by Keith Walsh
“This is getting serious Jasper,” said a voice from one of the onlookers. Jasper recognised it to be Cormac. “You stay out of this Cormac – that goes for all of you. Just stay out of it. This is between me and him now,” said Jasper, without taking his eyes off Callis and pointing his sword at him.
“It’s okay lads,” chipped in Callis and immediately followed his words with another block against one of Jasper’s sweeping strikes. Neither man possessed much skill and after more striking, blocking, twisting, turning and circling each other looking for openings, it was evident they were both tiring. Sweat poured from both their foreheads and they breathed heavily. Callis being the younger man looked slightly fresher than his opponent.
Jasper swung his sword wearily over his head trying to bring it down on Callis but the strike failed. Using a tiny burst of extra energy he had left Callis parried the blow and then in one smooth motion kicked his leather boot into the unprotected groin of Jasper. The man doubled over instantly as the boot found its mark, and he dropped his sword and fell to the ground. Callis quickly kicked away the weapon and asked the other men to bind him. Cormac was the first to react and after gathering rope from his horse he returned to the still moaning Jasper and proceeded to tie him up.
Callis sheathed his sword and walked to where Gallant’s body lay with Princess sprawled across it, sobbing. She saw him coming and instantly rose and tried and failed to pull Mr Giant’s body away, casting a nervous glance up at Callis.
“It’s okay child. I mean you no harm. I want to help your friend,” said Callis, trying to assure Princess with the most soft and calm voice he could muster. Amber cast a distrustful look towards Lalias who still sat upon his horse, tears still rolling down his face. Callis followed her gaze. “I will not let Lalias harm you either child. He used to have a little girl, looked just like you she did, but the bad bear took her and now he is very sad. He didn’t mean to hurt you, I promise,” continued Callis while still walking very slowly towards her.
“Your friend, Mr Giant is it?” asked Callis. Amber nodded. “Well, Mr Giant is very sick right now and needs help. Will you let me see to him?” Callis stopped just shy of Amber and knelt down, his hand out-stretched, as he posed the question. He could see tears welling up in the child’s eyes and in a sniffling tone she asked, “You promise you’re not going to hurt him?”
Callis shook his head from side to side and answered softly, “No, I promise you. I only want to help him,” and with that Amber turned back to Mr Giant and began to sob, tears falling freely onto his tunic. Callis moved around Amber carefully and reached his hand out to Mr Giant’s throat, feeling for a pulse. He had one but it was weak – dangerously weak for a man of his size.
“What would you like us to do Callis?” asked Cormac. The man rose from Mr Giant’s body and turned to face Cormac. He knew the man to be the youngest of the group. He had ginger hair, a freckled face, a sincere demeanour and a narrow frame. Dressed in a brown leather jerkin and leggings with black leather boots he, like the others, carried a sheathed short sword belted to his waist. Callis spoke to him.
“This man is in a serious condition. I only have basic skills in treating wounds of this nature. I will do my best but I fear he may not make it. I certainly don’t want to risk moving him too far and so I ask you to go back to the village and fetch the surgeon,” Callis glanced towards Gallant and then back to Cormac as he spoke, his expression one of concern.
“And what of Jasper and the bear?” questioned Cormac further. Callis shrugged. “Explain to the elders what Jasper tried to do and let them decide what his punishment should be. As for the bear that is not my decision to make. Should the giant survive, it is his right to claim the reward. Let the beast be for now,” he said.
Callis moved to his horse and opened the saddlebag there to retrieve a rolled piece of leather. Cormac had seen it before and knew what it contained. Matias, the surgeon, had been teaching Callis in the ways of medicine for a while now and the leather contained some various odd-looking tools, fine blades, needles and thread.
“I hope Matias has been teaching you well Callis. For this is the real thing and I would rather it be him then me if it were my choice,” said Cormac with a raised eyebrow and a cheeky grin. Callis looked at him and smiled warmly before replying, “This man doesn’t have a choice. It is at least a day’s ride to the village and another one back unless you travel at night which I doubt Matias will want to do. I need to stitch and dress the wounds as best I can if this giant is to have any chance at all. I will admit I do not like the idea of it. I am a good student but I still have not developed the strength of stomach for this work. So please, hurry now Cormac and do as I have asked,” urged Callis.
Cormac just smiled and nodded then began to give orders to the others. Jasper struggled against his bindings and cursed the men as they lay him over the saddle of his horse, and then they set off for their village.
As the group of men rode out of sight, Callis returned to the unconscious Mr Giant. Kneeling down beside his body, he placed the leather roll on the ground and opened it. This revealed a set of sharp blades as well as needles and thick threads. Addressing the child, he said, “I need to open Mr Giant’s tunic and cut his shirt but I assure you I mean him no harm. That scary looking thing there is a needle and I attach this thread to it and use it to close the wounds,” he explained.
Amber listened and watched but she still seemed a little wary of this man. Given her recent experience with strangers Callis thought her nervousness was reasonable. Once he finished threading the needle he took a small sharp blade from the leather roll. He pulled apart Mr Giant’s tunic and using the blade cut from the belly to the neck of his shirt. Then he gently and carefully pulled the material clear of the shoulder wound.
The bear’s claws had caught some of the man’s arm but the wound there would not need immediate attention, and so Callis started on the right torso first. He glanced briefly at the shoulder but realised stitching would do little to help the punctures there, and he decided to stuff them with a mixture of medicinal herbs. He had such a mix with him, since he knew the quest he and his companions were going on to be a dangerous one and he came prepared.
He rose to get the herbs and some water from his horse and as he did so he noticed Amber was looking away and at the ground but flicking her eyes sheepishly every now and then towards Mr Giant.
“I am so sorry child,” said Callis. “I did not think to warn you of the extent of his injuries before removing his garments,” he continued while mentally berating himself. Amber looked up, her eyes somewhat reddened from wiping away tears but she said nothing. Callis looked at her briefly with a smile and then turned and walked to his horse. The animal shook its head a little and nickered a hello as he approached and Callis reached out and patted it gently before using his other hand to open the saddlebag on the animal’s flank.
He pulled out a handful of seeds first and offered it to the horse, which greedily ate it before turning its head away. Then he took a small pouch he knew to contain the herb mixture and a leather goatskin filled with water. He returned to Mr Giant with these items and knelt beside him once more. Amber continued to watch in silence. Callis cut away some more of Gallant’s shirt and poured some water onto it then used the scrap of material to wipe as much blood away from the wound as he could, but no sooner had he cleaned it a fresh gout would appear. This is futile, Callis thought.
Each wipe only allowed him to glimpse four deep lacerations before the blood again obscured his inspection. He would have to stitch them through the flow of blood as it would not stop even for a moment. Callis formulated the plan that after a quick wipe he would pinch the folds of one cut and quickly stitch it being as accurate as possible. He thought of asking Amber to do the wiping to give him more time to react before the fresh flow of blood but remembered the child’s discomfort at seeing the giant’s wounds in the first place and decided against the idea.
As quickly as he could he wipe
d away the gore and pinched the folds of skin from the top laceration and began to push the needle through it, but as he did Mr Giant let out a moan and Amber burst into activity. She pushed Callis’ hand away and cried out, “You’re hurting him! You said you wouldn’t, you promised!” she said, her eyes fierce, her body half-covering Mr Giant protectively. Callis was taken aback by the anger in her, he had been concentrating intently and as a result he let his temper flare up. “Ah, you stupid girl, do you realise you may have caused the wound to open further by pushing my hand away like that?” he spat the words but no sooner had they left his lips he fought for calm.
He rubbed his right eye and forehead before running his fingers through his hair and gripping the back of his neck. There he rubbed vigorously for a moment while wishing Matias was here. Letting out a sigh he looked at Amber once more and met her fierce glare with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for shouting child, I am not yet so skilled at this kind of work that my confidence allows me to feel at ease. I did not mean to lose my temper with you. I am trying to help your friend, and yes he will feel some discomfort from my needle but it is to save his life,” he continued, trying to explain Mr Giant’s pain. This was something he now realised he should have done to start with. He had never been good with children and this experience was turning out to be no different.
Tears welled in Amber’s eyes once more but she slid her body away from Mr Giant and a single teardrop fell onto one of the cuts on his arm. Callis watched it fall and when it made contact he could not believe his eyes. The wound began to heal, the skin knitting back together as if an invisible needle and thread had expertly, invisibly, stitched it. Amber herself had no idea what had happened, she just looked at the open mouthed man staring back at her.
Callis’ mind raced. He could not believe what he had just witnessed and yet he saw it with his own eyes. The wound was healing as if it were charmed. Matias had spoken of people with strange gifts but Callis never really believed him, thinking it was just an old man’s superstition. Now witnessing such a miracle he had no doubt the girl possessed such a gift. Not sure what to make of it he fought for control of his emotions, knowing the giant of a man did not have long to live. He knew he had to make use of the girl’s talent to save Mr Giant’s life, but how? He felt a shiver run up his spine as a thought occurred to him. Perhaps the tears did not have to hit the wound directly. Maybe just touching the skin would be enough. He needed to know and although he felt shame at what he decided to try, it had to be done.
He sighed and put down the needle. “Ah, I don’t think I can save your friend after all. His injuries are too serious and he is going to die. Such is life, child. Give him a big hug now and let us be on our way.” He spoke the words with a matter of fact tone trying his best to look disinterested in her distraught reaction. “Wha– what?” She struggled to say and her bottom lip started to quiver uncontrollably, tears once again forming in her eyes.
“No, please – I’m sorry I pushed your hand away,” Amber said, “please help him, please!” Callis looked at her and felt terrible for what he was doing but reminded himself it needed to be done. Even if he had managed to stitch the wounds efficiently the chances of the Giant surviving were slim at best. However, the child’s mysterious power could maybe do much more good and he decided he must continue with his ruse.
“No, it’s too late for apologies, there is nothing more I can do for him,” said Callis, but he knew timing to be crucial and that the girl must hug Gallant while she wept. “Come now, give Mr Giant a final hug and say your goodbyes.”
“No,” cried Amber while tugging at Callis’ leggings. “Please – you have to help him, I said I’m sorry, I won’t push you again I promise I won’t but please please help him.” Her tears ran freely but not where Callis needed them. His plan wasn’t working but another idea came to him. He took Amber’s hand away from his leggings and spoke, “Let us listen for a heartbeat and then I’ll see if I can do anything more for him,” he said. Amber’s expression turned to one of hopefulness. Callis noticed the change in her and the effect it was having on stemming her tears, which was something he didn’t want to happen just yet. Time was running out. Gallant’s breathing was becoming shallow and laboured.
“Quickly now,” he urged her. Amber pressed her head against Mr Giant’s chest but her crying had stopped. Callis cursed silently. The child cried when he didn’t want her to and stopped when he did. He knelt down beside her and arching his body around hers he too pressed his head against chest. Amber turned to face him. “I can hear something,” she said excitedly, still keeping her other ear pressed against Mr Giant’s chest. We need tears here and we need them now, thought Callis looking at her.
“No, I’m sorry child but I hear nothing,” he declared, raising his head slightly. Amber’s eyes began to well up once more, followed by the tiniest quiver of her lip. “I’m afraid your friend is gone and we need to be going as darkness is coming. Say goodbye now,” he continued while feigning to rise and watching for a reaction.
“No, I can hear something, honest I can,” she protested, grabbing at Callis’ jerkin, tears flowing again.
Callis allowed himself to be pulled back down to Gallant’s chest noticing that the child had started to cry and the tears were making contact with skin. Finally, he thought, tears where we need them. He felt relief mixed with more than a little guilt but he pushed it aside and pretended to listen for a heartbeat. Then he lifted his head and acted as though he was thinking but really he was looking at the shoulder punctures to see if anything was happening.
At first nothing did and he couldn’t help but feel his efforts, not to mention his questionable manipulation of the distressed child, had been for naught. Just as he felt all hope had gone the wounds once more began to close, sealing themselves shut one by one. Callis looked on in amazement then broke away long enough to grab the scrap of shirt he had used to clean the wounds and once again wiped away the blood. This time no fresh flow appeared and he could see clearly the deep cuts beginning to slowly heal. His instinct had been correct. The tears did not need to fall directly into the injuries, they simply needed to touch the skin near the affected area.
“See, you can hear something too can’t you?” said Amber, watching him hopefully. “What?” replied Callis, blinking. He had been in a world of his own and wasn’t minding the child’s reaction to the events she seemed oblivious to. Now, aware of his senses once again he stared at Amber and spoke, “You have no idea, do you?” he asked but could already see she didn’t understand what was happening, what she was capable of. She cared only about convincing him to help Mr Giant.
“You heard it too. I know you did,” said Amber, ignoring his question. Her response was all the proof Callis needed to confirm she really had no awareness of her gift. He looked again at each of the injuries Mr Giant had suffered and all were gone except for the four on his torso but these too were healing, disappearing. Their depth, he guessed, was the reason they were taking longer to close. Truly amazing, he thought.
He was pulled from his incredulity once again as he felt the child tug at him. “You did, right? Didn’t you?” she persisted. “Oh, oh yes – this time I did. I most certainly heard something,” replied Callis forcing a smile and he noticed the child smile back at him. “In fact I have already begun to work away Mr Giant’s bad cuts,” he continued not even trying to disguise the lie. Amber had been so focussed on Callis and waiting for an answer that she hadn’t noticed anything. Now, looking down at Mr Giant’s body, her eyes widened in amazement. She turned quickly and excitedly to Callis. “Are you God?” she questioned. “Sister used to tell me about God and she said he made people better all the time,” she continued, not waiting for an answer and looking expectantly at Callis with her eyes shining.
Callis laughed a somewhat nervous laugh before replying, “No child, I am no God but what little faith I may have had in the past has been considerably bolstered this day,” his tone fluctuating somewhere between d
isbelief and awe.
Amber again chose to ignore him, saying, “Well I think you are God and I will tell Sister I met you if I ever see her again. I know it would make her happy that you are here on Earth,” she proclaimed. Then she shuffled on her knees towards him and gave him a hug. “Thank you for saving Mr Giant.”
This time Callis’ eyes welled up. The child was so innocent and pure of heart. His tears were partly for that reason and partly because he felt so guilty at what he had been forced to do to save the giant’s life. His father had often said to him, “Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing to do the right thing, son.” Callis had argued that point with his father each time he said it as he couldn’t understand it, it made no sense at all to him until now. During his embrace with the girl he looked to the sky and thought, I understand now father and I’m sorry for arguing with you. You were always so wise and I could not have asked for a better parent and guide. Look after Romus and mother for me. I will see you all again someday.
And with that he wiped his tears away.
Chapter 5
Gallant opened his eyes. His head had never felt so clear and he lifted himself into a seated position, taking a deep breath. He held on to the sensation for a moment, savouring it, before exhaling. He glanced down at his torn shirt and pale skin. His wounds were gone and for the briefest of moments panic took him as he considered that he might be in the afterlife, but Amber clasping her little arms around him soon convinced him otherwise.
“Oh Mr Giant, you’re awake! I knew the man was God, I just knew it!” she said excitedly while squeezing him with all her strength. Gallant returned the embrace and smiled. “It’s okay Princess, Mr Giant is fine now and he’s very sorry he lost sight of you. That will never happen again,” he promised while rubbing her back.