lคץ ๓є l๏ฬ

[assassinrue]

"Pardon me, My Lady, but at this point anything is a good idea! He will die if he doesn't get proper care!" Kaleb barked.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl turned her fierce gaze to the guard, who stared at her for a few seconds before giving a small nod. She stood up as the guard came over and lifted Cassius off the ground. "We'll be back," she said to Kaleb. "Take care of the rest of them."

[assassinrue]

Kaleb nodded and returned to the others.

Cassius watched the walls pass by them as they moved. He was aware the guard picking him up should have caused excruciating pain but he couldn't feel it, although he was certain he was bleeding again. Where they honestly going to be able to save him? If he died now would he see his wife and child?

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

They returned to the stables, where their horses were waiting just as they'd left them. The guard hauled Cassius onto his horse and then got up behind him, and they galloped out of the stable. Averyl worried that Cassius wouldn't be able to take the rough ride, but there was no time to think about that now.

[assassinrue]

Cassius could feel the jolts of the horse ride and he was keenly aware of his bleeding, but he couldn't focus on anything besides the landscape sweeping by.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

They hurtled through the city with even more speed than they had left it. They returned to the same house, and this time Averyl entered without knocking, startling the man inside.

[assassinrue]

Cassius saw the Averyl rush into a building before passing out. Unlike everything else, he felt the relief of that as it washed over him.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The guard laid Cassius on the man's table without asking permission. The old man didn't seem to mind, though. He hurried over, grabbing a satchel from a hook on the wall. "What happened?" he asked.

"You don't know?" Averyl said.

He gave her a wry smile. "I don't see everything, my Lady. I don't see the details."

[assassinrue]

Kaleb could ony guess where the lady had taken Cas, and he was equally as clueless as to her eagerness to help him. But most of all, Kaleb wondered if Cas would remember his confession once he was in his right mind.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Karhold was attacked," Averyl said. "He was injured. Can you help him?"

The man leaned over Cassius, his face thoughtful. "He's injured badly. I cannot promise his survival, but I will do everything I can."

Averyl let out a breath of relief and stepped back while elderly man and her guard removed Cassius's shirt to inspect his wounds. She tried to keep her eyes averted, but she kept glancing over, biting her lip nervously.

[assassinrue]

Cassius awoke to hands tugging at his body. This time they were accompanied by pain. He tried to sit up but he didn't get far.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The man cleaned the wounds with a soft cloth and then stitched them up, finishing with a salve over the top of the sutures. When he was done, he turned to Averyl. "He's lot a lot of blood," he told her. "He's in God's hands now."

[assassinrue]

Cassius groaned. He was in so much pain, he felt empty like his very essence had abandoned him. And he was so tired.....

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl gave the man a thankful nod and hurried to Cassius' side. The guard had draped a rough wool blanket over him, but she was past caring about modesty at this point anyway. He'd undressed her for God's sake! She took his hand in hers and looked down at him. "Cassius?" she said softly.

[assassinrue]

Cassius groaned again. The angel was back. Maybe this time he was actually dead and that was why he could feel pain again. He forced his eyes open. How odd. The angel looked just like Averyl. He blinked slowly a couple times. He could feel her hand. No, no he must be alive then. He summoned all his energy and squeezed her hand as best as he could.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Averyl almost cried out with relief when his fingers tightened around hers. The action held little strength, but it told her he was still alive and mostly conscious. She pulled a chair over and sat down, never letting go of his hand. "You're going to be okay," she said. When he vision went blurry, she realized she was on the verge of tears, but she hastily blinked them away. She couldn't cry, not here in front of other people.

[assassinrue]

So. He was definitely alive then. Cassius wasn't really sure how he felt about that. He supposed some little part of him had been hopeful that this was it for him. But the other part. The other part was happy to be here, Averyl at his side.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The guard stepped close to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You should get some sleep, my Lady," he said.

"Not just yet," Averyl replied. He looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. There was something in Averyl's eyes, something that said there was no point in trying to convince her to change her mind.

[assassinrue]

Cassius closed his eyes and relaxed. If he was going to survive, he'd need rest. There was no question as to who would be interrogating the one remaining attacker, as long as Cassius was alive.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The elderly man got the guard settled down for the night and then went to bed himself, leaving Averyl alone in the kitchen with Cassius. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table, and watched his eyelids twitch as his eyes moved beneath them. He had to live. After so many years of being so alone, she couldn't lose the one person she'd started to care about.