Ranelle checked the strands for strength, and when she was satisfied they would hold, she took a few and began to roll them between her fingers. The strands of coarse hair began to twist, becoming intertwined into a slightly thicker rope of hair.
“Will those hold?” Lara asked with interest.
“They’ll have too,” Ranelle replied, “because I don't have anything else.”
Ranelle worked quietly as the others looked on; Gideon remaining unconscious, his breathing shallow, but steady.
After a few minutes of twisting new hairs in, continuously rolling the strands between her finger and thumb, the thread grew to a usable length. Setting the strands aside for a moment, she pulled out one of the sewing needles. Popping open the small door on the pyrus lantern, she began rolling the needle between her fingers. As she spun the needle, she placed the tip of it in and out of the fire several times until she was sure it was clean, then withdrew it, closing the door on the lantern. She then grabbed the thread of hair, making sure the length was long enough to secure Gideon's wound. Finally, she threaded the needle, knotting the end, making sure the knot was small and tight.
“What's next?” asked Charlie.
“We need to clean the wound thoroughly and all of the surrounding hair.”
Charlie nodded and helped to lift and hold Gideon's head while Lara and Ranelle gently washed the wound and scalp around it more thoroughly than Ranelle had done the first time.
“That should be good,” said Ranelle as Charlie slowly lowered Gideon's head down onto an awaiting cloth. Ranelle then dabbed the wound dry, paying close attention to the area she would have to stitch.
Knowing that the next step was to start sewing, Ranelle took a moment to loosen up, rotating her neck one way, then the other, hearing small cracks and pops. She then shook out her trembling hands, taking several steadying breaths.
“You'll do great,” said Lara, offering Ranelle words of encouragement as she squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
Charlie nodded as he lifted the pyrus lantern from the sandy ground, holding it so that the wound was easier to see.
Ranelle gave a nervous nod, feeling grateful she wasn't alone. “Ready?”
They nodded, Charlie, fastening his grip on the lantern, while Lara stood ready with a bladder full of clean water should Ranelle need it.
Looking down at Gideon's freshly cleaned wound, Ranelle took a mental picture of what she wanted to accomplish. The edges of the cut were smooth, although Ranelle worried about the bunching of skin at one or both ends of the wound. Delicately, she began to suture the wound closed, starting on Gideon's forehead and working her way backward. As she pushed the needle past the hesitation of flesh, her stomach began to churn. Stopping every few stitches, she took time to breathe and make sure the wounds' edges still lined up.
It’s just like sewing a garment, she forced herself to think while stitching, trying desperately to focus her thoughts on anything other than what she was doing.
Continuing, her mouth began to water. Breathing and swallowing repeatedly, Ranelle refused to allow herself to get sick while Gideon’s fate was in her hands. Every few minutes, Lara acted as an aide, gently pressing a clean towel to the wound to absorb any blood or fluid loss.
As Ranelle reached the far edge of Gideon’s injury, she delicately worked the last bit of sewing until the remaining stitches were in place. Tying off the end by making a small knot against the wound, she left the thread loose to avoid any bunching of the skin. The last thing she wanted was to create a horrible lump of a cowlick on the back of his head.
Setting the needle down, fingers coated with fresh blood from her efforts, Ranelle wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm.
“Here,” said Lara, holding out a water bladder so that she could rinse off her hands.
Ranelle gratefully scrubbed her fingers under the stream of water, taking notice of her own paleness. Lara must have made the same observation as she gave Ranelle a pained look before suggesting, “Maybe you should take a break?”
Ranelle shook her head, accepting the water bladder as Lara held out for her. She took several sips, feeling the cold of the water penetrate the warmth of her insides as it traveled down into her belly. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had a drink; her thoughts had been entirely preoccupied with Gideon from the moment he’d ventured off with Abree.
“What's next then?” asked Lara, taking the water bladder back from Ranelle and setting it down.
“I'm going to apply the same poultice to the wound as I did for Charlie,” Ranelle answered, setting down the sewing implements and reaching for the small pot that contained the valuable paste.
“Do you think it’ll still help since he hasn't been poisoned like Charlie was?”
Ranelle shrugged her shoulders. “All I know is that beyond its ability to break down the toxins in those beetles, it has strong healing properties. At this point, it can’t hurt.”
Lara nodded her understanding.
Sitting cross-legged just above Gideon’s head, Ranelle clasped the small pot in her palm, using the other hand to lift off the tiny lid. She laid the cover onto her leg and placed the jar in her lap as she leaned over the wound.
Usually, Gideon’s head was covered in loose, black curls. As they had grown closer, Ranelle had enjoyed gently rubbing her fingertips through his curls while they laid by the pyrus fire. She loved twirling them slowly around her fingers as he told her stories.
That night, however, was different. Ranelle looked down as Gideon lay unconscious, his curls matted and dusty from laying on the beach. She sighed, sliding her fingers into his curls, carefully pulling them away from his incision and holding them back. With her other hand, she used a few fingers to scoop the poultice mixture out of the jar and onto the wound.
Spreading the paste gently, she completely covered his stitches, then wiped her fingers on her pant legs. Next, she pulled a spool of bandages from her satchel. She began wrapping the fabric around Gideon's head, effectively covering the wound while keeping the poultice paste in place. When Ranelle was finished, she gently tucked the end of the wrap back into the bandage, folding the edges down flat and neat.
“What do we do now?” asked Charlie, who looked like he needed a break from holding the lantern. His face was pale and sweaty, and his knees appeared to be shaking.
“Um...” said Ranelle as she turned her attention to Charlie now that Gideon was set for the moment, “I think we should settle down somewhere for a while.”
Lara followed Ranelle's gaze to Charlie, her expression changing as she gave him a worried look. “Where should we camp?”
“I saw a small alcove under the hill back there,” Charlie offered, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder.
Ranelle nodded, hoping smaller quarters might mean a warmer night's sleep than they'd been having.
The three of them slowly got to their feet, stepping toward their injured friend. Each girl supported a shoulder and part of Gideon’s head and neck, Ranelle fumbling along with the lantern as well, while Charlie held up both legs. The three of them struggled back up the beach, holding the fourth, between them.
As they neared the cliff-side, there was a shared sense of relief when they set eyes on the alcove Charlie had seen, although as they got closer, it appeared instead to be a small cave. They rushed forward with their last stores of energy, entering the cave in a rush, knowing they needed to set him down quickly before they dropped him.
“Let's put him down over here,” said Ranelle as she led them to a slanted wall to the far side of the cave.
They lowered him to the cave floor, cushioning his head with Ranelle’s coat and setting down their bags in a heap.
“Should I go back to the beach and grab his weapons?” Charlie panted.
“There weren’t any,” Lara responded with effort as she knelt next to the unconscious teenager.
“You’re sure?” Ranelle asked breathlessly, setting their onl
y lantern in the middle of the cave, sending a stream of light to all corners of their new shelter.
Lara nodded before replying, “I got a good look while you were stitching him up.”
“What are we going to do without them?” Charlie asked with apprehension.
Now that she’d caught her breath, Ranelle stood, looking at Charlie, his pale face contorted with fear. “Don’t worry, we still have our knives…that should be sufficient in case we see any more skincrawlers.”
Charlie gave her a look, but decided it was best not to argue.
“We have this too,” Lara added as she suddenly lifted Gideon’s tunic to reveal a long scabbard hidden underneath.
“How did you know that was there?” Ranelle gasped, her eyebrows lifted in amazement.
“His shirt was bunched weird so I tried to smooth it out, and when I did, I felt something underneath.”
Ranelle knelt at his side, unfastening the scabbard and pulling it out from under Gideon’s clothing. She could tell from the hilt of the sword that rested inside that it was the same one she’d presented to him at station two. Running her fingers over the metal of the hilt, she gazed down at the scabbard, unsure where Gideon had found it.
“I guess he thought it better to keep it on him,” Ranelle commented quietly.
“No doubt because of Abree,” Lara suggested, raising her eyebrows.
Ranelle shrugged. She was unsure as Gideon hadn’t bothered to share it with her. Whatever the reason, she was glad he’d had the good sense to keep it on his body now that the other weapons were unaccounted for.
“See?” Lara said happily, pointing at the sword to show Charlie, “we will be fine.”
The boy nodded, looking somewhat less anxious.
“You need to rest,” said Ranelle pointing at Charlie with a scowl.
Charlie held up his hands, sheepishly, “Okay, okay.” He immediately complied as he left his bags, lowering his tired body onto his own patch of cave floor, sighing deeply.
Pulling the pyrus stove pieces out of one of the bags and handing them to Ranelle, Lara retreated to Charlie's side, helping him to lay out their bedrolls.
After the beds were rolled out, Charlie laid to rest while Lara broke into their rations. Ranelle took the time to set up the stove, folding the legs down and into place and putting the metal dish in the center. She knew they’d all sleep better with a fire to warm them even though all she could think about was laying down with Gideon.
“How much pyrus is left?” Ranelle asked as an afterthought.
“Maybe a few days, if we’re lucky,” Lara replied, pulling a water bladder from her satchel and shaking it in her hands.
Ranelle's hopes plummeted.
Only a few days...what will we do without light or heat?
When she realized how close they were to running out of their most critical resource, Ranelle’s mouth immediately went dry, and her anxiety began to grow.
It was all becoming too much.
With Gideon injured, the others would be looking to her to make decisions. She was their team leader now, and she hated it. She had no idea where they were or where they should go or do next. Up until now, the decisions had been easy to make. Go or stay. Run or die. Now there was no direction. They were lost.
Feeling an overwhelming need to sleep, Ranelle held out her hands toward Lara, snatching the pyrus bladder in midair as the girl tossed to her.
“Good catch!” Lara commented with a grin.
Ranelle forced a smile, twisting off the top and pouring a small amount of their dwindling pyrus supply into the dish. Looking around the cave, she noticed several rocks lying around on the sandy ground. As a new idea came to her, she popped the top back on the pyrus bladder and got to her feet. Collecting rocks from all over the cave, Ranelle placed them in a ring around the outside of the pyrus dish.
“What are those for?” asked Lara as she settled back on her bedroll, keeping her torso elevated by leaning on her elbows.
“With our pyrus running low, I figured I might be able to stretch our supply by heating these rocks while the pyrus burns. Then, the heat from the rocks will warm us instead of adding more fuel.”
“That might work,” Charlie yawned, already stretched out on his bedroll, his eyes closed with arms folded behind his head.
“Hopefully,” Ranelle replied with a small smile, happy that Charlie was getting the rest he needed. As the pale boy began to snooze, Lara let out a long yawn, turning toward Charlie and making herself comfortable.
Ranelle turned back to the stove, reaching for the lantern so that she could ignite the pyrus. She took a small piece of cloth from the bandages in the medicine satchel and opened the little metal door on the lantern, exposing the pyrus flame. Carefully, she ran the piece of dressing through the fire until it lit. She then deftly tossed the material into the new pool of pyrus, watching as brilliant blue and orange flames sprung to life. As the light washed over Ranelle, she felt the comforting warmth that it provided.
Closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the heat, she warmed herself in front of the fire before returning to Gideon. As she rolled out her bedroll, sliding it next to him, she was made suddenly aware that his bedroll was missing along with his weapons. Unwilling to leave him on the cold ground, Ranelle pushed her bed up close to his side, slowly pulling his unconscious body onto her bedroll. This was no small feat for her petite frame. Then, she pulled a blanket from her satchel, covering herself and her unconscious partner, as she scooted in close, pulling the covering up over their shoulders.
Laying her head close to his, taking in his musky scent with each breath she took, she scanned his face with her eyes, hungrily taking in every detail. She noticed the curve of his nose and the smooth surface of his lips. She ran her fingers gently through his ebony curls.
Every moment that Gideon had been away, Ranelle had felt miserable. As if something terrible was about to happen. She’d had an overwhelming feeling of dread, one that she couldn’t shake.
Now, as she watched him, his hair still partially matted with blood and dirt, bruises on his face and a large wound on his head, she couldn't help but feel a sense of remorse. Her stomach churned, and her heart hurt. She felt a torrent welling up behind her eyelids, and her cheeks began to tingle. Overcome with emotion, she scooted even closer to Gideon, laying her head just inches from his. Holding her hand steady, she traced the features of his face gently with her fingertips.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered into the cold air, watching his chest rise and fall with each slow, but steady breath.
She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into the warmth of his shirt.
Ranelle’s mind swirled with fears and questions about what was to come.
Would Gideon wake up? If he did, what would they do then?
Ranelle had so many questions–so many fears. As the worry swirled around, poisoning her mind with self-doubt, she pulled closer to Gideon, feeling an overwhelming need for comfort. Tears surged in her eyes. Squeezing them shut, she still couldn't stop the flood as it broke forth, streaming down her face without challenge. As she cried, she felt the rush of built-up emotions burst forth uncontrollably.
Burying her face into Gideon's chest, she silently wept. Her shoulders arched forward, and she pulled her legs up inside the blanket that covered them both. Staying that way for some time, she wallowed in her sorrow, her mind shaming her, holding her accountable for every mistake she’d made since the cave-in.
Eventually, her sobbing ebbed, and she began to regain some control over herself, feeling a bit of the despair beginning to lift. She tried to focus her mind on a single thought, saying it repeatedly inside her mind, letting the words form a drumbeat. As she repeated the phrase, her body finally began to relax, and the tightness of her muscles began to loosen. She melted into her side of the bedroll as if she hadn’t slept in cycles.
As her fatigued body and mind began to drift into a much-needed sleep, that last thought continued to linger in h
er mind, like a wisp of smoke trailing after an extinguished fire.
I'll never leave you again.
Chapter Nineteen
Several hours passed by while Gideon remained unconscious. The others rested and talked, breaking out the rations when they felt their stomachs aching.
Ranelle checked Gideon's wound every few hours, noting that redness and swelling, the usual signs of an infection, were absent. She took this as proof that the red-needled herb was indeed potent.
“I'm sure you’re just a skilled healer,” replied Lara after Ranelle had voiced her observations.
“Ha,” Ranelle laughed, “if only I was that good...if only it were that easy,”
“Well, there's no sign of infection, so maybe it can be that easy,” smiled Lara.
Charlie nodded.
“I wish it was, but in all reality, his wound should be festering. That beach was the worst place to stitch a wound closed, and yet, there’s not one sign of infection.”
“You sound almost troubled by its success,” said Charlie with a frown.
“Don't get me wrong,” Ranelle clarified, “I'm overjoyed the wound is doing so well, but I was just thinking of all the people back at home. Every day, people in Alysium get sick and die from infections. Even Black Lung is caused by an infection of the lung after breathing in mining dust.”
“I'm surprised to hear you mention home,” said Lara, glancing at Charlie, then back at Ranelle.
As they eyed her curiously, Ranelle felt the need to elaborate.
“I’m amazed by the potency and anti-bacterial properties of the red-needled plant, but it’s not found anywhere in the burrows. If this herb was available to the healers in Stillshade, a lot of people could be helped.”
“So, you're thinking of taking that herb back to Alysium?” Lara frowned.
Ranelle immediately shook her head without hesitation, “No.”
“Then, what’s your dilemma?” Charlie chimed in as he got to his feet to stretch out his legs.
“My dilemma?” Ranelle said with irritation, “is that we are using medicines which could save thousands in Alysium, yet we can’t share them. If I went back, the herb would be used, but then it would just be gone.”
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