Chapter 37: Alesseja

A gentle breeze, carrying the scent of spring, woke Koth. He was confused by the sensations he was experiencing. He was lying on a hard, flat surface. He could hear birdsong and the wind. There was no pain, but he thought there should be. As he opened his eyes, he became even more disoriented. He was looking at a wall made of woven branches. Nothing indicated that he was in danger, nothing urged him to get up. So he remained where he was and tried to work out what had happened and where he was. It came back to him in fragments: the ambush, the fight, the knife in his back, and the realisation that his life was over, along with the regrets that accompanied it. He knew the poison would kill him; he had felt it. So how was he still alive?

"Irin?" he called. His voice was hoarse and barely audible. He bent his arms to pull himself up and felt the stiffness of his muscles. How long had he been lying there? As he sat up, he saw that the shelter he was in had only two walls. He could see a meadow, a lake, and the horses grazing. When he looked down, he saw Irin. At first, he felt relieved. She was safe and she was with him. Then he noticed something was wrong. Her breathing didn't sound like it used to. He had spent enough time listening to it through the wall at the house, and while keeping watch as they travelled, to know the sound of it by heart. The breathing he could hear now was too shallow, too slow.

"Irin?" he asked again, a little louder this time. When she didn't react, he reached out and shook her. She continued to sleep. What was wrong with her? He wasn't skilled in healing magic, and he didn't know the first thing about diagnosing illness. When he examined her, the only thing he could see was the bloodied dressing on her arm. He had a faint memory of her being hurt. He looked around and found the neatly stacked saddles and saddlebags. He made his way over to them, relieved that his legs seemed to be working. He found one empty and one full water skin. He drank most of the water and found some dried fruit he could eat. There were also clean bandages, and he walked back to Irin. He sat down next to her. She looked tired despite being asleep. It worried him as he unwrapped the bandage on her arm. He cursed at the state of the wound. What the hell had she been thinking? She could use healing magic, so why hadn't she healed herself? He washed off the dried blood and wrapped it with a clean bandage.

"You need to take better care of yourself, little one," he admonished her as he used a clean piece of fabric to wash her face with some water. He sat next to her for a while, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. He couldn't discern anything amiss, so instead he took the two empty water skins and walked towards the lake, making sure he could still see the shelter. Maximus and Glima came up to him, and he rubbed their foreheads and looked them over. They both looked well, rested, and fed. They must have been here a few days, he thought as he collected fresh water from the lake and took off his robe to wash himself. The water was cold but refreshing. As he picked up his robe again, he saw the large hole in the middle of its back. He glared at it. The garment was also stained with blood. With a sigh, he decided not to put it on. He had a spare one in their packing. As he walked back towards the shelter, a mist was forming not far from him. Koth placed his hand on a tattoo on his arm, and his magic conjured a fireball in his free hand. The mist took the form of a young woman. Koth sent the fireball towards her. It fizzled and died before it reached her. The woman giggled.

"I will overlook that and won't take offence to it. You are awake," she said. Her blond hair swayed in the breeze, and her green eyes glistened. Something about her reminded Koth of Irin.

"I am. Do I know you?" he asked, ready to act if she attacked him.

"You do. Well, I know you. I have been watching you since you were young. I suppose you could say I know Irin better. We've already had a little chat. Now it's your turn," she told him. Koth frowned. Then he noticed the pure energy emanating from her, how she seemed to glow.

"Alesseja?" he asked in awe.

"You always were a clever one," she said and giggled. Koth was stunned. He knew the gods were real, but to be faced with one had his world view tilting.

"You talked to Irin?" he asked, as it was the first thing that drifted into his mind.

"I did. It was lovely, but she is a stubborn one. It's a big part of why I love her the way I do. Something I'm not alone in doing," she told him with a mischievous grin. Koth felt himself blush.

"Do you know why she isn't waking up and why I did?" he asked next.

"I do," she told him with a more serious expression. "Come, sit with me, and I will explain it to you," she added, and walked over to the shelter. She sat on the edge of the platform, and Koth sat down next to her. He glanced over at Irin; she was still sleeping, and her breathing was still the same.

"I shouldn't be here," he said.

"No. The poison should have killed you," the goddess agreed. She didn't sound cold or heartless, just honest.

"What did she do?" he asked. Koth knew that if he was here when he shouldn't be, it had to be because of Irin.

"When she found this place, she tried to heal you. I refused to share my magic with her. She was too tired, too weak. It would harm her even to let her try to heal your injuries. I thought she would understand," Alesseja explained.

"I'm guessing she didn't like it," Koth said with a sad chuckle.

"No, she didn't," the goddess agreed. "So we had a talk. She refused to let you go. Irin is special to me, and it hurt me deeply to see her pain. I tried to tell her that the amount of magic that was needed to save you would harm her. I even told her it would kill her."

"What!" Koth exclaimed and stood up. "And you still let her do it?!" He had forgotten he was addressing a goddess. She didn't take offence, but smiled.

"I did. She can make her own decisions, and she was very determined." There was a pause as the goddess stood up and walked over to Irin. She bent down and caressed Irin's cheek. "Once again, she surprised me. I rarely get surprised, but you and Irin have made it into a habit, it seems," she told him.

"Me?" Koth asked. Alesseja giggled.

"Yes. You, my child. It's another reason the two of you are amongst my favourites. Not only did she manage to heal you, but she also managed to stay alive, even if it is just barely."

"Will she make it?" Koth was afraid to ask.

"Maybe, it's too early to tell. She is exhausted to the point that she almost doesn't have enough energy to keep her body going. The only thing now is to let her rest so she can recover her energy," she told him.

"Can I give her that time? Did we lose our pursuers?" he asked.

"You know I shouldn't get involved and tell you things like that," she scolded him.

"I know, but it is for Irin's sake," he said.

"You are a smooth one, Koth. Don't think I don't know what you are doing," she said.

"Of course you do, you are a goddess," he agreed. She laughed.

"Charmer. She did a good job. They have lost your trail and were washed far down the river. Even when they get back north, it will take them time to trace you. She didn't take... the most direct route," Alesseja said. Koth chuckled. Irin had probably got lost ten times a day and inadvertently taken a more than confusing route.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," he told her.

"That is what I can tell you, but I have something to ask of you."

"Ask it. If it is in my power to do it, I will."

"Take care of her. She is important to me, and I know we share that sentiment. It would hurt me to have to welcome her to my side this early. I can feel that she has important things to do, you both have. I can only watch over the two of you and lend you my assistance through her magic. Please take care of her, and let her take care of you," she asked. Koth was stunned.

"I will," he promised.

"Thank you." She walked up to him. She had seemed shorter than him; most beings were, but as she stood facing him, she had no issue placing a kiss on his forehead. "You are so much more than you give yourself credit for. She sees it," she told him, and then she was gone. Koth blinked a couple of times. He took a water skin and sat down next to Irin. He brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

"When you wake up, we will have a serious conversation about this, little one," he said.