Page 33 of Valka

“Valka Delia. Valka hold,” he said, almost petulantly as he arranged her until she stopped wincing.

“Don’t move too much,” Delia whispered.

“Valka still,” he said, looking down into her face as his fingertips gently stroked the hair he could reach from where they lay against her skin.

Louise went to stand beside Patricia, who’d quickly moved back to the fire pit the moment Valka arrived.

“He’s a good male,” Louise said as though confiding a secret to Patricia.

“He’s covered in blood,” Patricia quickly responded.

“I don’t think it really matters at this point,” Louise said.

“Bad blood only,” Valka clarified, looking Patricia in the eye.

“Okay, that’s good. Bad blood is good,” she rushed out, hurriedly sitting back down where he’d first said she could remain while waiting for Elkva.

Valka went back to staring at Delia, watching her chest rise and fall, feeling the warmth of her body against his, just happy that she was still alive and able to speak to him.

“Excuse me, Valka…” Louise said.

Valka looked up to glare at Louise for interrupting him while he cared for Delia.

“Does Toska happen to still be alive?” she snapped, when she saw his irritation with her.

Surprisingly his glare changed to a wide smile. “Toska great warrior!”

“Is he alive?” Louise pressed.

“Yes! Toska alive. Great warrior. Elkva alive. Brave warrior. No good warrior. Oscal great warrior. Katva great warrior. None dead!”

“Oh, thank God,” Patricia breathed out relieved, as tears started to leak from her eyes.

Valka’s face immediately hardened and his arm shot out to point at the skaevin still roosting on his ledge right outside the cave entrance.

“I’m sorry,” Patricia said hurriedly.

“Skaevin eat cry female,” Valka muttered under his breath.

~~~

It was hours later before they could hear familiar voices getting closer and closer. Patricia was practically bouncing as she tried to remain seated on the log by the fire pit as they waited for the owners of those voices to finally make an appearance.

“Valka!” Toska called from outside the cave.

“Come!” Valka answered.

Toska carefully squeezed himself past the skaevin who’d shifted its position to better see Delia, and Elkva followed closely.

“We have come for our females,” Elkva announced as Patricia jumped up and ran into his arms.

Elkva grinned and held her close with one arm as he clasped his weapon with his other hand.

“Is your female well?” Toska asked as he lifted his free hand toward Louise to silently beckon her to him.

“She wakes,” Valka said.

“She’s hurting, though,” Louise said as she reached Toska’s side. “But she’s awake and she speaking, so that’s good.”