by Allan Joyal
We carried him to the cart. Konstanzia assisted us as we turned his body around and lifted it onto the cart. Jeff’s torso fell backwards as we got him settled.
“Hey!” Gertrilla complained as Jeff’s head landed next to hers. “There is a wounded lady here.”
“He’s wounded too,” I said quietly as Esme carefully lifted Jeff’s right leg. She looked at the blood and shook her head.
“He got caught on the inside of the calf. I need to get the fabric out of the way so I can clean the wound and then bandage it,” Esme said.
Natalie pulled out a knife. “Should we just cut the pant leg away? I can’t see us salvaging it and pulling all the fabric over the wound…”
“Do it,” Esme said as she moved to the side so Natalie could reach for Jeff’s knee.
I watched silently as the young woman used the point of the knife to bore a hole through the fabric and then slashed downwards, cutting the pant leg. Another cut separated the cut section from the rest of the garment. Natalie then put the knife away and began carefully peeling the cloth away from the wound. More blood spurted out.
Esme immediately applied heavy pressure on the wound, holding the two edges together. “Ideally I’d sew this closed,” she said. “The scar would probably look a lot nicer, but we don’t have the tools or the time. I’m going to bandage it tightly.”
“He’s going to die,” Konstanzia complained.
“Our bandages are as clean as we can get them,” Natalie said. “And we treated them with alcohol to kill any bacteria. Jeff is getting the best care we can give him until I figure out how to brew a proper healing potion. It’s still better than he’d receive in most towns.”
“How long should he rest?” I asked.
“Two days with minimal to no walking,” Esme said. “That should allow the wound to close up and start healing. Probably a week with minimal walking. Unless we can make a crutch for him, I’d say he stays on the cart.”
Konstanzia pushed me out of the way so she could watch Esme clean and bandage Jeff’s wound. It appeared to be a single slash, but from the effort Esme was making to hold the edges together it had been deep. I was amazed the young man had walked as far as he had after being hurt.
“Hey Ron,” a voice called out, breaking me out of m reverie. I looked over to see Shaylin riding on the edge of the cart. She had her feet dragging in the dirt as she read one of the books we had acquired earlier.
“Shay,” I said. “Why are you here?”
Shaylin glared at me. “Gertrilla is my best friend. We don’t get to talk much during the day, but she still means a lot to me. I wanted to see if I could cast a healing spell to help get her back on her feet.”
“Good idea,” I said with a nod. “And?”
“I can’t cast any of the ones I found,” Shaylin said with a pout. “Three take herbs we don’t have, and two require a lot of practice. All I can do is sit here and make sure Gertrilla drinks when she wakes.”
I looked over to see that Gertrilla was dozing off despite the cart’s bumpy ride. “How is she?” I asked.
“Ask her doctor,” Esme said. I looked over to see that she was having Jeff turn so he could lie flat on the back of the cart. As Jeff was laid down next to Gertrilla, Konstanzia was still clucking worriedly about the possibility of infection.
“Fine Doctor Esme, how are our two patients,” I asked.
“Oh, Doctor Esme! That sounds so formal,” Natalie said cheerily. “Does that mean I’m naughty nurse Natalie?”
“You’ll be exiled from my bed if you keep jokes like that up,” Esme said acidly.
I put a hand on Esme’s shoulder. “Hey, she’s just trying to get everyone to relax a little. There was no harm intended.”
“I know that!” Esme snapped before she started sobbing. “I nearly lost Gertrilla. If I had not brought the potion I don’t think we could have saved her. You remembered it and then told me to bring it. Ron, she’s just a girl, and I nearly failed her.”
“You didn’t,” Shaylin said firmly. “She knew there was a risk.”
“But she didn’t sign on to be attacked by some shark when we are miles from the ocean,” Esme said. “I didn’t hear anyone in the group indicate that they knew what those things are.”
“Besides following us?” I asked as I glanced behind us. The first wagon was following us closely so I could not see much, but the point was made as Esme and Natalie both giggled.
“Oh Ron,” Natalie said as Esme reached out and hugged me.
“Thanks,” Esme said. “I needed that reminder. In answer to your question, Gertrilla is actually probably in better shape than Jeff. I don’t know how a healing potion works, but it appears to fix everything from the inside out. Gertrilla won’t even have a large scar but she will need lots of liquids. If the healing I’ve seen is true, she should recover completely. I worry a bit about infection as that fin caught her intestines, but again, the potion appeared to take care of everything.”
“And Jeff?” I asked.
“The lack of a potion means he needs to heal naturally. I didn’t see any ligament or bone damage, but the slash was still rather deep, and we don’t have the ability to properly stitch a wound closed,” Esme said.
“You did for the dwarf,” I pointed out.
“For the dwarf it was sew him up or allow him to die,” Esme replied firmly. “And I was able to use a room with a very stable table. Here we are moving, and the wound isn’t life-threatening.”
“How much will it impair him?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Esme admitted. “If it missed the significant muscles or didn’t cut deep, he should recover almost fully except for the scar. The scar will be ugly though.”
“I don’t care,” Konstanzia said. “He will be a good provider and a true protector.”
“And on that note, I need to check in with Lydia. We need to work on finding a route forward,” I said. “Shaylin, Konstanzia, don’t get in Esme’s way when she checks on her patients. And I’ll see about an early stop for the night so they can get a bit more rest.”
Chapter 3: Running Away
I jogged ahead looking for Lydia and Hencktor. At first all I found was the herd, spread out in a large circle just ahead of the first cart. Corwal and Piemal had rejoined the other herders, and they were working to keep the animals moving quickly.
Corwal noticed me and pointed ahead of the herd. “Lydia and Hencktor are up ahead. They have been angling to the north. I think they see some trees. You’ll have to go around the herd. They are a bit stressed.”
I nodded and started to work around the herd. Dafalia and Yveney both waved at me as I passed them on my way to the front. The animals were moving rather briskly. I could see a couple that had their eyes open wide as they struggled to push forward against the other animals.
It took me a bit of time, and I was feeling a bit winded when I finally caught up with Lydia and Hencktor. The duo was trying to look in every direction at once as I approached. Hencktor barely nodded before turning away to scan the horizon.
“How are things?” I asked.
“Are you sure there are none of those landsharks out here?” Lydia asked. “And how do we escape them?”
“They seemed to be concentrated on the far side of the canyon, so I’m hoping that as we continue east we’ll move away from their territory. I also was thinking that they might struggle to move through a forest due to all the tree roots,” I said.
“Which is why you said look for trees,” Hencktor said with a nod. “Now that instruction makes sense.”
“Any luck?” I asked.
Lydia used her crossbow to point to the northeast. “There appears to be a tree line about two miles in that direction. We were heading for that, but weren’t sure what to do next.”
“Once we get there we’ll turn eastward and try to follow the tree line. I would rather we not enter a forest unless we have a road to follow. If I remember correctly one of the things that delayed the Don
ner Party on their run was they attempted to travel through a heavily forested valley and ended up spending days cutting a path through the trees,” I said.
“The Donner Party?” Hencktor asked. “Who were they?”
“A group of people who travelled in our world much like we are doing now. They got caught high in some mountains by an early blizzard. I believe half of the party died before they reached their destination,” Lydia said. “And the stories of their ordeal were rather unpleasant.”
“Which is why I don’t want us getting stuck someplace until we find our valley,” I said. “And we have a long way to go.”
Hencktor pointed to the east. “Weren’t we told that there would be mountains?”
“We’ll have to turn south after a while. I’m thinking we look for a major river running south. We’ll cross it and follow it for a while. We should be past the flood season so it will be a good way to have a gentle route,” I said.
“But won’t we need to cross the mountains?” Hencktor asked.
“We will,” I admitted. “But we can watch for a good route through, and by heading south we might avoid the higher passes.”
“Joy,” Lydia said. “I’m so looking forward to that part of our trip. Do you have any idea when we’ll be doing that?”
“Not a clue,” I admitted. “First we have to find a place to turn south.”
Hencktor nodded. “We’ll be fine. And I like the idea of following the tree line. Hopefully we’ll be able to make good time.”
“I should get back to the group and check on Gertrilla and Jeff,” I said.
“What happened to them?” Lydia asked with a gasp.
“The creatures we saw had sharp fins. Gertrilla took a hit in her side that nearly killed her. We gave her our last healing potion, and she’s resting. Jeff got caught in the leg. He didn’t even realize he was hurt and walked on it for a mile before I noticed he was bleeding,” I said.
“Will he recover?” Lydia asked worriedly.
“Esme thinks he’ll heal, but he needs to stay off the leg for at least two days, and he will need to do as little as possible for a week or more,” I admitted. “Konstanzia is looking after him. Shaylin is watching over Gertrilla.”
“Give them my wishes for a quick recovery,” Lydia said. “Hencktor and I will guide the group well today.”
“Good luck,” I said as I turned away and started to circle around the approaching herd. I decided to visit with Thom, Haydee, and Oleiana and turned to my left as I started back to the main body of the caravan.
My decision proved to be provident. Thom stumbled and was nearly trampled by one of our rams. I scooped him up and carried him away from the herd as Haydee ran forward to keep the herd from noticing a weak spot in the coverage.
Thom gave me a tired smile. “I can keep going,” he insisted.
The young boy was falling asleep in my arms. I shook my head and carried him back towards the caravan. Oleiana did pause long enough to wave, but with Thom in my arms I could only nod before I had to continue.
Corwar noticed as I arrived at the first cart. “Is that Thom? What happened?”
“He’s just tired,” I replied. “He stumbled in front of a ram, but I kept him from being stepped on. He needs to rest though.”
“I didn’t want to have him help for long,” Corwar admitted. “But he doesn’t want to listen to me when I tell him to go back to the carts. Gertrilla and Yveney were the only ones who could make him mind.”
“Do you have enough herders?” I asked.
“Without Gertrilla we’re spread thin,” Corwar admitted. “She’s a lot better than me. I think Yveney is close to her skill, but she can’t always get our bulls to obey. Gertrilla can.”
“I’ll ask Lenoir and Mary to come up and help,” I said. “We’re running low on people.”
“I understand,” Corwar said. “I’d even take Soldrin at the moment, and he’s terrible.”
“Sorry, I promise we’ll rest as soon as we find a safe place,” I promised as I stopped walking so that the first cart could pass me.
Amalya’s jaw dropped as she noticed me. She looked back over her shoulder and shouted. “Lawus, Ron is carrying your son.”
“Don’t panic him,” I said. “Thom is just tired. He’s six years old and probably tried to do too much after Gertrilla got hurt.”
“Thom!” Lawus shouted. “How are you?”
“I better run,” I told Amalya. The cart kept moving, so I waited for it to pass and then sprinted over to the other side where Lawus was guiding the mules.
Lawus saw me and his face turned pale. I immediately started shaking my head. “He’s just tired. I get a feeling he didn’t get enough sleep and then felt like he had to make up for Gertrilla not being with the herd.”
“Thom!” Lawus called out. His son just lay in my arms. I could hear his steady breathing as he slept.
“He’s asleep,” I said. “I’ll lay him in the cart. Esme can check to make sure he isn’t hurt.”
Lawus frowned. He looked back at the mules pulling the cart. Victoria ran up and took a hold of the reins. “I can lead the mules,” she said. “Lawus needs to relax.”
“But Jesame,” Lawus said pointing to his daughter. She was draped over the back of one of the mules asleep.
“If she wakes and wants to walk I can watch her or Kariy can. We won’t let her get hurt,” Victoria promised. “You need to hear that your son is fine, and Esme is the one to look him over.”
I glanced at Lawus who had a slightly incredulous look on his face. He said nothing so I began walking to the back of the cart. Esme was still there checking on the bandage she had wrapped around Jeff’s leg. She glanced up as I set Thom down on the bed of the cart.
“How did he get hurt?” Esme asked.
“He didn’t,” I said. “But I noticed he was falling asleep on his feet and picked him up. He’s sleeping now, and I figured you could look at him and assure Lawus that his son is fine.”
Esme bent over the slumbering boy. She carefully moved his arms. Lawus hissed when she rolled the boy onto his side, but said nothing while she completed her examination.
Esme stood up and blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. “One day, I’d like to be able to take my time with an examination and to have a proper examination room.”
“We’ll talk once we arrive in our valley,” I promised.
Esme shook her head and then looked at Lawus. “Thom is fine. In fact he’s healthier than most children his age I’ve seen in my lifetime. I do have to ask, did he get a lot of sleep last night?”
Lawus shrugged. “I’m not sure. Haydee told him that all the kids were going to sleep near the animals so he snuck off before Mary and I found our bedrolls.”
“Everyone stayed up late,” Shaylin said from the other side of the cart. I noticed she was still reading a book while riding on the cart. “We were having fun sitting at one of the tables and kept talking.”
“What about?” Lawus asked.
“Well, Corwar and Piemal wanted to brag about their skills and how they helped take down the minotaur,” Shaylin began. “Gertrilla, Haydee, and Yveney pretended to listen before talking about the herds. Gertrilla really wants to concentrate on the cattle once we arrive in the valley, and Haydee likes the sheep.”
“What about Yveney?” I asked.
“She doesn’t really like the smell,” Shaylin admitted. “But she’s definitely interested in how to make clothing so she was asking if there is a way to improve the wool we harvest from the sheep.”
Lawus shrugged. “What is Thom interested in?” he asked.
Shaylin shrugged. “He likes to follow Gertrilla around when he can. He’s probably most attentive to Piemal though. I wouldn’t be the best to ask though. I don’t really get much time with the herders anymore.”
“How is the studying going?” I asked her.
“I found a spell I think I can have ready, but…” Shaylin blushed and looked away from everyo
ne. “It throws a fireball,” she whispered.
I smiled and put a hand on the young woman’s head. “Hopefully you’ll never need it once we arrive in our valley, but for now, you can study it and help protect your friends.”
“You’ll let her learn that spell?” Lawus asked.
I looked at him. “Lawus, I will do whatever it takes to get everyone to our hoped-for valley safely. And I trust Shaylin.”
Lawus frowned as we walked. He watched Shaylin reading the book. I noticed that the girl was practicing hand gestures while she studied the spell. She had her tongue out so she could suck on her upper lip while she worked out how to cast the spell.
Finally, Lawus sighed loudly. “You’re right. I’ve watched all of the members of your group. You have made it clear that respect and trust matter. Everyone from Hencktor down to that scamp Soldrin tries to meet your standard. I just worry.”
“You are a father. If you didn’t worry, I might worry about you. And you didn’t exactly get an opportunity to understand what kind of group you were joining,” I replied.
“You got me out of Saraloncto. You’ve watched over my children. Haydee now has confidence in herself. I remember how we were all slowly starving. Now Haydee finds me at night and she glows. She’s so proud that she is one of the ones helping move the herd,” Lawus said. Pride filled his voice and I noticed that he pushed his shoulders back as he continued to speak. “You even gave me an opportunity to be more than a desperate beggar. I just hope I can help farm once we arrive at this valley.”
“Natalie is in charge of most of that,” I said. “Although Verval will probably be directing us for the first year. He’s the experienced farmer. Natalie just has what she learned from others.”
“Just saying others is so inadequate,” Natalie called out.
I glanced over at the young woman. She was walking with Esme as they watched Jeff and Gertrilla sleep. “You have a better way of saying it?” I asked.
“Nope,” Natalie said firmly. “But I also don’t want Lawus thinking I was taught by fools.”
Lawus shook his head. “I’ve watched Esme work before, and I’ve heard all of you talk. You clearly understand things better than I do. But, can you keep a woman alive when she gives birth.”