Klaire de Lys
Stories (80/0)
Outsider: Chapter 41
Astrid breathed a loud sigh of relief as she saw the tall red walls of Waidu ahead of them. Under her clothes she could feel the heat radiating from her infected shoulder and an unbearable itchiness under her skin. The tremors in her hand were becoming more and more difficult to hide from Jarl.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 40
Halvard sat down at the edge of the table, exhausted. Eilíf sat down opposite him and leant her head down on the table, too tired to eat the food Holmvé had made for them. Halvard ripped the bread beside his soup into tiny pieces and dropped them into the bowl for them to soak. He had barely had four hours sleep. Most of the night had been spent going from cordon to cordon with water and food. To make matters worse, three more cordons had been built in the east tunnels. Three cordons too many to supply with the few soldiers he had. Added to that, many of the bodies still had not been moved and the rats had already started to cause problems. Many soldiers, áðr’s and even the lágr hilmir refused to touch the bodies of the dead and dying, despite the threat of demotion.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 39
Jarl was fast asleep, wrapped in the wolf skin. Astrid unwound her veil from around her neck so she could push aside her tunic and look at the wound on her shoulder. She shivered as she lifted the side of her tunic and undid the bandages that were tightly wrapped across her chest, shoulder and upper arm. An angry red sore glared up at her. The skin around the large scab was a bright, irritated pink and flecked with streaks of red from where the scab had been scratched away. She swore under her breath and pulled her tunic back down over her shoulder. Quietly, she crept back over to Jarl and rummaged through her bag, searching for a small clay flask of honey wine at the bottom. Before she poured it over her shoulder, she walked far away enough so that Jarl would not hear her if she cursed.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 38
“How many left?” Halvard grumbled. His back was so sore he felt as though it would snap at any moment. “Five.” Halvard growled in frustration and paused to sit down on one of the steps of the nearby houses. The rest of the squad sat down with him and tucked their baskets between their feet. They were all exhausted.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 37
It only took a few hours for lack of sleep to take its toll. Astrid watched as she ran alongside the pony. Jarl’s eyes were half closed. She said nothing until they stopped for midday to allow the pony to rest. Jarl dismounted, sore and tired, and sat down heavily on the grass. She had pretended not to notice that during the last few days they had spent in the Aldwood, Jarl had been unable to sleep well. He was worried about Knud, worried that Loba would fall back on her promise, but most of all worried about what lay ahead. Astrid’s sleep had not been much better although being numb with exhaustion was not so alien to her. After countless years of guiding traders and travellers across Ammasteinn, the numbness from lack of sleep was not as much of a hindrance as it was for Jarl.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 36
Systa rolled over slowly and leaned towards the fire to push a few of the unburnt logs into the coals. The itchiness around her wound was almost unbearable and it was all she could do not to scratch at the bandages around it until her skin bled.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider - Chapter 34
Knud had fallen asleep again. His cheek rested against the back of Jarl’s shoulder and his mouth was wide open, dribbling as usual. Jarl paused and shuffled to readjust his grip around Knud's legs. After two days trapped underground, Jarl had been desperate to walk in the fresh air, despite Knud’s complaints that it was too cold. They had been walking for what felt like hours now, and he was in no hurry to return to the tunnels. It was a relief to be able to look up and see the sky instead of rock, and better yet, no vârcolac. The only creature he had seen so far was one very startled rabbit.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 33
“Well, if the plague hasn’t killed them already, they’ll die of fright for sure,” Halvard scoffed as he was passed a large mask that resembled the masks the embalmers had worn at the king’s funeral. It was shaped like a death moth, the ornamental wings hiding the stiff leather muzzle bellow that covered the wearers mouth with a thickly packed mesh of herbs.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction
Outsider: Chapter 31
Jarl ate his food as silently as he could, intensely aware that every single eye in the room deliberately avoided him and Knud. Everyone sat cross-legged on thick, round cushions, but neither Knud or Jarl had been offered one. Their food had been shoved towards them and then they were promptly ignored. To make matters worse, Jarl was sure the vârcolac were deliberately speaking in their own tongue so that neither of them could understand.
By Klaire de Lys2 years ago in Fiction