Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 4)

Tadaaki had knotted himself up with Wyl's legs thoroughly enough that Wyl couldn't get away -- and Gaius's blade sank deep into his abdomen and made a large, jagged cut. Wyl fell backward across Tadaaki -- but wasn't quite dead and made a clumsy pass at Gaius again, much weaker this time.

Ky still hadn't made a single sound this whole time -- and she didn't now, either. Instead, she breathlessly tried to scramble from beneath Nyler. Zander started lifting him away, too.

Things got so tangled and by the time Ky managed to get to her feet, her shirt had ridden up and was caught on the cloak that was still wrapped around her hands. Revealing thick, healed scars in the shape of a vine that started at her right hip, stretched across her lower abdomen, then creeped up her left side out of sight. The vine was adorned with knots of flowers and leaves scarred coming off it -- and the bouquet had been moving towards the center of her abdomen. Even in the dim light the scars were prominent on her pale skin.

Zander felt like he'd been punched in the gut, horrified as his gaze locked on Ky's mangled stomach. What had he let happen? He felt like throwing up.

Tomhas was breathing shallowly. It was happening again, it was happening and he couldn't stop, he couldn't stop--he clenched his hands into the snow as he felt the nausea build again. Ky, where was Ky? There she was, there. "Ky," he said hoarsely, then gagged. He pressed a hand to his mouth, still shaking badly. There were terrible sounds happening nearby--was that his brother? Gaius?

Gaius stabbed Wyl again, and again, and a fourth time, making full eye contact with his opponent. Warm blood was soaking his hand with every pass. He was deathly silent, moving mechanically but with smooth precision.

Wyl collapsed fully; dead. Tadaaki scrambled from beneath him, sprinting towards the scuffle behind him to go help Ky the instant he could. But he stopped as he saw her standing -- still completely oblivious that her abdomen was visible. Her entire body was trembling.

Her gaze was nervously taking in the entire scene. The blood pooling a few steps from her feet around Nyler. There was Tomhas. Zander. Tadaaki. Jaerek and Wyl were both collapsed on the ground probably twenty meters away. But there was no more danger.

She turned in a quick circle, trying to verify that. Were there more somewhere? Behind another snowbank? In another bush? She needed to go.

Gaius glanced around for more assassins, breathing hard. Seeing none, he took a few steps and promptly collapsed into the snow; he'd dropped his cane somewhere back there. Slowly he sat up, staring only at the man he'd killed. The blood was freezing to the snow, now.
"Gaius!" Wick's voice, then a pair of hands on his arms, trying to pull him upright.

Tomhas closed his eyes tightly, giving up. Gods, he wanted to go to her, to comfort her. He wanted it so badly but the blood, the blood....he could smell it on the air, thick and metal, and he could still see it in his mind's eye. He clenched his teeth, determined not to be sick.

Tadaaki turned back at that. Tomhas and Zander had Ky. Tadaaki should help Gaius -- he was his savior, after all. He took a step towards them, reaching forward to help.

Ky finally looked at Zander properly. Saw his horrified gaze. Locked on her abdomen. Shiiiit. She yanked her shirt down -- but it was too late. He'd never forget what he'd just seen.

"Ky--" he took a step towards her.

"No." She shook her head rapidly, stumbling away from him and from Tomhas. Her throat hurt from Nyler's grasp and her arm stung -- but she was giving no indication of either of those facts except for her voice being a bit hoarse. She wasn't crying. Wasn't doing anything. But panting. And now stumbling away. "No, I have to go. I have to-- I have to go."

Tomhas heard her, and he stirred himself. Still an intense shade of green, he forced his eyes open and looked only at her. "Ky," he said thickly, and got one leg up, then the other, until he was standing and swaying. "Hey." He felt his stomach gurgle again, and he shuffled to a tree to lean against it. "Hey, Ky, come here. Please."

"Cane," Gaius rasped, gesturing vaguely in the direction he'd come from. Wick dashed off and returned shortly with the cane. He helped Gaius to his feet, and Gaius leaned heavily on the comforting support, making his way over to join his brother and niece. They looked absolutely terrible, especially Tomhas. Wick joined him.
"Are you alright?" Wick asked Ky, looking at her arm with concern. "Gods, that looks bad!"

Ky suddenly felt very trapped. So many men around her. All of them friendly. All safe. But too many. And she was too overwhelmed. She stumbled backward more. "No. I have to go. I have to go. I have to."

"Ky--" Zander took another step towards her.

"I have to go!" she screamed at him, voice still hoarse. Her body was trembling violently, but she still wasn't crying or acting like she was in any measure of pain. "I did this. They're here because of me -- I have to go!"

(Ah fuck)

"Where to?" Gaius asked, voice level. "Into the forest? That's far from safe."
"Come, let's get you to the infirmary," Wick suggested. "Please, Ky."
Tomhas closed his eyes again, resting his head against the stiff bark of the tree and counting to ten, then to twenty. Then to thirty. He heard Ka'Nor's footsteps heading back to the Keep. Harold was somewhere nearby, too.

"I don't need to be safe!" she was screaming at him now. She didn't mean to be. But she was. "I'm a bad omen, and I need to get away from you all before more--before-- I have to go! I have to go before they hurt someone. I have to go."

Her chest was so tight she was gasping for air, still stumbling backward. Why couldn't they see she was the problem here?

Tadaaki felt the exact same way. Not about Ky. But himself. He was going to check on his family. And once he made sure that they were fine, he was going to beg Tomhas to take charge of them -- then he was going far, far away from here. Could he and Ky stay together? Or did they both need to separate and draw attention as far away from here as possible? They couldn't stay. That was obvious.

"Ky, listen to me--gentlemen, give her some space." Gaius gave a shooing motion, and Wick took a few steps back. "Ky. This wasn't your doing. The man responsible is dead, and these men are dead, too, thanks to your Uncle Zander. If you truly believe what you're saying, we can discuss it when we've all calmed down. But for now we need to get you back inside the gates of the Keep, where there are soldiers and proper weapons to keep you safe. Alright?"

"I-I-I..." Ky choked, finally starting to lose her composure. But she didn't start crying. Yet. She looked around desperately. Gaius was always such a voice of reason. So calm. So soothing. But even he with all his mind-reading in the world clearly couldn't see that she was the threat here.

"Ky," Zander said gently. He didn't step nearer to her -- that seemed to be making things worse, not better. But he waited until she made eye contact with him. "He's right. You have to go inside."

"I have to go!" No one was listening to her.

"How about we get you a horse first, eh?" Zander suggested. "That'll help you get away faster, right?"

He wasn't going to let her go anywhere at all, obviously. But it worked -- cutting through enough of her panic that she could latch on to it. She nodded. That was good. Good plan. "A horse. I can have a horse?" She wasn't sure who she was asking. "Can I have a horse? I have to go."

Gaius glanced at Zander, a bit peeved. Lying to the girl would solve nothing. "You can use your new saddle," he relented. "But first you need that arm tended to."

"My arm--?" Ky looked down, first at her right, then her left. The cloak was still tangled around her forearm -- but even so the blood was seeping up the sleeve that was visible. She'd been stabbed.

She stared at it dumbly. Somehow her own blood both distressed her and didn't phase her -- all at once. The knowledge that she'd been hurt was upsetting. But she was used to seeing her own blood. She saw it often. That was nothing new.

How bad was it?

She slowly unclenched her hand around the mangled cloak, letting it fall to the ground. Her sleeve was soaked from half-way up to the elbow and down to the cuff. The cut was about half-way up her forearm, but a bit closer to her wrist than elbow. It was hard to say how bad it actually was.

She bent swiftly and grabbed a fistful of snow and then slammed her hand down over the cut. The snow turned red instantly and began melting -- wildly uncomfortable against her wound. "It's fine. It's not that bad. It's fine."

"It's not fine," Zander said gently. "You need an apothecary, Ky."

"I don't need-- I..." She felt so helpless. Powerless. Miserable.

She finally snapped. But rather than her emotions running away from her, they did the exact opposite. She grew frighteningly calm and stared straight ahead, eyes focusing on nothing at all. She'd done this before. All she had to do was stand very still and be very silent and then it would all be over eventually.

Gaius paused. He'd seen this before. He'd done it before. It was a good defense, usually, but not useful for what they all needed to be doing right now. He sighed.
"Zander," he said carefully, "will you stay with her for about fifteen minutes to see if she comes out of it? She's in shock; best not to try and move her. If she's not back in fifteen minutes we'll fetch the apothecary. Get a fire stoked either way; it's freezing out here. I'll see to my brother." He limped toward Tomhas. "Tomhas, Ky needs you up and moving. Come on, cover your eyes and we'll go inside." Tomhas was shivering badly, still clenching his jaw tightly.

"Of course." Zander nodded. He was right. Trying to pull her out of it would just make things worse. He wanted to wrap his own cloak around her though. Would that also make things worse? He didn't know. But she was standing out here with very little between her flesh and the bitter cold and her blood was starting to drip into the snow directly below her fingers.