Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [56]
His legs burned from the strain of running while carrying the weight of his friend, but he ignored the pain. His left arm was wrapped around Lhasha's waist, bracing her. The stump of his right arm stuck way out to the side to help offset the extra weight slung over his shoulder. The uneven load caused him to hunch over and twist as he ran, and after only a few minutes he could already feel himself cramping up, but he didn't stop.
A soft voice inside his head drove him on. Lhasha's voice.
"Corin, let me down."
He was her protector, her guardian, her friend, and he hadn't been able to save her. The voice came again, he half imagined he heard it out loud.
"Corin, let me down."
Shaking his head to dispel the hallucinations, he doubled his efforts, but the accusation endured, it grew stronger with each repetition.
"Corin, let me down."
He wanted to throw his head back and scream apologies to the sky, drop to his knees and beg forgiveness for failing her, but instead he kept running, the relentless voice spurring him on, louder still.
"Corin, let me down."
And then, suddenly, the voice was a shout.
"Are you deaf? Corin, let me down!"
Corin was so stunned he actually dropped her. Lhasha landed with a loud grunt, scraping her chin along the pavement. She rolled over onto her back and glared up at him, massaging her side with one hand, and rubbing her chin with the other.
"First you crush my ribs, then you break my jaw."
"Sorry," Corin mumbled in reply, still too amazed to say anything else.
She smiled impishly up at him from the street. "You big lug, I'm just teasing you." She extended a hand for Corin to help her up.
Still trying to puzzle out the miracle of her unexpected recovery, the warrior grabbed both her tiny hands in one mighty paw and pulled.
"Whoa," she said, pressing a palm to her head once he hauled her to her feet. "Still a little woozy. Probably from all the blood rushing to my head while you carried me like a gunny sack."
"Sit down," Corin said quickly. "Rest a minute."
Lhasha waved him off as he came over to support her. "I'll be all right." She laughed weakly. "Some warrior I turned out to be, huh? One little stick in the leg and I pass out from shock."
"It wasn't shock. It was poison. From that thing's tail. The naga."
"Poison?" Lhasha glanced around. "Well, this doesn't look like the great beyond, so somehow I must have survived."
Corin had figured it out, now. The venom wasn't fatal. That particular species probably devours their prey while it's still alive," he guessed. The poison doesn't kill. It just keeps food from squirming during the meal."
There's a pleasant image." Lhasha shivered, and wiped her still bleeding chin. Tf its all the same to you, I could really use a drink right about now."
There's a place just around the corner," Corin replied.
As always, the Weeping Griffin was virtually empty. Corin and Lhasha took a seat at one of the tables in the back. A hunchbacked serving wench limped over.
"Hadn't seen you in a while. Thought you were dead," she said to Corin, making no effort to hide the disdain in her voice. "Nothing's changed. Cash up front. Whatfll you have? The usual?"
Corin shook his head. "Nothing for me. Not anymore."
The waitress gave him a sour look. This here's a business, see? No loiterin'! Yer keepin' me from me other customers!"
Lhasha took a quick glance around at the empty tables and chairs. "And which customers would those be?"
"I ain't takin' no hp form you, ye little tart!" the waitress snapped back. "Order somethin' or get out!"
Stunned at the harshness of their server, Lhasha stammered, "A… a glass of wine, please. Red."
The waitress stuck out her hand and held it there until Lhasha fished out a silver coin and placed it in her palm.
"Keep the change," she said, hoping to win the bitter woman over.
The waitress humphed once, cast a disapproving