Whumptober Day 9 and 16

Prompt: Take me instead, Forced to beg

Word count: 1318

TW: forced to beg, implied conditioning, head injury

Co-written with @just-horrible-things, Ariadne is their oc, Jo is mine. Set in my fantasy world of Kethrys.

Jo stumbles back, one hand going up for what feels like the hundredth time to wipe the blood away from her eyes once more. It was a clever move- one she admittedly didn’t see coming- the spell slicing across her forehead to make it hard to see where to cast. Another spell hit her side at one point, a ball of flame that left burns all along her hip and rib cage. A few other minor slices and bruises, but nothing that should be dangerous in the long run.

It’s a brief seconds pause of victory, almost letting a smile creep forward. Nearly a year, and he still can’t catch her. 

Jo turns slowly in a circle, trying to find where her friend went when the trap was sprung. Last she saw, Ariadne was hit in the chest, head slamming hard against the rocky ground. Then Jo moved to place herself between the attackers and her downed friend, prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.

“Ari?” The words come out a little slurred- head wounds do love bleeding- and with an annoyed growl, she wipes the blood away again, eyesight blurred and tinged in red. “Ari? You okay?”

Movement off to her left, and she blinks again, almost shaking her head in frustration that everything is blurred. Someone is getting to their feet– wait, not just– shit.