The Mad Frank's Dreams: Post 12 Blood, Wine, and Steel
#FanFic #TheApothecaryDiaries
#Wss366 Bread
Chue watched as Mao entered a room with a low table containing the remains of a meal and scattered flasks. There were no screens, curtains, or furniture in the room large enough to hide behind. Besides the table and a few cushions, the only outstanding feature was a painting in the style of the crucifixion depicted in their cell. This one was of a chalice brimming with light. Over it, the artist had written in sanguine letters, “As #bread and wine, share my flesh.”
“More like ‘blood and wine,’” Chue muttered eyeing the crimson runes.
With the sound of fighting so close, Chue decided they didn’t have time to find a better hiding spot. She moved into the shadows just inside the room’s door, where she could ambush anyone trying to enter.
“Pile the cushions in the corner. Hide in them,” she said, glancing at Mao, who was staring at the table.
Chue returned her focus to the passageway only to have it snap back to the apothecary when she heard Mao say to herself, “You’re a fool, but this is what I have to do.”
Mao bent, picked up a knife from the table, and turned toward the door. Her face was flushed with fever, but the look of grim determination stopped Chue from clicking her tongue.
“Don’t waste your time. I’ve decided,” Mao told her. The resolve in her voice matched her expression.
“Then stand behind me and keep your fangs sharp. I’ll be the bear and you the serpent. Strike fast, sly, and deadly.”
The two fell silent as the sound of fighting died and running footsteps approached.
First, The Mad Frank sped past, a look of terror on his face, then a shadow of a man wielding a sword appeared, creeping along the hallway. The bearer paused, then sprang into the room, weapon raised. Chue barely had time to raise her club to block the blow. The shock of the sword meeting the parry ran through her arm. The blade sliced through the wood, leaving only a stump in her hand.
“Steel!” Mao gasped seeing her mercenary guard about to decapitate Chue.
“Chue, Mao,” the skirmisher responded, her sword stopping barely in time.
“How…” Mao began. Then, overcome by fever, she slumped to the floor.
“Followed The Mad Frank,” Steel replied. She smiled, winked, and picked Mao up like a sack of rice.
Chue smiled back, thinking, “If only the prince were so bold.”
#MicroFiction #TootFic #ApothecaryDiaries #NMFic #Serial