He didn’t think it was possible for his heart to beat any faster, the blood pulsing uncomfortably through his veins at the sight of a shadow blotting out the sky over the chasm mouth. What he saw there was beyond anything he could have imagined. It resembled the dragons spoken of in stories told to him as a child. Works of fiction. But this was real. The massive wings stretched wider than the narrow crevasse, a long, serpent-like neck craned backward to stare out over the village. Its eyes glowed the most brilliant shade of blue, the energy within them crashing in a chaotic sea, power emanating from every part of its being. With a strong sweep of its thick tail, bodies of Ovatai warriors were hurtled over the edge, a menacing screech piercing the air. He didn’t want to believe it was real. They had hit the ground with incredible force. Maybe he’d lost consciousness and would open his eyes to discover this was nothing more than a dream.
“Sweet Sarid…” the words were a mere breath, drowned out by the incessant wail of the colossal beast. This was what they had come to fight? An overwhelming sense of defeat filled his heart. How could they kill something like this? Regardless of the issues they faced with the Ovatai, the battle felt impossible even if they were able to find a way to work together. But he wasn’t ready to give up. They hadn’t come here to surrender so soon. If only the pain from the fall would stop…
Steeling his resolve Edric tried to sit up, groaning at the excruciating pain that radiated throughout his midsection, racing around his right side and into his chest. It hurt to breathe. Movement was pure torture. But Neomi was beside him. He needed to make sure she was safe.
Hand clutched at his right side, he suffered the discomfort caused by the simple motion of rolling onto his side, reaching for Neomi to pull her closer. He wasn’t sure how they were going to get to the bottom of the chasm. Without the assistance of her energy, the wall was too steep. They would be trapped there unless he could figure out a means of climbing the rocky surface. In his current condition, he wasn’t convinced he had the strength to do it, and if Neomi was injured, he certainly couldn’t support her weight as well.
Forcing himself to ignore the pain, Edric helped Neomi sit up, a soft cry escaping her at the effort. Her arm instantly wrapped around her stomach, grasping at her left side, the gentle features of her face contorted in agony. It wasn’t until then that Edric took note of the blood staining the white fabric of her shirt, quickly covering her pale fingers where they pressed against her side in anguish. He couldn’t see the extent of the wound from where they were positioned, afraid to move her in fear of making it worse. “It’s going to be alright,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her in a desperate attempt to ease her pained gasps. “We’re going to get you somewhere so I can help. I just need you to hold on a little longer.”
Edric’s eyes scanned the area for some sign of what might have caused the injury. The impact of their landing was hard, but not enough to draw blood. On the ground where Neomi had been laying he caught sight of a jagged rock jutting up from the surface, a dark watery substance coating the broken tip, a wave of nausea causing him to swallow hard to keep his composure. If that was what broke her fall, the wound was worse than he thought. She needed help now or she would lose too much blood.
He could hear rocks shifting from somewhere below, shaking the side of the crevasse, making it difficult to maintain his balance. Was this the doing of the Avaern? Was it coming for them? If so, he wasn’t about to sit there and let it kill them. Conscious of Neomi’s strained cries he lifted her to her feet, moving toward the edge of the plateau to observe the distance left between them and the chasm floor. It was too far. They couldn’t jump.
“Edric!”
Frozen at the sound of his name, Edric listened intently, his heart pounding, hopeful that he wasn’t imagining things. Callum? How was that possible? We left him in the village… Inhaling deeply he turned, slow and gentle in the movement to avoid hurting Neomi worse than she already was. To his surprise he saw his friend standing on a flattened rock outcropping a few feet below, struggling to make the climb onto the surface where Edric stood. “Callum,” he breathed, desperate to believe his eyes weren’t just playing tricks on him, carrying Neomi closer to the figure. “She’s injured. We need to get her help.”
The umber glow of Callum’s eyes was dimmed, an unusual sight for him, pale and drawn. His right arm dangled uselessly at his side, the fabric of his cloak torn and tattered to reveal a dark stain on the fabric of the doublet he wore. It was obvious that it took all his strength to stand there before Edric, glancing over his shoulder to where he had come from. “Can you carry her? Moinie is not far away. She can help if you cannot make the descent.”
“I am fine,” Neomi grimaced. “Lead the way, Captain. I will follow you and Edric.”
“Neomi…” Edric stared at her. He hated to see her in such pain. As her body pulled away from his, he thought to grab onto her, wanting to bring her back into his arms, but knowing to do so would only cause her more suffering. It was best to let her go. She was too stubborn and he wasn’t confident they would be able to make the climb without her ability to support herself. Giving in to her insistence he let her go, heaving a dejected sigh. “Go,” he nodded to Callum in misery. “We will be right behind you.”
Ice and snow continued to break from above, plummeting to the ground around them. A treacherous obstacle to overcome. Loud crashes echoed through the air from the distance, signifying the collapse of weaker areas within the chasm corridors woven throughout the village. It was dangerous to be so far down while at the same time Edric recognized the increased risk of staying where they were. At the bottom they could seek shelter from the falling rocks. Halfway down the wall left them vulnerable to another fall which would without doubt kill them if the Avaern didn’t do the job first.
Their descent was slow, Callum’s movements limited by his injured arm, leaving him with only one hand to keep hold on the ledges as he climbed deeper, an occasional groan the only indication of his discomfort. Edric’s own pain was exacerbated by the effort it took to move. The radiating sensation made it difficult to pinpoint what injury he suffered, though he could deduce from the symptoms that it had something to do with his ribs. With the force of the impact upon the rocks it was likely he had broken a few. He considered himself lucky the damage hadn’t been greater. Like Neomi… His heart wrenched at the thought of her struggling down the rocky steps. They needed to move faster. Every minute they spent on the wall was more blood she was losing.
When they reached the bottom Edric gave no hesitation in reaching up for Neomi, helping her to the ground. His pain was nothing compared to hers. He was willing to endure far worse if it eased her discomfort. Back on solid ground he was able to take stock of their surroundings, the dizzying sensation slowly starting to dissipate, granting him more clarity than before. To the right he could see Moinie kneeling on the ground next to a man, working quickly to wrap a long piece of cloth around the soldier’s leg. It didn’t come to Edric right away who the man was. The uniform was undoubtedly Vor’shai, though the blood and dirt caked around the face concealed the identity until Edric moved closer, recognizing the soft familiar glow of Gadiel’s eyes staring up at the sky.
Edric felt his stomach lurch at the sight. Was he dead? His body was so still yet Edric couldn’t think of a reason why Moinie would bother tending the wounds of a dead fighter. “What happened?” Edric asked without thinking, rushing to Gadiel’s side to see if he could help. “Is there anything I can do? Is he alright?”
“He will be fine if you give me space,” Moinie replied tersely. Edric blinked, surprised by her abruptness. He didn’t understand why it came as such a shock. She always came across pointed and laconic. The best thing for him to do was give her the space she requested.
Turning around he saw Callum making his way to Neomi’s side, his hands devoid of gloves, grabbing onto the already tattered material of his cloak with his functioning hand to tear off a shred of fabric to act as a tourniq
uet. Callum was more suited to tending a wound of the nature Neomi sustained. His military background consisted of first aid training beyond the basics taught to Edric in his childhood lessons. Neomi would be safer in his hands. “How bad is it?” he inquired, not wanting to move too close while Callum worked. “She landed on a rock when we fell. It looked as if the puncture might be deep.”
“It certainly is nothing to scoff at,” Callum nodded. “We lack the time and materials to worry about stitching. Right now we need to staunch the bleeding the old fashioned way. Come around to the other side, Edric. As you can see, I am… shorthanded. I’ll need your assistance in getting this in place.”
He couldn’t help experiencing a brief sense of warmth at being able to help. So many times he found himself useless in the field since their arrival to Ethrysta. It gave him a feeling of purpose. With hasty steps he came around to where Callum directed him, his hands outstretched and ready to do whatever his friend asked of him. Neomi stood perfectly still between them, reticent. Pain creased the gentle lines of her face despite her efforts to conceal it, her slender fingers moving along the bloodstained cloth at her side.
A rush of wind overhead caught Edric’s attention as it whipped through the crevasse, blowing his hair wildly about his face, strong and insistent, nearly causing him to topple forward under the force. Instantly his head tilted upward to gaze at the mouth of the chasm, afraid of what he would see there. The strength of the wind was too great to be of natural means. “We have to take cover,” he stated matter-of-factly. It was the first rational thought he’d experienced since they first found themselves tumbling over the icy ledge, the tug of his internal energy warning him of the impending attack. He had felt a similar sensation when the Avaern showed itself before. It seemed a good indication that it was within close proximity once again.
Callum’s eyes followed Edric’s to the line of blue sky above, brow creased in consternation. In the distance the familiar shriek of the beast could be heard, a chilling warning of its return. “You’re right,” he frowned, lowering his gaze to glance where Moinie remained at Gadiel’s side. “Moinie, can he walk? We need to get to a wider area of the chasm. If we stay here it is likely the Avaern will collapse the walls on top of us.”
“He should not stand. The injury to his leg is severe.”
“We will have to carry him.” Callum’s legs started to move him away from Neomi to assist Gadiel, a brief expression of frustration crossing his pale features at the realization that he couldn’t help. His arm was too badly wounded. “Edric,” he added sternly. “See if you can find a way to get him off the ground. We need to move quickly.”
There was no time to argue. Adrenaline coursed through Edric’s veins, helping him ignore the pain in his side while coming to stand at Gadiel’s feet. Moinie had a hold of his arms at the shoulders, motioning with her head for Edric to grab onto Gadiel’s boots. “He is unconscious,” she groaned under the burden of his body. “You Vor’shai should be more mindful of your weight.”
Bending over to take hold of Gadiel’s legs, Edric doubled forward, racked by a violent, stabbing feeling across his right side. Whatever injury he sustained was getting worse. Dots of white light floated in front of his vision, dropping him to his knees with a breathless cry. Stand up. His friends were counting on him. This wasn’t the time to give in. Palms flattened against the rocky ground, he fought to climb to his feet, finding the act more difficult than he expected. Teeth gritted, he tried again, and again, unwilling to admit defeat.
A hand seemed to come from nowhere, the long feminine fingers wrapping tightly around his right arm to help pull him up. Through the haze of his distorted vision he barely recognized the outline of Neomi’s face, her voice urging him onward though the exact words she spoke were lost to Edric’s frenetic thoughts.
The high-pitched wail of the Avaern echoed through the narrow corridor of snow and rock, a shiver rushing down Edric’s spine at how fast the beast made its return. With a final burst of pure adrenaline he forced his hands to close around Gadiel’s feet, hoisting him off the ground to help carry his limp form across the uneven rocks. The area widened as they came closer to the main mouth of the chasm, hurried along by the howling wind. He wasn’t sure where they were going to go once they were out of the narrow crevasse. They couldn’t stay out in the open. Nowhere was safe with the Avaern around.
Callum ushered them forward, a small opening in the side of the chasm wall coming into view among the rubble. It reminded Edric of the old caves in Tanispa he and his father used to explore when he was a child, the darkened entrance cut into the rock at uneven angles, as if carved intentionally by some strange magic. There wasn’t time to question how it got there. It would provide cover from the beast until they could figure out what they were going to do.
Snow and ice from the upper levels of the deep crevasse had fallen along the mouth of the cave, making the footing trickier to maneuver with Gadiel’s unconscious body between Edric and Moinie. He directed her into the darkness, her steps taking her backward blindly into the cover of the broken chasm wall. Once inside she laid Gadiel’s shoulders down on the ground, waving Edric back toward the opening. “Where is Neomi?” she demanded. “I thought she was behind us.”
His heart skipped a beat at the question. She’d been at his side when they headed out of the narrow section of the crevasse. Alert, Edric’s eyes scanned the path from which they’d come, finding no sign of her. Images in his mind revealed all the terrible fates that might have befallen her at the mercy of the Avaern. Shaking his head to clear the grotesque thoughts he hurried out into the open, shouting her name into the roar of the wind. “Neomi!” She wouldn’t hear him. The shriek of the Avaern drowned out any noise which might have been loud enough to overpower the blast of air coming down from above.
Oblivious to the cries from the others he rushed along the broken rocks and ice, searching desperately with each step for some indication of Neomi’s whereabouts. He refused to leave her behind. They had come too far for her to die due to his carelessness. He should have been watching for her. She was weakened from the loss of blood. It was foolish of them to think she could make it so far without someone to help her.
Feet stumbling along the rocks he exhaled a sigh of relief to see Neomi’s slender form take shape from the ground ahead, pulling herself up to take a single pained step before losing her balance, reaching for the side of the crevasse to support the weight of her body. He was at her side in an instant, helping her along the uneven terrain toward the cave where he’d left the others. They could worry about her injuries when they were out of view from the Avaern. Although it wasn’t customary for the Vor’shai to run and hide from their enemies, he understood there was a time and a place to fight. This was neither of those things.
When they approached the entrance of the cave a strong gale knocked them off their feet, pitched forward into the shadows. Protective of Neomi’s injured side Edric positioned himself over top of her to act as a shield. An unbearable wail cut through the confined space they found themselves in, a flash of white passing through the chasm in front of the cave mouth with a sound like thunder erupting as if from every direction at once. Debris from outside tossed about on the wind, thrown inward to pummel Edric’s already battered body where he lay. All around, the ground and ceiling rattled from the force of the Avaern’s flight, crumbling under some immense pressure. Edric felt his chest twitch as if an invisible hand had reached inside to tear at the energy reserves within, taking the breath from his lungs in a painful rush. Through his clouded thoughts he was aware of the rocks quickly filling the entrance of the cave, blocking their only way out, extinguishing the last of the sun’s light from filtering inside their earthen prison. Depleted of his strength Edric could feel consciousness slipping away, his arms wrapping around Neomi, afraid that she might disappear if he closed his eyes. Sleep. It was such a tempting concept to consider. It would be so easy to just close his eyes and let it all go! But Neomi
needed him. She required immediate care in order to prevent her wound from being aggravated. If only he could move his arms. They were like deadweights, hanging heavy from his shoulders, no longer responsive to his efforts.
Against his will he felt the snap of his neck dropping forward, landing on top of Neomi’s chest with a dull thud. He couldn’t hold it up. The muscles were tired. Exhausted beyond anything Edric had experienced before. Little by little his body began to shut down, sinking into the ground and the comforting warmth of Neomi’s still form underneath him. Slowly everything in his vision faded to black, mingling with the deep shadows of the cave until the draw of unconsciousness finally pulled him under, luring him into its depths as the world disappeared into nothingness, easing the pain and fear in exchange for the sweet release of sleep.
Edric awoke to the soft whisper of his name, a gentle shake at his shoulder slowly bringing him back to consciousness. Everything was dark. He couldn’t see who was beside him but he could hear the voice, calm yet insistent, the sound coming from somewhere close by. Underneath him something moved, the shaking of his body becoming more urgent. Neomi? Groggy from the lapse into sleep he tried to remember where he was. The Avaern had come. He shuddered at the memory of the massive beast flying overhead. And the sound… it haunted him, piercing through his thoughts like a shrill, persistent whistle. Shifting his weight Edric drew in a sharp breath at the pain which seared through his midsection. Images rushed into his mind with more clarity. Blood. Neomi had been bleeding. They ran to escape the Avaern and the cave collapsed. But why had he fallen asleep? How long had he been out?
“Edric, please…”
The voice came again, this time reaching into Edric’s coherent thoughts, the sound whispered into his ear from underneath him. “Neomi,” he coughed, sliding his hands along the rocky ground to lift his weight off Neomi’s chest. In her wounded state he couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to fall on her. The pain must have been excruciating. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to –”
The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Three: Crown of Ice Page 52