Tigra

  David turned toward the hospital, but Ghannon grabbed his arm.

  "She called out to me in my dreams, David,” he said, awe in his voice. “She called to me, the one who had believed in her the least."

  The rumor of Jeena's return spread quickly, and a crowd was already forming in the street before the hospital entrance. David pushed through them up the steps. He was met by a very large woman wearing a nurse's uniform who did not move when he approached the door.

  "Please, madam, I wish to enter."

  "Yes, I know,” she said sourly. “You have come to see the girl. I will tell you what I have told all these other people—no."

  "But, you don't understand—"

  "No, you don't understand. That woman is terribly injured. The doctors are working very hard to save her, and they need space to do that. Do you know what they don't need? A bunch of unnecessary people milling about, wringing their hands and getting all wet-eyed and standing in everyone's way."

  David started to protest, but stopped. She was right. He could do nothing for Jeena now but stay out of the way and let the doctors do what they were trained to do.

  Sadly, he turned and worked his way back through the crowd. Sarah had been transferred to the satellite clinic now housing those injured who were considered stable. He would sit with her while he waited for word about Jeena.

  It was dusk when he left Sarah. He had received no word about Jeena and thought to pass by the hospital in hopes of hearing some news. The crowd was gone, and only the nurse remained, steady as a statue before the doors. Selanja paced in front of her.

  "Selanja, have you heard anything?” he asked.

  "No. I have been here for hours, but they won't tell me anything, and she won't move,” she snarled. She glared at the nurse, who glared back.

  The hospital door opened, and the chief physician of Pyros stepped out. His smock was damp with sweat, and he appeared bone-weary. He held up his hand as they both began speaking at once.

  "Wait. Listen first. She is alive, but badly hurt. She has suffered massive internal injuries and multiple broken bones—effects, I assume, of that weapon. She had one collapsed lung when she arrived and the second was partially fluid-filled. She has second- and third-degree burns on her chest and hands. There is swelling of the brain.” He ran his hand over his face. “I've never seen a body so broken."

  "But will she live?” asked David

  The physician began as to answer, then shook his head sadly. “No. She may live a day, three at the most, but her injuries are terminal. I'm sorry."

  Selanja reached for the door.

  "I want to see her."

  The doctor blocked her way.

  "I'm afraid I can't allow it."

  She grabbed him by his smock and with one hand lifted him above her.

  "I am in your debt for all you have done for her, but you will let me see her. And you will do so now."

  "Uh ... yes, yes. All right. For a moment,” he stammered, suspended above her head.

  They followed him to Jeena's room. She lay peacefully, her body connected to a dizzying array of instruments. On her head was a contraption like a small leather cap, humming audibly. Her face was no longer pale, David observed, but had turned a dark purple, the skin tense over her swollen and distorted features. Thick bandages covered her hands and chest.

  Selanja stood over her, lightly stroking her hair.

  "Can she hear me?” she asked.

  "No. We are keeping her in an artificial neural sleep for now."

  "Can you wake her? Just for a moment."

  The doctor sighed, but went to the wall of instruments and adjusted the settings. The sound from the helmet changed in pitch. A moment later, Jeena's eyelids fluttered open, her eyes barely visible within the mass of swollen flesh.

  Selanja leaned forward, her mouth brushing against Jeena's ear and whispered, “Listen to me, Jeena. I know the guilt that torments you, but you did not kill Sargon. I watched him fall to the swords of the Rosh-dan. He was already dead when you fired.” Her eyes welled with tears. “Do you understand me, tappu? It was not your blast that killed Sargon."

  Tears pooled in Jeena's eyes and ran down her face as her body was wracked by great silent sobs.

  "Enough. She can take no more,” the physician warned and reset the instruments.

  They watched as Jeena's expression relaxed and she slipped back into unconsciousness.

  The doctor turned to Selanja. “What did you say to her?"

  She wiped her eyes. “What she needed to hear."

  "I see. Well, then I hope it gave her some measure of comfort."

  * * * *

  Aramis brought news of Jeena to her mother in the prayer room of the temple.

  "But do not get your hopes up,” she warned. “The doctors say she will not live long."

  But Elaina was crying; then, to Aramis’ astonishment, the tears turn to laughter. She stood and spun, clutching her arms about herself, the sound of her mirth echoing in the domed room.

  "Hope? All hope left me at the news of her death, and all faith in the goddess.” She turned to the marble statue set in the alcove of the room, candles flickering at its base. “Forgive me, Great One, forgive my moment of weakness. I shall not doubt again. Do not fear, daughter, Jeena shall live, you will see. She will recover and herald the dawn of a new age. Nothing will stop it now. Nothing can stop it."

  Chapter 25

  The plan, then, was for Halamesh to destroy the dam at Lake Bel, thereby flooding the Bacchian Fields and, with it, the Rosh-dan army swarming toward the city gates. Jacob, however, had sent a large mass of soldiers over the lake by raft, and these discovered Halamesh and his men and overcame them. It then fell to General Garza to release the waters, and this she did, though she herself was caught in the deluge. Her broken body washed up at the city gates the next day, and it is said that even the Gods wept to see such ruin.

  Excerpt from The Battle of the Bacchian Field

  As told by Ghannon of Uruk

  It had been three days since Jeena's body was discovered in the waters yet her condition did not improve. Ghannon had cloistered himself in the Temple of Anil, offering hourly prayers to the god for her recovery. Selanja had not seen David in two days and went in search of him, finding him in the barracks gym.

  "How long has he been here?” she asked.

  "All day,” Bernd replied. He was leaning against a hitching post just outside the gymnasium, looking in through the open doors. “I tried to speak to him, but he almost took my head off."

  David swayed, exhausted, before the practice dummy, slashing and hacking with his sword, sweat pouring from him, his face a mask of anger and pain.

  "He came in hours ago and ordered everyone out,” the big man continued. “I thought he'd gone mad. I've been watching him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself. What happened?"

  Selanja shook her head sadly. “Jeena is worse. The doctors do not believe she will survive the day."

  She went inside to stand behind David. He was breathing raggedly, his chest rising and falling in great gasps.

  "Any news?” he asked without turning around.

  "No. The physicians look in on her from time to time, but..."

  He lifted his sword with two hands and slashed again at the dummy, stumbling and falling to his knees. “What was the point of finding her? Why let her live, just so those who love her can watch her die? Your gods have a funny sense of humor."

  "It is late. You need rest,” she said. “And she may yet recover. The regent believes so."

  "Dammit, Selanja, that's just the desperate prayer of a frightened old woman. Why do you cling to false hope? It will just be that much harder when she dies."

  "False? Hope is never false, David. And do not tell me you lack hope as well as faith. What hope have we of defeating the Rosh-dan? And yet here you remain, still defiant, still ready to do battle against impossible odds."

  He shook his head and ran his hand through his wet ha
ir, pulling it from his face.

  "No, I don't delude myself. I know we can't win this war. I'm in this final battle for revenge, Selanja—revenge for Jeena, revenge for what they have done to our people, and for what they will do to those left after I am gone."

  A young Babylonian soldier ran in.

  "Commander Selanja, Ghannon sent me to find you. He says to come with all speed to the hospital. The general is gone."

  With a cry, David ran out of the gymnasium, Selanja, then Bernd, on his heels. He burst through the hospital doors and found Ghannon standing outside Jeena's room, his head bowed.

  "What happened, Ghannon? Please tell me she did not die alone."

  Ghannon raised his head. “Die? I do not know that she is dead at all, David. I do not know where she is. She is gone."

  Puzzled, David and Selanja entered the room. The bed was empty, a shattered ewer lying in pieces on the floor.

  A doctor sped into the room and spied the vacant bed.

  "What's happened? What have you done with her?” he demanded.

  "We have done nothing with her,” Selanja answered, grinning. “She has awoken."

  "Don't be absurd,” he snapped. “That woman could not have walked away."

  "Then she has flown,” Selanja said.

  "Dammit, flown or walked, where the hell did she go?” David asked.

  Ghannon snapped his fingers. “I have been trying to answer that myself and it just came to me. The war room!"

  The three commanders raced from the hospital to the Temple of Anil. They entered the war room cautiously, unsure of what they would find.

  The room was dark, with only a single flickering candle for light. In the far corner sat Jeena, almost lost in the shadows. She was slumped in a chair gorging on fruit, a blanket wrapped around her.

  "Anil be praised!” gasped Ghannon

  "Tappu?” Selanja said.

  Jeena lifted her head. Her face was pale in the dim light and covered in beads of sweat.

  "Water ... please,” she said weakly.

  Ghannon rushed from the room and returned with a ewer, kneeling as he handed it to her. Jeena put it to her lips and tilted the vessel, not stopping until she had drained it completely.

  "Thank you, Ghannon,” she gasped.

  He caught the ceramic jar as it slipped from her bandaged hands.

  "Jeena, you should be back at the hospital,” David said worriedly.

  "No, I'll be all right,” she answered. Her voice was coarse and raspy. She looked around the room. “How did I get here?"

  "But, tappu,” Selanja explained gently, “you walked here yourself. Do you not remember?"

  Jeena shook her head.

  "What do you remember?” David asked.

  "It's foggy. I remember bits and pieces of the battle and ... then I was riding out to the earthen dike Halamesh and his men had constructed. They were all dead. There were four Rosh-dan soldiers. My pulse rifle was empty, so I drew my sword and attacked."

  "You attacked all four alone? That was a brave feat,” Ghannon said.

  "No, Ghannon, not brave, more like madness. I don't remember the fight, just finding myself standing alone with their bodies at my feet.

  "The device for releasing the trapped water of the lake was meant to be raised by six men, and although I tried, I couldn't budge it. The next thing I remember is standing in the gully in front of the dike and priming the cannon."

  She surveyed the faces around her. “That's all I remember until you all arrived here."

  "Ghannon found you floating in the flotsam the day after the battle and carried you to the city,” David said.

  "Did he? Thank you, Ghannon."

  Ghannon still knelt before her, his lip trembling. Drawing his sword and bowing his head, he presented the hilt to her.

  Jeena looked in confusion to Selanja.

  "Place your hand on the hilt,” she instructed.

  Weakly, Jeena laid a bandaged hand on the hilt of the sword. In a choked voice, the old soldier spoke.

  "I offer you my sword, I who have never called you general. For that I beg forgiveness and I say now that I am yours to command for as long as life flows through my body, if you will have me. This oath I swear to Anil, and to all the gods."

  Jeena smiled. “You never have to bow to me, Ghannon, and I would gladly have you by my side, in war or in peace."

  He stood, and though his eyes were moist, his face was set in a wide smile.

  "You need rest now, tappu,” Selanja said.

  "What about the battle? Did the flood destroy the enemy?"

  "No,” David answered. “We did them great damage, but we believe half their army still remains. The flood waters have kept the rest at bay until now, but when the ground dries, we expect they will attack again."

  Jeena stared silently at the map table.

  "How much time do we have?” she asked at last.

  "The water has already receded,” Ghannon replied. “The ground should be passable in three more days. Come, General, Selanja is correct. You must rest."

  "In three days I can rest for eternity. How are the gates?"

  "They took quite a beating,” David answered. “We've reinforced them, but they won't take much more."

  "Don't seal them up too tight. I want us to be able to get out quickly when we have to. Selanja, I know you had organized fire-spotters and water brigades prior to the battle. Are they still on alert?"

  "No, not since the battle ended, but they can be readily activated. Do you think we are at risk?"

  She nodded. “They know we are trapped behind these walls. They may try to burn us out before attacking. Ghannon, where is the lowest point of land just in front of the walls?"

  Ghannon lit another candle and held it above the contour map on the table.

  "Here, just west of the main gate. There is a wide depression extending perhaps a hundred yards."

  "That will be the last area of ground to dry,” Jeena explained. “If they make it as far as the walls, we'll try to drive them into the lower ground and hope the mud slows them.” She sagged forward.

  "That is enough, Jeena. You're going back to the hospital. I want the doctor to examine you again,” David insisted.

  "And when the doctor is through with his examination, I will bring you to my apartment,” Selanja offered. “You will stay with me while you recuperate, and I will make sure you get something more edible than that seaweed they were feeding you through your vein in the hospital."

  Jeena allowed David to escort her back to the hospital, where they found the regent had just arrived. A team of Pyros physicians conducted a barrage of tests, halting them only when she made it clear she'd had enough.

  David pulled the chief of staff aside, “Well?"

  "Well, she's weak and dehydrated, but the internal injuries have just about healed. Don't even ask me how that is possible. It isn't."

  Elaina joined the conversation.

  David shook his head. “Maybe her injuries were not as severe as you had thought."

  "Commander, you saw her. I worked on her for over six hours when they first brought her in. The burns to her hands went clear to the bone!"

  David looked through the small window to where Jeena was dressing, slipping a tunic over her head. The palms of her hands were an ugly red, but nothing like the charred remains he had seen when he lifted her from Ghannon's arms.

  "Then the answer is clear,” Elaina said. “It is a miracle, a gift from the goddess."

  The doctor coughed. “No offense, Your Highness, but I'm a physician, I don't believe in miracles. I may not be able to give you a detailed scientific explanation, but I'm sure one exists.” He sighed. “I don't know, maybe it has something to do with that accelerated metabolic process we witnessed."

  David gave him a look that made it clear he was in no mood for medical jargon.

  "Sorry. Just prior to her disappearance from the hospital our instruments recorded an enormous increase in her metabolic rate. I've
never seen anything like it. It's possible that all that energy was directed toward tissue repair—though don't ask me to explain how. It might also account for why she was so dehydrated and hungry following her recovery. I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you. One of our residents is doing further studies on her tissue samples. Maybe he can find some answer to this."

  Elaina's face formed a thin smile. “Is he? I would be most interested in his findings.'

  "Not me,” David said. “No, honestly, I don't care how it happened. You say it's all science, the regent says it's a miracle. Either way, she's back and she's whole—and you know what? That's good enough for me."

  Word of Jeena's recovery spread throughout the city. There were whispered rumors that she was Ishtar returned. Jeena tried her best to squelch the religious nonsense, although she was at a loss to shed any light on the nature of her recovery. The medical resident, however, had not given up searching for an answer.

  * * * *

  It was late. He had opened a bottle of wine to calm himself, and had almost finished it. He looked again at the collection of evidence, the tissue samples and test results, and closed the file case. Though it was still hours till dawn, he would not wait. This was far too important. He would wake the chief of staff now.

  There was a noise in the doorway and he looked up to see an elderly woman.

  "Excuse me. This area of the hospital is off limits,” he informed her, his words slightly slurred.

  The old woman smiled. “Forgive me. I am Elaina, regent of our city. I was just paying a visit to our wounded."

  "Oh. Oh, Regent! I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you.” He squinted at the clock on the wall. “It's kind of late, isn't it?"

  "Yes, it is. I was going to say the same thing to you. Do all doctors work such long hours?"

  He smiled. “I'm just a second-year resident."

  "Well, you show great promise by your dedication. You must be working on something important. I shall leave you to it."

  "Thank you. No, wait.” He gazed at the file case by his hands.

  She stepped into the lab. “You seem upset. Can I help you in any way?"

  "I don't know ... it's just ... I performed some tests ... on General Garza."

  Elaina became grave. “I see. She has helped in our defense, and for that I am grateful, but I have been very leery about having her in the city. I can't put my finger on it, but there is something very strange about that woman, something ... unnatural."