No Turning Back
Part 5
Menzo was panting as he stood over the downed beast when he realized that he was trembling uncontrollably from head to toe. He squeezed his balled fists hard and, closing his eyes, intensely exerted all his muscles for a moment before letting go and shaking himself out a little. He blinked and looked at the result of his work but only for a moment before quickly raising his eyes again on account of his stomach churning at the gore. He opened his mouth and breathed slowly, gaze forcefully steady, not thinking about what would be still dripping from his axe. Somehow, years of skinning and gutting game were good for naught in comparison and did not prevent him from feeling overwhelmed. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he then remembered why he was there in the first place; he was not alone. Quickly, he turned around to face the youth he had just saved.
The boy looked younger than ever despite his drawn and dirty features, and perhaps because of them. Menzo swallowed and smiled wryly. “’Ey, boy. Let’s get you free.”
Quickly and without looking too closely, he wiped off his axe’s blade on some overturned black moss before establishing where the knight’s legs were. Then, hacking skillfully at the wood with both that axe and a second small one, he was relatively quick to tear away the intertwined roots. Hurriedly, the knight extricated himself from what little was left and scrambled awkwardly away from the pile as though it would close in on him once more. Menzo nodded at him in reassurance and crouched near him.
“You’re injured, aren’t you? Don’t move too much. What’s your name?”
“Joren. Joren… Madrian. You… You might’ve died. I almost… If not for… for you…” The young man paused and shot him a slight frown in lieu of questioning until he grimaced in pain when Menzo began helping him to the nearest tree to lean up against.
“Menzo Ramas. Look,” he replied after a long pause, looking up and ignoring the implication of any life saved. “The light’s coming back. For good, this time, I’d say.”