The Tax Of Teeth by Nikolai Bryant

Author:Nikolai Bryant [Bryant, Nikolai]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nikolai Bryant
Published: 2023-02-04T23:00:00+00:00

Thirty Five

Arisa

“YOU GOT A NAME?”

"A-arisa..." Arisa slurred through gritted teeth. “Wh-why me?”

Please, Mother, Father, this once. Please. Make the pain go away...

It rang through her body, shooting through her nerves. Her fingers burned with the frostbite, the cold creeping up through her hand and the part of her wrist that was exposed beyond the cloak’s cuff. She had to focus on her breath, in, out, in...all to keep from screaming.

If I scream, she might kill me...

"Because, Arisa," Cassia replied matter-of-factly, "Like I said. What would it benefit me to kill a measly scout that actually has some talent? Sure, maybe you don't have much common sense, but I'm sure some Arcadian training would whip you into shape."

She doesn’t know who I am...a good thing, I think.

“And, I don’t know. I’ve been sent out as a scout before, before I knew up from down, and I got my ass handed to me a couple of times. It could’ve just as easily been me. And I wouldn’t want someone to leave me in a snowdrift. My name is Cassia, by the way.”

With a sigh, Cassia pulled out the vial she'd given to the stallion. Some still remained, a few drops at the bottom, but it was enough. It glimmered faintly in the light cast by the campfire.

"Here." She poured a drop into her palm and rubbed it into her own skin, where her palms were scraped from the fall the day before. When she saw how well it worked, she dripped the rest onto a small cloth. She gently pressed it against Arisa's swollen fingers.

"That stuff heals fast too," Cassia noted. "It works wonders on frostbite. Though it isn't exactly something you want to use every day, or it loses its potency."

The familiar pungent smell of rot hit Arisa's nose. The smell she knew all too well.

One word rang over and over again in her mind.

Sin.

Sin.

The smell of sin.

"Stop..." Arisa murmured, tears edging at her eyes.

Magic. I'm not a Priestess yet. If I'm touched by magic before my Ceremony, I won’t be pure enough.

“S-stop, I can’t...” Arisa protested, but Cassia held her firm.

“See? Idiot, proving my point. I’m helping you, dumbass. You’re going to lose your fingers if you don’t let me help.”

“No...”

Just moments after it had first touched her frostbitten flesh, a warmth coursed through her veins, washing over her. The skin warmed, warmer and warmer until sweat beaded on her forehead.

Arisa’s protests fell short, and she sighed in relief.

No pain, no discomfort, nothing but blissful numbness.

A feeling of utter contentment washed over her entire being.

For once in her life, everything was perfect. Everything was wonderful. Nothing could touch her. Not anymore.

And then, suddenly, she realized that she was smiling.

Cassia watched her for a moment before speaking.

"Better, eh?" She put away the materials, smiling softly. "You can thank me later."

Arisa couldn't muster an answer, feeling every muscle in her body slack.

"Anyway, let's get you cleaned up."

Arisa’s eyes were just barely open, and she saw the mass of bright red hair disappear from view.

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