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Page 42
Chapter 42
Kristana: “not a moment too soon”
Although it was mid-morning now, there was a chilly wind blowing across the rooftop. She ignored it as she returned the salute from Jenkins. “Any more reports come in, Steven?”
“Not yet, Governor. Just the one that let us know your daughter's safe. No word on the wizard or his apprentice, but I'm sure we'll hear more soon.”
“I'll leave you to it, then.”
Where are you, Xander? We know you found them or Aria wouldn't have gotten away. But why weren't you with her? As always, thoughts of the wizard and her daughter were entwined in her mind. How could it be otherwise? Aria was safe, but what if something had happened to him? She had no other wizard. Perhaps someday Lester would be able to relieve him as head wizard, if he survived. But not yet. Xander was irreplaceable.
Are you sure you mean that in a military sense?
The intruding thought made her heart leap. Where are you?
I'll be there in a minute. The thought was colored with pain. I've been shot.
She sprang toward the stairwell, the guard standing near the door jerked involuntarily in surprise as she nearly pounced on him. “Get the doctor. Wound kit. Move!” He gaped at her, then dashed inside.
She stared around the roof, looking for something soft for Xander to land on. He'd be coming in sloppy, probably barely hanging on, from the pain she'd sensed. If this had been ground level, there would have been hay for horses, but on this bare rooftop she saw nothing suitable. Grimacing from the cold, she whipped off her jacket and threw it down. “Steven! Get over here and take off your jacket!”
He hurried over, puzzlement clear on his face but obeying.
In moments they could hear the deep roar of Xander's staff. She swung her head around and located him coming from the southeast, barely over the rooftops of the other downtown buildings. Pull up or you'll hit the wall!
Either he heard her thought or realized at the last minute that he was too low. The staff curved up toward the roof and cleared the railing by inches. He flew straight at her and she stepped aside at the last second and reached out to grab him. Both of them tumbled to the roof. The staff flew out of his fingers and slid across the roof and tried to push through the low wall around the top of the building.
Xander flopped over on his back. His eyes fluttered open. “Are you all right? Sorry about the landing.”
The front of his clothes were sticky with blood. “Shut up, you old fool,” she said. “Where is that doctor? If he forgets his kit I swear I'll throw him off the roof myself!”
In a minute or so the stairwell door banged open and Doctor Daniels burst out, followed by Steven. He hurried over to them and set his bag down on the roof as he examined the wound.
“Stay conscious. Don't pass out on me. How'd this happen?”
“Shot from behind,” Xander managed. “Careless of me.”
“Roll him on his side.” They pulled his cloak off and the doctor located the entry wound. He pulled herbs and bottles out of the bag and set to work.
“How bad is it?” Kristana asked him, not caring if it sounded like a dumb question.
“Could be worse. Looks like it missed his heart. Of course it did. He'd be dead already if it hadn't. From what I saw, it looks like he broke the shaft and removed it himself. He's still bleeding, though. Hand me that rose bark. Thanks. Lucky for you your daughter started a herb garden last year. Even luckier we have too many roses.”
“Why?”
“Rose bark's a natural astringent. Helps stop the bleeding.” He poured something from a bottle on the back wound, then shoved fresh leaves on top of the shredded rose bark and taped it down. “The oil's a mixture of extract from oregano, cloves, and cinnamon. Natural disinfectants.” Daniels spread clean paper on the roof and rolled Xander's back on top of it to get at the chest wound. Pulling a washcloth out of his bag, he doused it with the oil mixture and cleaned the exit wound as best he could. Grim and focused, he darted hands into the bag again, pulling out more rose bark, herbs and tape, packing the wound and binding it shut.
“Can we move him now?” she asked.
Daniels pursed his lips. “Ordinarily, I'd say no,” he said. “Not until the bleeding slows. But it's cold out here and he's stressed enough as it is. We'll get a stretcher under him and get him inside in a bit.”
Xander opened his eyes again. “They got Lester,” he muttered. “Someone has to go after him.” He tried to move and coughed up some blood.
“Shut up,” said the doctor. “You've got a punctured lung, you idiot. Unless you know some healing magic you're not going anywhere for quite a while.” He turned to face the Governor. “Post some guards if you have to. If this moron tries to stand up and slip out, tie him to the bed.”
“He won't get away,” she assured him. “Steven, go find a stretcher or get someone to help you make one.”
“Don't take him back to his own rooms,” the doctor cautioned. “Move him as little as you can. Just get him down to the top floor and out of the cold.”
“He's lost a lot of blood,” she said. “Can we do anything about that?”
“I'd like to,” he replied. “But if I remember correctly, he has O negative blood. Any other kind would kill him.”
“So I guess I can't donate,” she said. “I'm A positive.”
“Nope. The Ancients had machines to filter out the red blood cells so they could give just plasma. That would resupply electrolytes, nutrients, platelets for clotting, and such. But we don't have that these days. All I can do is siphon whole blood.”
“Who else in the building has O negative? There must be someone.”
“It's not common,” he said. “The only person I can remember offhand is your daughter Aria, and she's not here. He's just going to have to hold on until we find someone else.”