After ten minutes of careful work, I cleared enough debris from the top and sides to give us some wiggle room to work with. Having nothing better to use, I took Sanvi’s dagger and wedged it in a small gap between the stones. I got into a low squat, my head and back pressing into the cave’s low ceiling. I gave Meriel the order to pull out Sanvi’s arm as soon as there was clearance. With everything set, I started leaning onto the dagger. The top rock rose marginally, making Sanvi let out repressed cry. The time she dipped her hand in the hearth proved how tough she was; the pain must be unbearable.
I’ll make it better.
Drawing in the filtered air through my sweat-soaked shirt, I gave one great push. The stone rose higher, but then the dagger snapped right at the handle. Sanvi let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed far when the stone slammed back down.
I tossed down the dagger and dropped to her side. “God, I’m sorry, Sanvi.”
She kept her eyes pinched shut while drawing in broken breaths. Meriel offered her hand to Sanvi’s, and the snake-woman was practically crushing it.
“It hurts, Oliver,” she said finally. “Please. Let’s get my arm over with.” A few tears slipped past her eyes as her gaze fell to the pistol at my hip. “If it goes bad, promise you’ll make it quick.”
I leaned away and stared at her with my mouth open. I looked over to Meriel, who just gave a somber look that silently agreed with Sanvi. Amputating was one thing, but shooting her in that way…
“We’re not going down that road,” I told her firmly. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Oliver,” Meriel said lightly, “We have nothing strong enough to pry a rock that heavy. My daggers would snap, too.”
“I’m not going to give up, and I’m not going to…” I looked over to my rifle with a sudden epiphany. “Shoot…”
Meriel set her hand on my forearm. “If we’re quick with the procedure, then she should be—”
“High alloy Chrome Molybdenum steel,” I murmured.
The elf’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“My rifle,” I said, grabbing the weapon in question. “The barrel is made from high alloy Chrome Molybdenum steel— a metal meant for high stress. Use your dagger to pry me some room to wedge the barrel in. If it fails, then we amputate.” I gave Sanvi a look. “I like you whole, Sanvi. Would you give me the chance to try again?”
She gave a weak laugh. “Only if you promise to warm my bedroll tonight. That’ll fix me right up.” She looked over to Meriel and shrugged. “Sorry, doesn’t seem prudent to be asking that now, does it?”
“I don’t mind sharing,” Meriel answered, giving me a sidelong glance that told me she was smirking under her makeshift filter. “Just don’t break him.”
“No promises.” Sanvi giggled and then started coughing.
“I’ll be your personal body pillow for a week,” I promised, which earned me a heated look from Sanvi’s eyes.
Blowing out a breath, I pulled out the magazine and uncharged the round before nodding to Fell. She wedged her dagger in the stone, then started pushing down. After giving a few light pushes, Meriel got the feeling down and told me to get ready. Grunting loudly, she wedged the stone wide enough for me to get the barrel seated solidly.
Meriel got back into position to pull Sanvi’s arm out. I got a firm hold on the rifle and prepared. Thoughts of Heath, Ji-hyun, and Judge snuck up on me. I couldn’t have done anything for them, but I can do something for Sanvi.
Exhaling a breath like a bellow of steam, I started pushing down. The rock rose a few inches higher, but the rifle started rattling under my trembling arms. Just managing that little height was taking my everything. Not wanting to hear Sanvi scream again, I dug deep and pushed until it felt like my shoulders would dislocate, and my chest would shred like paper.
Dad, Judge, Heath, Ji-hyun, God, fucking anyone listening, please give me a hand. Please.
My vision throbbed under my thrashing heart, and it felt as though my head was going to pop from the strain. Then, like several other hands pressing down with mine, the rifle wedged the rock far enough for Fell to pull Sanvi’s hand away.
And not a moment too soon. As soon as her finger cleared the space, the rock slammed down with a great clack. My vision went from black to white and to black again as I stumbled into the wall. Taking some deep breaths not to pass out, I looked to the girls.
Meriel cradled Sanvi’s upper half while the snake-woman cradled her own bruised and bloodied arm along her belly. It looked bad, but it wasn’t bent nor had an exposed bone.
Putting aside my own pain, I dug out my first aid kit and started dressing her arm. By the time I got her clean and sanitized, bloodied wipes and trash littered the ground. To keep her arm from flopping around, I used the handle of her broken dagger as a splint and then wrapped her arm tight with all the gauze, elastic wrap, and every inch of tape. The kit was used up except for a few band-aids, which I started to apply to Meriel.
“Oliver, please treat yourself,” she said as I patted down a bandage on her wrist.
“I didn’t get hurt.” She forced my head up, and then lightly ran her fingers along the side of my head, then presented her bloody fingers. “Huh. No pain. I can see straight, so it can wait.” I looked at Sanvi. “Think you can move?’
To answer, she pulled away from Meriel and rocked her arm a little, her face contorting with a small grimace. “I’ll manage.”
I looked at my rifle next. There was a slight bend, maybe a couple degrees, but that wasn’t the issue. Yanking did nothing, and I certainly didn’t have the strength to try prying apart the rocks again. And it wasn’t worth the time. Cutting my losses, I separated the lower receiver and pocketed the smaller components. The last thing I did was remove the sling and fashioned it carefully around Sanvi’s arm to give her a little extra support.
Moving so soon was going to make the long journey ahead hell, but we had to get out of the tunnel. That was the other main reason I wanted Nuna and Fell to take Luppa away. No sense in all of us wasting Luppa’s selflessness by pushing our luck under an unstable rock ceiling.
Meriel would lead with Sanvi in the middle and me in the rear, just in case Sanvi had trouble moving. I gave one last look down the crumbling space, my failure. Shaking my head, I turned and followed behind the lamia’s slowly moving tail.
Fucking optimistic moron.
✽✽✽
The caves and tunnels of the mountains allowed us to travel great distances compared to huffing it outside. However, it was only speedy if there was a capable lamia to ride.
It was hard to tell when I treated her arm, and the basic medical training only went so far, but Sanvi’s arm definitely had fractures. I was reminded of her agony by every whimper and groaned she tried so hard to suppress as we inched along. In about two hours, we maybe traveled one-fourth the way back, and we had to stop a few times to give Sanvi a minute to rest; I would give her as much time as she needed.
We got a break when some of the Isusi met us halfway. One filled me in that Luppa came to as Fell and Nuna were moving her. They managed to get to the temple faster and relay help. The extra muscle offered by the lamia allowed Sanvi to be transported safely, and for Meriel and me to hitch rides.
Unfortunately, they also shared that the cliff must not have fallen since the lamia who went out to scout could still see the Marker. And that the commotion stirred up a lot more noise from the Corruptions scouring the valley floor.
Fell and several more lamia were waiting at the entrance of Yetzirah’s labyrinth, who immediately traded off with the women who navigated the caves to take Sanvi to Wren for healing. I was approached and offered help, but getting treated was the last thing in mind.
Fell and Meriel approached, both of them eyeing the bloody cut on my head and bearing disapproving looks for my refusal of help. I looked down the long stone corridor, watching as the group carrying Sanvi turn into a distant blur.
I gave the girls a spiritless look, then their f
aces took on understanding as if they could read my mind. With either of them flanking my sides, I started walking.
When we came into the common room, many panicked voices were going off at once, and like the first time I stepped into this space, they all shushed and stared. The only face I focused on was Nolala’s, who watched blankly, yet I could feel the caustic heat in her gaze penetrating my skin like a rash.
Clenching my hands into fists, I approached her with languid steps. Meeting her eyes for a brief moment, I hung my head and stared at the floor.
“I fucked up,” I admitted vacantly. “My plan almost got everyone killed, and I deserve the full brunt of your authority. I wronged you, Nuna, Luppa, and Sanvi. If breaking both my arms will make up for it all their injuries, then I’m fine with it.”
I closed my eyes and waited for her verdict. Remembering Sanvi’s shrill cry and Luppa’s limp body filled me with so much guilt that I didn’t deserve anything less than having most of my bones broken for reparation.
Instead of vindictive words or brutal punishment, Nolala drew me into her bosom and wrapped her arms around my head.
“Nuna and Fell informed me of the unforeseen circumstances which lead to this unfortunate accident,” the Chieftain said without heat. “You were doing everything you promised to ensure the safety of everyone until misfortune befell you.”
“It was my stupid plan,” I murmured into her chest.
“And they volunteered willingly. Please don’t disrespect my people by assuming they were oblivious to the risks.” She pulled away and forced me to look up at her lavender eyes. “The progress you’ve shared was promising. Had nature not gone awry, then your plan may have succeeded. Alas, since Sanvi and Luppa have been seriously injured and your path to the cliff is blocked off, I’m calling an end to your plan.”
“I understand.”
Nolala gave a somber smile, then cocked my head to the side. “Go see Wren.” She cast her gaze to the girls waiting behind me. “All three of you.”
Not wanting to piss on her good grace, I nodded once and left with the girls to Wren’s medical room.
Upon entering, I saw Luppa and Sanvi resting on top of the long stone slabs in the center of the room. Nuna was coiled up in the corner with a few other lamia treating her shoulder. To appease any worries, she gave a slight wave. The Isusi healer hunched over Sanvi’s arm, her magical aqua glow bathing the damaged limb. Wren killed the light and hunched over the table. The labored breaths she sucked in made it seem like she just finished a race. Hardly missing a beat, she recollected herself and slithered over.
She started at Fell on my left, prodding her lightly and leaning in to squint at a couple scratches on the fox-woman’s arm. After that, she went over to me, and I stared openly at the blood streaming out of her nostrils.
“Wren, you're—”
She forcefully jerked my head to the side by my chin and then stared at my pupils. “Shut up. I know,” she grunted, then went over to Meriel on my right. After her speedy diagnosis, she dragged the back of her hand under her nose, smearing blood over her lip and cheek. “Nothing serious. Wash up your cuts and come back to be patched up.” She spun on a dime and went over to the unconscious Luppa.
Before following Wren’s orders, the girls and I went over to Sanvi’s side. She watched us through half-lidded eyes, and her dark lips curled into a tender smile.
“Wren was impressed by your work,” she said to me slowly. “The arm will be good in a week or two.” She closed her eyes, and it looked like she dozed off for a second. “Don’t forget your promise.”
I set my hand on her good forearm. “I remember.”
She hummed happily, then looked to Fell and Meriel. “You two can join us. So I don’t break him.”
That earned affirming giggles from the girls. With that, we left the medical room and made for the pool. Taking off my boots was more of a process than expected, but the girls noticed my troubles and aided me in stripping, and I did the same for them. Both girls must’ve fallen or had been nailed from a stone during the cave in because I could already see the darkening red blemishes of bruises. Fell had a wide splotch on her left shoulder blade; Meriel's left arm and both her shins were going to have some mean marks.
Like elderly citizens, we slowly crawled into the pool, groaning and moaning at the initial shock of the hot water. Several minutes pass as we rinsed ourselves as per Wren’s orders. The area around my head was starting to get tender, but I felt a good amount of gravel caught in my hair; not very good to have bits of rock in a cut.
With a splash of water on my face, I groaned, “Goddamnit,” into my hands.
Meriel leaned into my side, her pointy ear brushing along my neck. “Everyone’s okay. That’s all that matters, right?”
I dropped my hands and leaned my head on top of hers. “Hard not to feel like an ass when it was my idea that almost killed five people.” I gave a sardonic chuckle and shook my head. “I was so confident that I could drop a cliff on command that having it break the wrong way didn’t even occur to me. Dumbass.”
Fell leaned into my other side and brushed back her tangerine-blonde hair, her pointy ears flicking back up after the pass. “Oliver, you are many things, but a dumbass you are not. Your resourcefulness and intelligence have amazed us on multiple occasions. And, truthfully, I’ve meant to ask how you know so much. Were you a scholar before you joined this… Army?”
The sudden question managed a genuine chuckle out of me.
“Nah, the Army taught me how to fight and to know my place. Before enlisting, I was just a geeky kid who had a father who—”
The words froze on my tongue as I thought about home again. Thoughts of them just always snuck up on me, just momentary slips that were almost immediately dismissed.
Do my family and friends deserve that?
Meriel worked her hand into mine. “You don't have to tell us.”
Forgetting about something wasn’t the same as dealing with it.
“My father,” I started, “was uh… handy. He knew how to fix everything, and he was always looking for something to work on. I was by his side, helping for as long as I can remember. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he taught me everything I knew. There was always something, whether it was some benign hobby he started or a random camping trip. He instilled my curiosity in tinkering with things and my interest in joining the Army. My great-grandpa served, and his sons served, then their sons, and, well, you know me…”
My train of thought tapered off because I didn’t really know where this was going. Dissecting these feelings was like trying to piece together a jigsaw puzzle.
“What about your mother?” Fell treaded carefully.
“Died a little after I was born. Dad didn’t remarry, so I never really had a mom. Every once in awhile as a kid, I would be a little bummed that we weren’t a whole family, but it’s hard to miss someone you never knew. Dad was really stoic and a little distant, but he was always around.”
Meriel hummed in agreement. “I know the feeling. I was orphaned before my very first memory. All that I know of my family is that they died when my birth world of Riverth was invaded. Some kind survivors took care of me for a time, but they me off to an orphanage while they were refugees on Scintillion. My caretakers were kind, and it was hard to feel lonely when I had dozens of brothers and sisters.”
She reached up to wipe her wet hair from her eyes, then mindlessly rubbed the scar on her cheek.
“Scintillion felt like my true home,” she went on, “and the orphanage was family enough. I wondered about my parents, but it’s hard to mourn for them since they’re practically strangers. When I grew a little older, The Arms of Earus gave me guidance and a purpose. Really, the Arms became my real family. Thousands had tales like mine, and while not everyone got along all the time, we always looked out for one another. We had to. For many souls, the Arms was all they had.” Her hand disappeared under the water when it rested over the pink scar on her side. “There
have been some rough moments, but there have been a lot of happy ones, too.” She sighed wistfully as she leaned on me. “It’s how I met Fell, after all.”
The fox-woman reached over to cup Meriel’s cheek. After the pair had their moment, Fell looked up in thought, her face going tense like she was doing a complicated equation in her head.
“I still have parents,” Fell answered after a pause. “As far as I know. Truth be told, I was the child of a loveless union. My relationship with them was… less than desirable.” Her coppery eyes took on a sudden distance, then she blinked it away. “I ran away when I was old enough, worked for traveling merchants for a time, then broke away from them to be a servant for Nytennes, a magical academy on a world called Homet. It was there that I discovered my aptitude in magic and was given a place as a student.
“Life as a studying mage was more comfortable, but the environment tended to be overbearing. Mages hold integral roles for any society; those standing at the precipice have colossal standards to uphold and bear substantial responsibility. Such a lifestyle didn’t suit me, so once I became a third-degree mage, I joined the Arms to help preserve the One and its children. After a couple of years of climbing the ranks, I transferred to Scintillion and that’s how I met Meriel. The rest is history.”
Fell looked to elf with longing, then she pouted. I looked over and saw that Meriel had somehow managed to doze off while leaning against me.
“Today was draining,” I commented.
Fell leaned into my other side. “It was.”
I shot a look over my shoulder at the sound of scraping scales. A lamia approached the edge of the pool with sheets for us to dry and cover ourselves. Taking that as our que to hop out, I nudged Meriel awake, and we got dried and decent for Wren. Like the other times my clothes were dirty I wrapped up the colorful sheet of tribal weaves into a toga.
Heart of the Resonant- the Soldier's Tale Page 24