The Value of a Heartbeat

Why would you help me?

Reilyn shifted around, his eyes slowly opening. He felt something small and warm on his head. Groggily, he sat up, pain shooting through his injured arm. He winced and grabbed the injury, in the process, something tumbled off his head.

He blinked, confused, and looked down to see the small brown squirrel roll on the ground. The squirrel stood and shook the dirt off itself. It tilted its head to the side and awkwardly walked back towards Reilyn. 

Reilyn reached out to the squirrel, softly petting it, noticing the visible injury the two, now dead men, had inflicted upon its tail. “Mao’tem... gwem elopae?” |It...actually worked?| He raised an eyebrow. The squirrel stood on its hind legs and blinked back. A soft smile crossed his lips.

The Elf pulled his hand back from the small rodent and stood. He gripped his injury, grimacing. Quietly grunting, he walked away from the forest clearing, back through the trees, the direction he was originally going. The squirrel hopped after him. 

Reilyn stopped and looked behind him at the brown ball of fur as it caught up to him. He sighed. “Ku cly’don dihi nocessit re keu talui, unu’bo.” |You don’t need to follow me, little one.| The squirrel refused to move. It sat, twitching its ears, looking up at the necromancer. 

Kneeling down, still clutching his arm, Reilyn reached out to pet the rodent once more. 

“Kymen.” |Fine.| He smiled. “I’ll call you Felix.” 

Reilyn opened his palm towards Felix. Felix happily hopped into the Elf’s hand, climbing up his arm and perching on his shoulder. Reilyn grunted and stood again. He continued walking out of the forest. 

---

It was midnight in Ag’Bhedon, or as the Eyll referred to the city, Tey’Umbra. It was the oldest and largest city in the Otherworld, and home primarily to the Eyll’Una |Dark Elves|. Reilyn Lu Telnur, his mistress Llyma Li Chalos and a few of her guards were browsing through a marketplace in one of the poorer districts of the city. Llyma regularly wouldn’t come here herself, but occasionally she liked to see some of the handmade goods that were sold by the lower classes. 

Reilyn glanced around the area, taking in the people as he listened to Llyma complain about some of the prices in the background. A little ways off, across the market, Reilyn noticed a Dyll’Anum |Human| man. Humans almost never came into the Otherworld, let alone the lower class areas of Tey’Umbra. 

The man was talking jovially with an Eyll’Una family. He handed them a small package, waving his hand dismissively at the coin they tried to give him in return. The mother wiped a couple tears from her eyes and leaped at the man, giving him a hearty hug. He chuckled in response, hugging her back, then pulling away gently. 

He was tall. About six foot, perhaps an inch more. His thick, dark wavy hair hung down his broad shoulders, loosely tied back. His eyes were soft, as dark as his hair, and kind. Around his shoulders and down his back hung a cloak made of raven feathers, it went down to his ankles and clasped around his chest. He wore brown and beige clothes, dark boots, and had a worn looking satchel at his side. The soft light of the moon glinted off his steel earrings. 

Reilyn noticed himself absentmindedly staring at the stranger. Llyma piped up behind him, having also noticed the Human. “Ute Dyll’Anum? Caic?” |A Human? Here?| She frowned, disapprovingly. “Cly’kyu unu re kea mwomi re llastod uod caulu bin brillel.” |Get one of my men to keep an eye on him.| Llyma ordered, motioning to one of the guards she brought with her.

Tuning her out, Reilyn kept looking at the man. The man noticed he was being watched and turned towards Reilyn, their eyes locked, and for a moment, nothing else mattered. 

---

The dark haired man’s face was bruised, he was being dragged through the room by a couple of Llyma’s henchmen. His clothes and hair were a mess, despite all this he wasn’t fighting back. He lifted his gaze across the room towards where Llyma and Reilyn stood. Reilyn met the man’s eyes as he was pulled away, down to Llyma’s dungeon. 

Llyma piped up, shaking her head, visibly frustrated. “Caillil raersen re kyamentis...yansen cailles gwelis...ruia coullo kyut dihi re kyusam. Mao bot’don dihi tarnsu! Uet mao mwo’on dihi cawcorae kyr ros!” |Giving them medicines...healing their ailments...for little to no charge. It makes no sense! And it’s not authorized by us!|

The look in the man’s eyes stuck in Reilyn’s mind. He was refusing to fight back, but he wasn’t defeated. 

---

Reilyn limped down the stairway to the dungeon. His thigh stinging as blood ran out of the open slice with every movement. He let out a stained yelp as he hopped off the last step and pushed the door open. He walked slowly and quietly into the room, finding a dark corner to be alone in. 

He sat down with a grimace. Once he caught his breath he pulled the transparent fabric of his loincloth off his thigh to get a glance at the wound. It was about four inches long and at least an inch deep. He fumbled with the bandage he carried down with him, attempting to wrap it around his thigh and stop the bleeding. 

“Gous, mao’wod gecuit?” |Hey, are you alright?| A tired voice called out. 

Reilyn shrunk into the wall, dropping the bandage he was struggling with. He’d forgotten the Human was being kept here. Not too far off from him, the dark haired man watched Reilyn patiently from the cell he was locked in. 

The Human gently lifted his hands. “Inynt migo...migo llotes ku couxilli. Tis ku carpio.” |Look I...I can help you. If you want.| The dark haired man sighed.

Reilyn gulped and slowly crawled towards the man’s cell. The man looked on quietly, noticing Reilyn’s limp. “Caum llot’igo ku couxilli?” |How can you help?| He whimpered, looking down at the man, about to cry and not sure what to think. 

“Kyven caic’ku uet migo ku haessum pebi migo botem faci re kea emitum.” |Come closer and I promise I’ll do my best.| The Human put his hands through the bars, looking up, his kind dark eyes meeting Reilyn’s. 

His hands were shaking but Reilyn nodded slowly and stepped closer to the man, close enough for the man to reach him. The man’s rough fingers gently coiled around Reilyn’s thigh, his dusty tanned skin touching Reilyn’s. He gently slid his hands to where the wound was, pushing the fabric of the loincloth out of the way, and tugging the thigh high legging down slightly. “Be well.” He called softly in Morgaan. Pale white magic emitted from the man’s palm, over Reilyn’s wound. The pain ebbed away and the wound closed. 

The Human’s hands lingered on Reilyn’s thigh. Reilyn flinched and looked down at the man. “Kyr ke’botae couxilli’ku?” |Why would you help me?| Reilyn asked, his voice a whisper.

“Ku inyae qu’ven re’ud kyut clybeo nocessit.” |You looked like you needed it.| The man shrugged, smiling softly up at Reilyn.

That was how Reilyn met Ignatus Lu Flint.