~Chapter 6: Recovery - Part: 2 ~Takal~

The first thing Takal did when he got into their room in the inn was to set his weapons on the small table and drag it in front of the window. He pulled the curtains back so he could see the fields and the tree line. Then he took out his sharpening kit and got to work wiping away the blood and dirt from his sword and knifes to revile the nicks that would have to be smoothed out.

His left arm hurt like hell now that the immediate danger was gone. He had ripped off his sleeves, reviling the chainmail beneath. He tied the thick green sleeve tight around the wound to help stop the bleeding, the other sleeve folded up under it to add pressure and padding under the knot. That had been before they had gathered up the bodies to burn but over the last hour it had soaked through with blood.

He didn't know what to do about it other than to get back to the castle so a healer could fix it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be safe to travel at night, especially if injured. Nighttime was when the demons liked to come out and they could smell blood from at least a mile away. No, he'd have to wait until morning.

He and Shadow could leave to get reinforcements and Torn could stay here to lead the town's folk into battle if necessary. They had already told the men of the town to set up watch and have weapons close at hand. But some of them just wanted him and Torn to leave; blaming them for the plague of demons and were convinced that with them gone they would be safer.

They didn't know it was the girl they were after and he didn't try to correct them. For all, he knew they might decide to tie her up to a stake in the field as an offering of peace. He didn't think they were after her just because she escaped as Torn had suggested but rather for her magic. They wanted that magic in their half breeds and that meant that it wasn't just her in danger here but any girl with magic and anyone that got in their way.

Torn placed his sword on the table too but headed to the bathroom to clean up instead. He took a saddle bag that likely had a spare set of clothes packed in them with him. "You better not be thinking that I'm going to clean up your sword."

"I'll get to it when I'm done." He said stoking the small stove to get water heating.

"You can get to it while you wait for your water. We need to be as ready as possible in case more demons come through the night. And a sharp blade can be the difference between life and death."

"Fine. You don't know how to relax and enjoy a good victory, do you? Did you not see how many we took down? And you, you were unbelievable. I'll never understand how you managed to slaughter so many and keep Nieka alive."

"No I don't relax, and that is why I'm still alive after ten years of hunting demons." Torn wasn't younger than him; in fact, he was a few months older but he had joined the woodland warriors only four years ago when he had turned eighteen. Whereas Takal had grown up with them from the age of four and started training at the age of six, after a lot of begging and pleading.

He had made his first demon kill at the age of 12. He had joined the scouts at 14, one of the most dangerous jobs because they wander so far from the safety of the castle with only one or two other warriors. The life expectancy for a scout was not very good at about 5 years, not to say there hadn't been people that had done it for 10 or 15 years but they were few and far between. Most who made it to 5 years retired to teaching or switched to a safer job like guarding the castle or the towns.

"So what did you make of that attack?" Torn asked bringing his thoughts to focus.

"What part? There was a lot unusual about tonight's events."

"Have you ever seen an attack so large and so organized? And what was with those wingless things? Are those their babies?" he asked disgusted.

"No. But I believe there was a lot reviled about them tonight that they have been hiding from us for years. They are more intelligent than they look." He wasn't yet sure what he should tell him, he would defiantly have to tell Master Tazmaine and the council of masters, but would they want to share the information with the rest of the army? Most had daughters, sisters, wives, or mothers that had been taken. It would anger and sicken them as it did him, but it would be worse for them; the wounds far more fresh. He could barely remember his mother.

"What do you mean?" Torn asked breaking him away from his thoughts.

He heaved a sigh "Well one talked to me on the field, and in all my years doing this I had never had one talk to me. Didn't think they could talk or at least not in our language. But it could." He said picking up his sharpening stone and oil and getting to work on the nicks.

"What did it say?" Torn asked curiously.

"Kill me and the girl dies. Either way, you will." Takal repeated very nonchalantly. "They want her alive," realizing he might have just given too much away he added, "maybe just to torcher her for her escape".

"Strange. What about the little ones with no wings? What do you make of them?"

"I'll talk to the council about it soon and request your presence. But first I need to get these blades sharp again. I'll take the first watch as you clean up and then you'll take over and wake me at first light. Shadow and I will make haste back to the castle to send reinforcements and alert the council of the events. You will sleep through the day and keep a close watch tomorrow night because it likely won't be until the next day that your reinforcements will arrive. You will be the town's strongest defense until then, we can't trust the towns' people to do this on their own. They have no training and many of them before tonight had never seen a demon before."

"Yes sir" Torn sighed, going to take his bath.

Takal kept working trying very hard not to move his arm. Torn came out dressed in clean clothes about half an hour later. Takal had finished with his sword and a few daggers but his left arm was killing him; and because he did his best not to move it as he worked, it was taking him a lot longer than it should to get the job done.

"I set some more water to heating in case you want to wash off all that blood," Torn said gesturing to all of him. How're things looking?"

"Good. People seem to be taking the threat seriously and I can see three lookouts from here and no sign of demons." Takal said pointing at the window.

"How's"- but Torn was cut off by a knock at the door.

Takal motioned for him to stand against the wall adjacent to the door. Torn rolled his eyes at him but complied quickly and silently. Takal grabbed a knife and answered the door. He opened the door only about a foot to a lovely young lady in a blue dress. He glanced down at her petite form and back up again a little slower this time. Noting the ties laced up her front and the long dark red braid over her shoulder and her smooth pale skin.

She cleared her throat and he looked up at the girl's face. "Are you going to let me in?" Nikka's familiar voice asked.

He just raised an eyebrow not knowing what to say. She looked so different...

"Who is it?" Torn asked from behind him against the wall.

"It's the girl… the one we brought here." He said as if he could be referring to anyone else.

"I have food and healing supplies." She said irritated holding up the basket.

Takal moved aside but still said nothing. How had she gone from a girl, battered and bloodied, a practically fearless yet clumsy fighter to a beautiful young lady in just over an hour? Nieka walked in and set her basket on one of the beds seeing that the table was covered with weapons. Torn gave out a whistle and said something about looking good. He shut the door not wanting to stare and recalling that she was the village healer. He'd asked someone if they had one and to his surprise, they'd told him it was her.

"Well anyone would look better after a bath, after what we've been through today. You look all freshened up too." She said to Torn but when she looked at him she sort of scrunched her nose. He felt slightly embarrassed at how he knew he must look and had to remind himself that he had other priorities to attend to first.

"Anyways," she continued bringing his attention back to her, "my mother thought it would be nice to cook you up some supper and I have brought my medicines in case either of you got hurt in battle earlier."

"Umm food... Thank your mum for me will you." Torn said grabbing a bowl and a spoon and then sitting on the edge of the bed to eat it.

Takal however stared apprehensively at her basket unsure if he should ask for help. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly asked "What's medicines?"