Back to Chapter 9 - Check out the other writings on the site, from FAQ to other Novels
The linen beneath her moved with her, stuck to the outside of the tunic as her wounds were stuck on the inside. The bruises along her ribs were painful to breathe through, the general ache through her body keeping her from forcing herself back into sleep, again.
The small window in the room looking onto the ocean showed that there was a clear sun rising that morning. A shifting shadow from the guard outside let Laun know that it had been a calm night for the watchers, even as she had been riding her deamons through her dreams.
Laun shifted and peeled herself from the bedding. She was surprised that she hadn’t been disturbed several times in the night by the medics on staff in the compound. She would need to get her wounds treated and bandaged again. But first, there was trying to wake enough to find the privy.
The door into her room opened outward to the morning on the deck, the guard stepping forward around it to see who was there. “Ma’am?”
“Is there a latrine in the building or do I have to go somewhere else?”
He relaxed a little from his attention stance and motioned into the building. “Ma’am, if I may-” She proceeded him into the corridor and to the privy at one end of the building. He stepped in, chasing out two men before coming out and motioning her in.
It was not fancy, but it had individual benches with some privacy with half-height walls between. Laun was able to sit and do her business, but her legs refused to work properly for a moment when she tried to get back up. She had to pull with the wall to steady herself. She washed her hands in one of the basins, drawing across her face with her wet hands. She looked in the mirror, cringing at the tired, older face that looked back at her.
Laun led the way back to the room, thanking the men who had been chased out and were still waiting in the corridor. Laun felt the need for some normalcy and stepped out into the growing morning sunlight to do some morning exercise.
The guards watched as Laun did gentle motions at first, warming up her aching and stiff muscles. She was trying to find the line between movement and utter pain. It was surprisingly high, except for the tunic ripping from her wounds a few times. The most painful part of her body were her nipples, the movement pulling the gold rings through the crusty scab and making her stop moving for a moment as she held her breasts.
Laun stopped halfway through the second go-through of one of the open hand katas. She felt her body was warm, but also very sore. And the wounds catching on her tunic was annoying her, beyond the pains and wetness she had from them. »Read More