Page 18 of The Barbarian's Claim
He blinked slowly, his head drooping a little as he struggled to hold it up. “Tired…” he murmured, resting against my shoulder again. He didn’t even notice how little his words trembled in the face of his exhaustion. It made me think he would get better eventually, given more time.
“M-my h-hand hurts,” he added after a moment, almost like he’d forgotten to tell me sooner.
I nodded in understanding. “It will for a few days. You got very lucky. Had the bite been anywhere else, it could have been more dangerous.”
He hummed, his eyes drifting closed again. Then they flew back open, and he looked up at me in shock. “B-bite. Wh-where?—”
“The sorvok is dead. I sucked out the venom. You will be alright.”
His eyes widened even more, staring up at me. “S-sucked… W-w-why?”
With a sigh, I thought about what I was taught before explaining it to him. “Sorvok venom is slow. The first part that puts you to sleep is fast, but the poison does not release until later. If you lance it and drain it quickly, it will not kill you.”
His gaze trailed worriedly over me. I shook my head. “Sucking it out won’t hurt as long as it is not swallowed. Suck it out, rinse with water. I am fine.”
He looked relieved, and it felt wrong to take pleasure in his concern. I did not deserve happiness after I was so careless with him.
“I’m sorry I was not there to protect you. I should have been. It won’t happen again.”
Gentle hands touched my face, urging me to look at him again. I felt too ashamed to face him, but the hand that touched me was the bandaged one, and I didn’t want to cause him more pain.
“It w-wasn’t y-your f-f-fault. I sh-should have paid m-more attention.”
Fury flashed through me like lightning, and I glared down at him. “No, zoragar. It is my job to protect you. I did not teach you to check the water. You are not at fault. I am.”
Neither of us was willing to back down. For someone usually so eager to please, Matthew was surprisingly stubborn about my not taking all the blame. It was endearing, if not a little irritating. Not many tried to shift the blame away from me. The clan saw me as dangerous. If I were the source of the problem, they would tell me so.
I didn’t want him upsetting himself while he was recovering, so I let it go for the time being. We would need to stay here another night until he had his energy back, but the delay wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
As long as I didn’t get distracted by him along the way.
We setoff early the following morning. I did not like to linger in one area. It encouraged predators to seek me out. Despite a lot of protest on his part, I made Matthew take the rock out of his bag. He still felt fatigued after the sorvok attack, and he needed to save his strength. He wasn’t pleased about it, but I was more stubborn than he was, and we wouldn’t be going anywhere without my permission. I could tell he was ranting in his mind about it for a while, since his facial expressions gave him away, but I did not point it out, and eventually, his focus turned back to our surroundings. He was vigilant in watching for danger, and when we settled again for the night, I decided to teach him how to use his dagger for protection.
“Not like that. You lose range of motion.” I readjusted his hand so that he could use the dagger more smoothly and studied him again. “Relax your hand. If you grip it too tightly, it will cause problems.”
“I-I don’t w-want to d-d-drop it,” he countered with a frown.
“So then don’t drop it.”
My response made him glare at me, and I found myself biting back a chuckle. His face was incredibly expressive. He could tell whole stories without saying a word. I shook my head to focus myself. I was getting too distracted by him.
“This kind of blade is only for close contact. No one will ever get that close when I am around. I am only teaching you in case I am injured and cannot protect you.”
That made him frown, but I ignored it. It was the truth. No one would get close enough to him to hurt him unless I was already dead. I’d bound myself to him for his protection. I would guard him until my last breath.
“It is easier to catch your attacker by surprise if you don’t show him you have it until he is close enough to strike. You will need to get used to pulling it out quickly. It should be second nature.”
“W-where do I s-store it?” he asked, eyeing the blade warily. He was uncomfortable with it, but he would learn not to be. I wanted him to have protection with him at all times.
I showed him the sheath and how to tie it to his belt. “Never put the blade away with blood on it. It will damage it. Clean it first.”
“I-I hope I n-n-never have to use it,” he murmured, tucking the blade away and pulling it out again to get a feel for the motion. He was determined to get it right, and after a little more instruction, I told him to lunge at me.
He outright refused.
“I-I’ll h-h-hurt you!” he protested, taking a step back from me.
I gave him a flat look. “You won’t. You are still a beginner. Just try.”
