The Myatheira Chronicles: Volume Three: Crown of Ice

by Melissa Collins

  “I was afraid you were dead,” she cut him off, inhaling a ragged breath. “You lost consciousness so suddenly. I thought the beast killed you.”

  “No, I… I don’t know what happened,” Edric shook his head. He remembered feeling weak, the uncomfortable pull as if something was trying to extract the energy from inside him. But what? Could the Avaern really be so strong? “You said the legends claim the Avaern feeds off the energy around it. Do you believe this to be true? Is it possible?”

  The brilliant glow of Neomi’s eyes dimmed slightly, a flash of light forming around her body before quickly dissipating. Edric recognized the effect, similar to that which she used to illuminate the darkness of the chasm when they first made their descent to investigate the rubble. Unlike before, it was not a facile effort, straining her weakened body until it gave out. “I have no doubt in its ability,” she exhaled painfully. “The effect was more noticeable in you, but I felt it as well. It hindered my ability to properly manipulate the chasm to ease our descent. The harder I tried to call upon the energy, the weaker my attempts became. I suspect the Avaern was drawing it forth to do its own bidding. But you… it seems to have less trouble with your people. We need to find a way to help you learn how to fight it.”

  “It won’t do us any good if we cannot get out of here,” Edric frowned. Rolling to the side he let his weight sink against the cold ground, grateful for the rest. It required too much effort to hold himself up. He wasn’t sure he was capable of standing. “When my strength returns I can try to help dig through the rocks. Until then, we are trapped.”

  “It is better this way. In here the Avaern should not be able to sense us with the same ease. We can wait out its attack and find a way to the surface again to see the extent of the damage. Unless the others made it into the chasm, I expect many of our warriors have perished.”

  Movement from deeper in the cave sent them both into silence, peering hard through the darkness to see what was there. Edric prayed quietly that it was Callum. He would know what to do and was more capable of tending to Neomi’s injuries. If it fell into Edric’s hands, he wasn’t sure he would be skilled enough to staunch the bleeding and guarantee her safety. “Callum?” he called out hesitantly. The noise halted at the sound of his voice, replaced by a loud, relieved breath from somewhere in the shadows.

  “Edric,” Moinie’s voice floated through the darkness. “Did you find Neomi? Is she safe?”

  “I am here,” Neomi replied, a soft rustle of fabric at Edric’s side signaling her struggle to sit up. She groaned painfully, collapsing to the ground with a sharp cry. “Is the Captain with you? I am sure Edric is concerned for his well-being.”

  “The Captain is unconscious, as is the other.” A soft glow illuminated the shade, outlining Moinie’s figure where she stood. Edric gasped at the sight of Callum’s limp form laid at Moinie’s feet, disconcerted by the way he looked, motionless and pale in the dim light, the complexion of his face ashen like that of a corpse.

  Spurred into motion by fear of losing his friend Edric scrambled across the rocky surface to kneel at his side, pressing the tips of his fingers against Callum’s neck in search of a pulse. He could feel it, soft and faint, barely noticeable. For a moment he feared it was his imagination playing tricks on him and that he would discover the pulse to stop once his own heart ceased its incessant pounding. “Callum, wake up…” he hissed into Callum’s ear. “By the grace of Sarid, open your eyes.”

  “I don’t think your gods will hear you down here,” Neomi mumbled. “It may be best to let him sleep. His injuries likely make wakefulness insufferable.”

  Fumbling over the fabric of Callum’s tattered cloak Edric undid the clasp, fingers trembling as he undid the buttons of his friend’s doublet. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see the extent of Callum’s wounds. The pallor of his face was enough to tell him that he endured significant trauma, though how it happened remained a mystery. Callum was still on the surface when Edric and Neomi made their way over the chasm wall. In order for Callum and the others to have reached the bottom before them required a speedy descent. And from the looks of things their landing had been harder than Edric’s.

  Clearly curious by Edric’s actions Moinie came to stand at his side, staring down at him with piqued interest. “What is it that you are doing?”

  “I’m checking the severity of his injuries. If he is bleeding, we will have to find a way to stop it…” His voice trailed off, glancing over to Neomi, sympathetic for the torture she suffered under her own wounds. They were trapped with minimal supplies and his lack of military field practice to try and save them. As much as he wanted to see Neomi cared for first, he recognized the importance of getting Callum back on his feet. Even if he couldn’t perform the procedures himself, he would be able to walk Edric through the process easily enough. “Can you help wake him, Moinie? We need him conscious if I am going to help Neomi.”

  “You wish to return him to his misery?”

  “He will not mind it if the suffering is for a purpose. I know him well enough to know that.”

  With an inquisitive gaze she knelt beside Edric, her hand reaching out to rest on Callum’s chest. She didn’t seem convinced that she should do what Edric asked. The questioning look in her eyes told him she wanted to deny his request but the desire she felt in securing Neomi’s safety was too great for her to voice the argument. Inhaling a deep breath she directed a wave of energy through Callum’s chest, his entire body jarred by the force, as if struck by lightning at Moinie’s touch. With the transfer of energy the light around Moinie faltered, quickly returning as she moved her palm to create distance between Callum’s convulsing form.

  Careful not to press too hard Edric held Callum down, wincing at the effort it took to keep from doubling over in pain. To see Callum’s eyes open, he heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for the proof of his friend’s survival while guilt crept over him to know he was torturing Callum by waking him. “Can you hear me?” he breathed, looking Callum over closely. A loud wheeze escaped Callum’s lips, his head tilted backward in a desperate attempt to take in air. Sliding his hand under Callum’s shoulders, Edric lifted his upper body from the ground to help ease the intake of breath, supporting Callum’s neck gently in his hand. “You’re going to be alright. I’m going to help you. Unfortunately I can’t do that without your assistance.”

  Callum’s functioning arm came to clutch at his chest, finally managing to inhale a desperate breath. “I’m fine,” he coughed, drawing another swallow of air before continuing. “Just a… bit of a rude… awakening.” Callum’s eyelids drooped, threatening him with sleep despite his obvious efforts to keep them open. Rolling his head to the side he squinted into the darkness, as if looking for something specific. “Is Neomi here? Did you examine the wound on her side?”

  “There hasn’t been time…”

  “We have nothing but time at the moment,” Moinie interjected, waving her hand to where Neomi sat on the ground behind them. “If there is something you think you can do to help her, please do so. Our healing methods only go so far. Once one of our warriors is injured beyond basic tending, our custom is to ease their suffering by hastening death. I’m afraid my knowledge is not sufficient enough to be of much assistance.”

  A quiet laugh came from Neomi’s direction, the inflection giving away the pain she attempted to hide. “I am not that far gone, Moinie. It is a mere cut. Nothing more.”

  “It requires sutures,” Callum argued, lifting his weight from Edric’s arm to sit up on his own. “It is regrettable that we lack the tools with which to perform such a procedure. The least we can do is clean it and evaluate the severity.”

  “Tell me what needs to be done.” Edric was already on his feet, guided by the light emanating from Moinie’s slender figure. She reminded him of a large firefly, flickering and pulsing with every renewed direction of her internal energy. Kneeling at Neomi’s side he aided her in lying down on the ground, beckoning Moinie to come closer in h
opes of providing enough illumination to see the wound.

  With a strained groan Callum dragged his fatigued body across the ground, his limp, useless arm at his right making the act harder to accomplish, forcing the left hand to support the entirety of his weight. “First we need to see it. You will have to expose the injury. For the sake of propriety, let us attempt to do so without removing her shirt.”

  Moinie smirked, throwing a look of disdain in Edric’s direction. “I’m not sure it makes a difference. I suspect it is nothing the Prince has not already seen.”

  “Yes, but I have not, nor do I intend to,” Callum sighed, propping his back against a large rock protruding from the ground. “Either lift the fabric or tear it away. Whatever you choose, just do it quickly. The more time we waste, the more blood she loses, and the more difficult tending it will be. We can worry about petty arguments later.”

  “Very well,” Moinie’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “If it must be done, I will do it.”

  Raising his arm Callum pointed toward a large chunk of snow lying near the cave wall. “Edric, I need you to retrieve the snow while Moinie examines the wound.” Absently he patted at his neck where the clasp of his cloak had been with a mild expression of confusion. “Where is my cloak? We are going to need it.”

  Edric let his gaze sweep over to where the tattered fabric lay on the ground, shaking his head in dismay. “There isn’t much left of it, Callum. I removed it before we woke you so I could evaluate your physical condition. To be honest, I’m still worried about you. Once Neomi is cared for, will you let us look at your arm?”

  “My physical condition is of no consequence. Get the remains of the material and tear the fabric so we can use it as a cloth to cleanse Neomi’s injury. The snow will function well enough as water if Moinie can melt it… when we are ready for it, of course.”

  It was no use arguing with him. Callum’s mind worked differently from every man Edric had met other than the General himself. He found it impressive how much alike Callum and his father were. It was as if they had a one track mind when it came to military tactics and strategy. Their own well-being no longer mattered, focused only on how to accomplish the job they set out to do in the most efficient way possible. Reluctant in leaving Neomi’s side, Edric did what he was told, gathering the torn cloak into his arms, its frayed seams dangling threads across the garment. Careful not to dampen the material he kept it draped over his left arm while clutching the icy lump of snow in his right, carrying it to where Moinie continued to work diligently.

  The amount of blood covering Neomi’s side left Edric nauseous. It was impossible to see the extent of the wound under the thick liquid smeared from her naval to her back where Moinie had torn the shirt away. Unaware of his own actions Edric dropped the snow at Moinie’s side, ripping shreds of fabric from what was left of Callum’s cloak. Clean the wound. It sounded so much easier when Callum said it. From where he stood, it wouldn’t be a simple task. He was afraid to touch Neomi in fear of causing more pain than she already suffered.

  Lowering himself to his knees once again he worked with Moinie, neither one speaking, their actions guided by a silent understanding of what needed to be done. Breaking off a piece of the snow, Moinie positioned it over Edric’s hands where he held out a shred of cloth, the rapidly melting water dripping onto the surface, soaking it within moments. Immediately he began wiping the blood from Neomi’s side. She grimaced at the touch but made no cry to indicate the level of pain she endured. So stubborn. Even trapped there, out of view from the rest of her people, she still refused to show weakness. He couldn’t help admiring her for it.

  While he cleaned the skin around the puncture he was vaguely cognizant of Moinie having gone to assist Callum, guiding him over to where Neomi lay on the ground. Through the light of Moinie’s energy he leaned forward in front of Edric, eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the injury, his brow creased in deep contemplation. “It is a clean cut. She will live, but it does require sutures to aid in the healing process.” Absently Callum let his hand slide up Moinie’s arm, feeling the stiff fur of her coat, a ponderous expression on his face. “How partial are you to this garment?”

  “It means nothing to me. What do you intend to do?”

  “I need you to pluck a few hairs from it. The fur is thick enough to act as a suture. We shouldn’t require much of it.”

  “We don’t have a means of applying them,” Edric looked up from the bloodied cloth in his hands, confused by what Callum was suggesting. His stomach churned at the thought of piercing anything through Neomi’s skin. It had been years since he last witnessed someone administer sutures. Even then, he recalled the squeamish feeling he had at the sight, let alone the thought of having to do the work himself.

  “Check Gadiel’s pockets,” Callum replied simply, settling his gaze on Edric. “He was tending to the laceration on Sahra’s arm. I don’t think he had a chance to return the needle to his pack before we sought out Moinie this morning. Our haste might yet be our savior.”

  Every attempt to stand exacerbated the pain in Edric’s midsection, sharp and unforgiving. There was nothing to be done about his injuries right now. Other than Moinie, he’d come out of the fall miraculously unscathed in comparison to the others. Making his way to Gadiel’s unconscious figure, nearly hidden amongst the shadows, Edric pondered Moinie’s seemingly untouched condition. It was strange that they all suffered injuries of such an extreme yet she walked around without sign of pain or discomfort. Worry about that later. You need to find the needle. He urged himself onward, rummaging through Gadiel’s pockets, uneasy to think of what terrible wounds had left Gadiel in the state he was in. Without better light he couldn’t see the extent of the damage, his only comfort taken in the fact that there was no pooling blood under his body. Whatever he endured, it was either internal or manageable. They could see to him after Neomi and Callum were stabilized.

  It was awkward to dig through the pockets of a man whose level of consciousness was so far gone. Edric felt like a thief searching the corpse of a fallen citizen in the streets. There was little to be found in the various compartments of Gadiel’s uniform save a few spare swatches of cloth cut to create the bandages used on Sahra’s arm. Where could it be? His boots. They were the perfect place to conceal an object of that size while providing safety to whoever carried it on their person. Anywhere else ran the risk of accidentally piercing through the pockets of his clothes.

  Sliding along the ground he grabbed at Gadiel’s feet, lifting the right boot from the ground, anxious to find the needle and get back to the others, uneasy by the hindrance to his vision the darkness caused. They had no way of knowing what had created the cave. He assumed it to have been carved into the rock by the Ythes who had taken up shelter in the chasm after the destruction of their city, but there was no guarantee the creators of the hole were gone. It was frightening to consider the dangers which might still lurk within its depths.

  There. He could feel the needle, tucked deep inside the pocket, pointed down toward the sole of the boot. Afraid of losing it, he pinched the tiny object between his fingers until it was released from the leather which held it in place. Once in his hand Edric pressed it against his palm, squeezing it tightly under his fist as he made his way back to the others. “I found it,” he breathed, relieved and petrified at the same time, knowing it would be up to him to perform the procedure. He had always imagined one day learning how to utilize the medical practices of the field. Never had he pictured that would require him to use the skill on a woman he cared so deeply for. It increased the stress involved, the rhythm of his heart rapid, almost painful.

  Back in the light of Moinie’s energy he could see her carefully pulling several strands of hair from the fur on her coat, placing them into Callum’s outstretched hand. “Come, sit by my side. I will walk you through this,” Callum beckoned Edric forward with a sharp nod of his head. “It won’t be an easy task with the materials we have, but there isn’t much more we can do. Find a
way to thread the hair into the needle. When the first suture is prepared, I’ll hold the skin where it needs to go. All you have to focus on is getting the stitch in.”

  “That’s exactly the part I’m worried about,” Edric sighed, wincing with the effort it took to lower onto the ground, grasping at his side to try and ease the pain. “You know I’ve never done anything like this before. What if I do something wrong? It will make the injury worse.”

  “You’re thinking about it too much,” Callum shook his head. “I need you to separate your mind from who you are doing this for and focus on the medical aspect of the procedure. If something goes drastically wrong, I will do what I can to fix it, however, I don’t think it will be necessary. You have a steady hand. You just need to have faith in yourself.”

  Separate his mind. It was a strange concept at a time like this. How was he supposed to separate his mind when his intent was to pierce a needle through the flesh of another living, breathing person? Stop it. It was that kind of thinking that would lead to a mistake. Callum was right. He couldn’t think about the minimal pain he was causing Neomi when she would endure worse by letting the wound remain as it was. And if he let his nerves get the better of him, the process would be more torturous to them both. “Alright,” he nodded, squinting hard through the shadows to find the eye of the needle, trembling slightly while threading the fur, his fingers somewhat numb from exposure to the cold air. Unsure of the effect the lack of feeling would have on his ability to perform the task, he exhaled a warm breath into his cupped palms, praying sensation would return to them.

  The next several minutes passed in a blur of anxiety, cringing at every swipe of the needle through Neomi’s side, aware of her sharp breaths at the pain, though she concealed her discomfort well. He was grateful for Callum’s encouragement, a sense of pride washing over him to see the finished work, impressed by the even lines of sutures which now held Neomi’s wound closed, allowing them a chance to wash away the rest of the blood and verify there was no additional external injury to her body. Gently clasping her hand in his, Edric sat by Neomi’s side, taking a moment to catch his breath.