Greetings readers
Sorry for the late update. Sadly, one of my older boy rats passed away yesterday after battling a brain tumour for the last few months. I was not up for posting.
Please enjoy the update.
“You may have noticed by now the marks upon the skins of those you have met.”
“The tattoos, yes.”
“Tattoos are sacred among my people. They are not something that is done on a whim and need to be deserved or gifted. Most often, marital tattoos are given by those who are wed. In other cases, a generous soul may be marked as such and receive blessings from all who see it. Then there is valour.”
Silens stirred at the mixture as she spoke, the fat and the bone char becoming one.
“Valour is something that is rewarded by kings and shamans only. It is not something that is just given. It needs to be earned, to be witnessed, and voted upon by those who witnessed it.”
The mixture was on the point of boiling when Silens removed the stone from the hearth stones to put next to her on another cooled stone. Next, she picked up Kay’s left arm and turned it palm-up. She then washed the area with the water, dried it with some of the cloth, before running a hand over the inner wrist, using her energy to remove any unwanted hair.
“Know that I don’t do this as a paltry gesture. I do this because what you did was selfless. I have asked you to hide your abilities, to be smaller than what you are. Yes, it is for survival, and you have obeyed all my wishes. You don’t speak, you don’t show who and what you truly are.”
Kay remained quiet as the older woman dipped a sharpened bone shard into the cooling ink. The pain wasn’t immediate as the shard was pushed into her skin about a finger's width from the wrist joint. She gritted her teeth but didn’t pull away.
“I know that I have asked too much of you, and you have asked for nothing in return. You remain within the confines of this home during your punishments when you could easily escape and do what you wish.”
The bone was dipped into the ink once more, and Silens continued.
“No longer are you what you were forced to become. You act as you wish. You are your own person. No longer tied to a fate decided by others.”
Silens spoke slowly as she continued to ink a mark upon the underside of Kay’s wrist.
“You could have left the hunter to die. You could have chased the cat down and killed it. You didn’t. You restrained yourself.”
Slowly, a shape was being formed, a fine plait around the inside of the wrist. Kay sat in silence, flinching now and again. Silens continued to talk as she continued her drawing.
“You have value.”
That stung Kay far more than the sharpened bone being driven into her flesh. That had never been said to her before.
“You have family.”
She bit down on her back teeth as her arm was turned and repositioned.
“You don’t have to be alone.”
Kay couldn’t look at Silens. It felt as if the old woman had seen through all her insecurities.
“No matter what, you will have a home.”
Silens continued to add to the mark around the back of her wrist, the sharpened bone spinning the tale of the wolf that took on a forest cat and won. Of a life saved with no thought of self-preservation.
The two sat in silence until the bone was pulled away, and a dry cloth was used to wipe away the blood and excess ink. Kay marvelled at the tooth and claw worked into the plait of vines around her wrist.
While she was doing that, Silens got to her feet and found more clean cloth and a jar of tree resin. The shaman then added a thick layer of resin to the fresh tattoo and wrapped the cloth around Kay’s wrist a few times before tying it in place.
“I will have to see if the pollen collectors have made enough nectar to collect something with a stronger antibacterial property, but for now, this will do.”
Kay cradled her wrist to her chest. It hurt, as if someone had slashed her with a knife, but it was a gift. She had expected some form of punishment, not this. She didn’t know how to feel. A gift, an actual gift, and thank you. Two things she couldn’t remember ever getting. She sat in stunned silence as Silens left the room to collect a small stone pot.
“Keep it covered for a few days to allow it to heal and the ink to settle. I will touch it up if the story is too unclear.”
“Thank you.” Said Kay so softly that Silens almost missed it.
“Remember my words if anything gets too difficult for you to handle. Words spoken during these rituals are absorbed by the ink. Remember.”
Kay nodded her head.
“Now go finish up in the garden. Mitis will be here soon for her usual tea blend.”
More connections for Kay to develop in the coming updates.
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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