man?" Kadeeth's fingers snap in front of my face, causing me to jump a little. Which in turn sends a jolt of pain through my throbbing body.
I nod. I'm worried about speaking too much, there might be something to Kadeeth's words regarding straining my throat. It's aching so much right now.
"Okay, so it's not as bad as I thought it would be. That's the good news." He sighs, rubbing his neck, "The bad news is that we can't go any further for a while. All the effort my body's exerting is starting to catch up with me, and you need a proper rest."
A yawn chooses that moment to force its way out of my mouth. He chuckles and settles in next to me, leaning against the same tree. I allow my sore neck to bend enough to rest on his shoulder, and within seconds the exhaustion rushes through my limbs. It makes my viens feel heavy, so once again, I let sleep tug at my consciousness.
"Go down humble," He mumbles out, tilting his head to lay on top of mine.
"Or stay standing." I finish before blacking out.