11) Feel the Burn

Simon was flabbergasted at the speed her burn had recovered. The skin on Cecilia’s arm had almost entirely returned. He reckoned another day and it would be back to normal.

‘Does it hurt?’ Liam asked.

‘No, but it REALLY itches!’ Cecilia responds. Doing everything she can not to scratch at it.

Liam remembered her scratching at her bandaged arm in her sleep. He had tried holding her hand away from it, but as he fell back to sleep, his hand would loosen and she’d get right back to scratching.

They were on the home stretch of the hike. In a few hours they’d be back at the cabin. Since Izzy didn’t expect to see any creatures they hadn’t already seen; Liam decided to hang out with Simon and Xon.

‘She’s quite something! I’ve never witnessed magic so fierce, and I’ve never heard of self healing quite on this level!’ Simon tells Liam as they walk down the trail.

‘It was incredible. I’d seen some magic since I arrived here, but nothing like that.’ Liam responds.

‘Isabelle’s magic is very impressive as well… and terrifying. If they knew what she could do back then she would have been property of the king’s army... the previous king’s that is.’ Simon tells.

‘I wish I could be helpful in that way- fighting I mean.’ Liam says. ‘I never want to see her suffer again because she had to save my ass.’

After a small pause for thought Liam asks; ‘What about you, Simon? Were you a fighter back in your day?’

‘I’ve done a lot, but fighting wasn’t my forte. I was trained in the army to do it all. To kill. But that wasn’t me. So I became a medic to do what I could to keep people alive instead. I still ended up on the front-line, but wielding sutures.’ Simon tells, with a slight waver in his voice towards the end.

Liam nods along, unsure how to continue the conversation without digging any more emotions up.

‘Besides that, I’ve had Xon by my side! He’s the one who kept me alive through all that!’ Simon cheers as he looks back to Xon.

‘I can’t teach you to fight, my boy, but he sure could!’ Simon says with great confidence.

Liam looks back to see Xon’s never-ending leer of contempt.

They’d arrived back at the cabin. Izzy, Mimi and Cecilia were prepping dinner. The remainder of the hawk meat was being prepared to be grilled along with some wild greens and mushrooms they’d foraged on their hike.

Looking out the window they saw Xon and Liam training as Simon and JJ looked on from a safe distance and under cover. It was raining lightly.

Xon would perform a very broad and violent swing with his axe, ending the swing with a masterfully eased stop. With a wood chopping axe; Liam would do his best to copy the movements, but with far less force and finesse. He tried to come to a slow stop as Xon did, but would blast straight through the stopping point and lose his footing, falling into the fresh mud at their feet. After a few attempts to copy his swings Liam looked to be in pain from over-exerting muscles he’d never used.

Xon, looking infuriated at first, calmed himself and contemplated. He knew a puny weakling like Liam could become strong, he’d seen it before, but he’d have to start small. Xon hated small, but he had nothing else going on, so it couldn’t hurt.

Not all Beast-folk used battle-axes as Xon did, but regardless of their chosen weapon; they always trained with them, even if the training was simple.

Xon proceeded to do some stretches using his axe as an anchor point and intimidated Liam into following along. After the stretches they began swinging the axes again, but at a much slower pace, a pace they picked up over time.

Three hours later; Xon stepped out of the pouring rain onto the open porch of the cabin where the food was being grilled. Xon, who'd been carrying a limp, almost lifeless Liam under his arm, gently- dropped him in a heap on the wood slats. Xon shook himself like a dog to shed the water from his fur and proceeded to sit with the others, leaving Liam where he lay.

Cecilia fed him small forks of food as he laid where he’d been discarded. Once he had the strength, she helped him to the table. He managed to feed himself, but just as soon as he was done he passed out, leaning heavily against Cecilia’s shoulder. His dead weight was a bit uncomfortable and he was still soaked from the rain. She put a towel down and eased his head to her lap, where he laid for a good long while.

The others talked for hours about just about everything.

Simon was well into his third pint of grog. He was looking on at the sweet pair. He loved love. He didn’t want to divulge Liam’s intentions or embarrass Lady Cecilia by prying into their affairs, so he kept quiet. But Mimi, who was well into her fifth pint of grog didn’t know the same boundaries;

‘You two are so sweet with each other. How long have you two been together?’ Mimi asked in a coo.

Cecilia was taken aback by the sudden, but inevitable shift in conversation. She looked down to Liam. She'd been gently stroking his neck almost the entire time his head was resting there. She didn’t hide it, but she hadn’t thought to prepare herself to verbalize her feelings. She’d just been in the moment.

‘Oh, Micha, let them be-’ Simon protested, but was cut off by Cecilia;

‘Nothing official yet, but things are heading in that direction for sure.’ she says with a hopeful smile.

‘Oh, new love is my favorite,’ Izzy starts, she’s just as drunk as Mimi, ‘kind gestures, tender touches, the longing… then it's official, then…-’ Izzy goes on a long speech about the rise and fall of love, her tone dreamy to start, but ending in sour, petty frustration. As Izzy rambled on, Mimi glared at her as though to ask; was that how she thought of her?

Cecilia let Izzy go off, but didn’t bother listening to half of it. She knew that whatever Liam and her had was going to be different.

The next day Aloe and Simon began organizing the work. Across the dining room table were stacks of Izzy’s writings matched with Aloe’s illustrations. Liam couldn’t help but notice that a few of his sketches were also among the selection for some reason.

Noticing his surprise Aloe speaks up; ‘If you’re up to it, I’d like you to finish these ones so we can include them.’

Liam accepted the task.

She showed him how to make copies to practice with by holding the drawing against a lit window with another piece of paper over top to trace the original. He’d remembered doing this when he was a kid. He later shamed himself out of doing it because he felt like he was copying other people’s work and not learning anything, but doing it with his own drawing now felt fine. Holding the paper to the window he realized; his shoulders, arms, neck… entire body was still sore from yesterday’s workout. After making a few copies; He powered through a few inking attempts, but he was still shot, so he took a break and stepped outside.

As soon as Liam stepped out he was scooped up and carried away by Xon. He protested that he was still sore the whole way. Xon planted Liam on the ground with his huge hands on Liam’s shoulders, looking at him with a determination he’d never seen on Xon’s face before. Xon releases his right grip and holds up his index finger… ONE. One what? One set? One hour? Maybe… he could manage that… My body is ready.

Three hours later Xon returned the spent Liam to the porch, dropping him in the same spot he’d left him the night prior. Xon then disappeared into the forest.

The next few days were exactly this; Art, being whisked away to train, and then when he found the energy; he’d do more art. It was excruciatingly difficult, he wasn’t satisfied with most of the art he was doing, and he was spent like a Borden from the constant exercise, but… he was happy. This was a far cry from the life he had before. He’d most likely never be able to make or play video games again, but he gained so much that he didn’t have before; comradery. But also…

Xon dropped him off in the spot on the porch and left. This time though, he was dropped on a soft futon. It smelled of lilacs.

‘Heh, he sure is an animal of habit.’ Cecilia remarks with amusement in her voice. She’s sitting at the table on the porch.

Liam’s body is somewhat used to the routine at this point and he manages to get himself up and sit across from her. With a huff Cecilia gets up, walks over next to where he’s sitting; ‘Scoot over.’ she demands. He moves over on the bench and she sits next to him before cuddling up to him. The smell of lilacs reunited with him.

‘Sorry, didn’t realize next to you was the only correct option.’ he teases. Cuddling back.

She snickers at the remark.

After a minute, she looks at him, ‘Hey, we’ll reach a town in the mountains in a few days. It’s a very nice place. What would you say to a date when we’re there? Just us.’ she asks, blushing profusely. ‘There’s a restaurant there I think you’d like. It’s a surprise though, so don’t ask about it…’

‘I’d love that…’ Liam responded with no hesitation, also blushing.

They’d catalogued and illustrated over a dozen creatures around the area. Their time here was a success. Of the sketches of Liam’s that Aloe selected; none were used, but a small pixel art illustration of one of the Eclipse-Hawks feathers he did was.

As they rode off first thing in the morning, Izzy and Mimi pumped their fists in the air and yelled; ‘For Alice!’

Liam had no idea what that meant, but the rest of the people in the cart definitely did and followed suit; ‘For Alice!’

Liam asked Cecilia what it meant, but she shrugged her shoulders and looked off to the sky with a smile.