by BC Powell
Once I finish with her legs, I empty the first flask by rubbing the liquid all over the cuts on her face and arms. One of her shoulders is badly bruised, probably from the impact with the canyon wall. If it’s dislocated, I don’t want to try to set it now. I worry that getting her shoulder back into place might make her neck worse than it already is.
From the second flask, I dribble a small amount of sap onto my hand and spread it over Tela’s black-and-blue shoulder. Wanting something to brace her neck, I slip the empty canister from around my neck, set it aside, and take off my shirt. After folding it several times, I slide it under Tela’s head.
Kneeling at the top of her head, I coat the back of Tela’s neck with a liberal amount of sap. With both my hands, I slowly press my fingers against the lump that’s sticking out of the spine at the base of her skull. When I pop it back into place, her body jerks stiff and then immediately goes limp. Shivering from the thought that I might have killed her, I lower my ear to the center of her chest.
“Thank God,” I sigh, still hearing a faint heartbeat.
I return to upright and gently slide my fingers up and down the back of her neck. Although there’s a little unevenness, the large bump is gone and her spine feels relatively straight. Using my fingertips, I align the remaining inconsistencies in her vertebrae as best I can. Finally, I grip the sides of her head and gently pull it towards me in an attempt to straighten her neck through makeshift traction. I hold her head in the extended position for a full minute and then rest it on the folded shirt.
Still on my knees, I scoot around to her side. I shake the flask and estimate that only about two sips remain. I drip a little more sap into Tela’s mouth and rub it on the insides of her cheeks and gums.
“Tela, wake up,” I say several times.
Her eyes don’t open and she doesn’t make a sound. Thinking back again to when Larn healed my broken arm, he poured half a canister of sap on the break. I drank the other half. I’ve used far less than that on Tela’s entire body.
Considering how severe her injuries are and the large amount of blood she’s lost, she’ll never live through a journey back to the Delta. If I go on my own and come back with help, the round trip will take at least ten hours. I can’t risk leaving her alone for that long. If she doesn’t die from her injuries, the Murkovin could find her. The only solution is to get more sap as fast as I can.
The wild sap of the Barrens didn’t change Balt into a Murkovin overnight. His transition seemed to be gradual, leading me to the conclusion that it takes a while to fully change a person. As much as I don’t want to, my only option is to use wild sap. Fortunately, I know exactly where to get it.
Chapter 17
“I’ll be back soon,” I say to Tela. “Hang on a little longer.”
I raise the flask that still has a little sap in it to my lips. One large gulp drips into my mouth. I clip all four flasks to my belt, carefully take Tela’s empty canister from over her shoulder, and find mine on the ground. After standing to my feet, I drape the canisters around my neck.
As I step into the tunnel, I stop to look back at Tela. If she regains consciousness, I don’t want her to wake up in the dark. But if a Murkovin pokes around the rocks, they might see the light.
“Dark,” I say, trying the opposite of the word that ignited the purple.
The light fades away, leaving a dull silhouette of Tela on the ground. I feel my way through the tunnel until I reach the end. Before stepping through the seam in the boulders, I listen for any sounds. Not hearing anything, I slither outside to the gully.
After surveying the hillside above me and the ravine ledge on the other side, I break into a sprint to the south. Almost immediately, I stop and spin around. Nothing is moving behind me, but I wanted to make sure that no one was in hiding and waiting for me to show myself.
Keeping my traveling speed to a minimum, I eventually reach the canyon that I escaped through with Tela. I find a spot to cross to the other side and then return to the area where we first saw the transport. On a hilltop about a mile away from where Tela fell over the cliff, I search the wasteland for any sign of Murkovin. Far in the distance to the east, I spot a single blur of light, but it’s heading away from me.
Sprinting from large boulder to large boulder and pausing behind each one, I descend the hill and cross the uneven ground to the outside of the low hills surrounding the tree and transport. Careful not to disturb a single rock or make a sound, I climb to the top of a knoll on the southern side of where the tree stands. When I reach the crest, I peek over a rocky ridge.
On the far side of the tree, three Murkovin sit together on the side of another hill. I’m certain it’s the same three who were standing on the ledge when I rescued Tela from the canyon. Two are dressed in ragged, black clothes, and the third only in a pair of pants. All of them have steel spears in their hands.
The body of the Murkovin Tela wounded is no longer by the tree. I don’t know if he died or was taken somewhere to heal, but I don’t care. What I need right now is a weapon, but there aren’t any spears on the ground by the tree. At the very least, mine should be there and probably the wounded creature’s as well. It occurs to me that maybe the Murkovin haven’t gone to the canyon to retrieve the spears they threw at me and are using the two that should be by the tree.
I creep back down to the bottom of the hill, run around it, and then jog up the slope of another hill to the edge of the deep canyon. Tela’s spear is still lying on the dirt at the bottom as well as the two Murkovin weapons that were thrown at me. I have no intention of fighting the beasts, but I’ll feel better if I have one with me. More importantly, a spear will help the plan that’s taking shape in my mind.
I run along the ledge of the canyon to the north. When I reach the same place that I jumped from before, I spring into the gully. I travel to the spears, snatch two from the ground, and return to the area by the Murkovin camp. This time, I stop outside the northern side of the circle of low hills. If the Murkovin haven’t moved, they should be sitting on the other side of the hill that’s in front of me.
While examining the base of the hill, I see several boulders large enough for a person to hide behind. Staying low to the ground, I jog to one of the rocks and stab a spear in the dirt behind it. I adjust the exposed tip so that only a few inches of steel stick out above the top of the rock, but enough to be seen from the hilltop.
Taking the other spear with me, I quietly climb the slope and look over the top. With their backs facing me, the Murkovin are still sitting in the same spot they were before. After backing a few feet away from the crest, I crawl fifty yards to my left. Along the way, I gather a few baseball-sized stones.
I climb into a shallow wash that’s been formed by rainwater running down the hill. Once inside, I decide it’s deep enough that the Murkovin won’t see me from where I hope they go. I slide on my stomach to the very top of the hill and check to make sure the creatures are still in the same place. Finding that they haven’t moved, I scoot a few feet down from the crest and sit upright.
One after the other, I rapid-fire the small stones at the boulder that I left the spear behind. Loud, clacking sounds ring out when each rock hits its mark. As soon as the last one leaves my hand, I flatten my body inside the narrow wash.
I inch my way up to the top of the hill again. Through a crack between two rocks on the crest, I watch the shirtless Murkovin scurry to the top of the hill. He locks his eyes on the tip of the spear that I left behind the boulder and then waves an arm for the others to join him.
The two Murkovin climb the hill to where the shirtless one stands. Spreading out a few feet from each other, they step down the slope towards the spear. When they’re halfway to the bottom, I slither over the top of the hill to the other side. I rise to a crouch and quietly but hastily make my way down the slope. As I near the bottom of the hill, I glance back at the top. The Murkovin haven’t reappeared and should still be on the other side looking for someone who isn’t th
ere.
I dash across the small flat space to the tree. After stopping with my back to the front of the transport, I grab one of the handles with my empty hand. With my other hand, I clamp the spear to the second transport handle. Once I’m sure I can keep everything in my grip, I take off running. Never once looking back, I scorch into the light.
I weave through a short valley and then bank to the south. Staying away from high ground, I angle towards the west. I look over my shoulders several times but don’t see anyone behind me. When I reach the end of the long canyon I escaped through with Tela, I cross to the other side.
In case I’m seen, I don’t want to stop anywhere near the cavern that Tela is hidden in. I weave through the hills until I’m about two hundred miles southwest of the cave. I coast to a stop in front of a deep wash carved in the side of an enormous hill. I drag the transport inside the rocky walls to conceal it as best I can.
Kneeling between the handles, I fill the empty canisters and flasks from the release valve at the front of the transport. When the last one is full, I consider drinking some for myself. After a brief internal debate, I decide not to have any wild sap until it’s absolutely necessary.
I speed back to the gully where I left Tela and come out of my blend roughly half a mile from the entrance to the cavern. While jogging the rest of the way, I glance around for Murkovin. Even though I want to get back to Tela as fast I can, I stop near the pile of boulders and wait a full minute to see if anyone else appears. Once I decide that I’m safely alone, I squeeze through the opening in the rocks and hurry through the tunnel to the cave.
“Light,” I call out when I enter.
As purple shimmers across the walls of the cavern, I drop my spear to the ground and fall on my knees beside Tela. Holding my breath, I rest my ear on her chest to listen for a heartbeat. I slowly exhale with relief when I hear a weak but steady thump.
Using an entire canister of sap, I rub the liquid on her legs, arms, and shoulders. The swelling around her broken ankle has gone down a little and her other leg hasn’t bled anymore. The sap I already used on her seems to be having the miraculous healing effect that it should.
I rub more on the back of her neck and spread tiny globs over the insides of her lips. After rubbing my sap-soaked fingertips under her tongue, I try to figure out a way to use the spear to open a small hole in her body and inject sap into her bloodstream. When a faint moan vibrates from Tela’s throat, I abandon that idea.
“Tela,” I say. “Can you open your eyes?”
“Chase,” she murmurs.
“You need to drink sap.”
Her eyes open into tiny amber slits. I hold the canister to her lips and drizzle about a teaspoon into her mouth.
“Swallow,” I say. “You have to get it down.”
She clenches her jaw and strains her neck muscles while struggling to get down one gulp. As it goes down her throat, she trembles from the pain.
“Your neck is broken,” I say. “Don’t try to talk. If you think you can swallow another sip, blink twice.”
Her eyelids slowly close, open again, and then close once more. When they re-open, I press the steel to her lower lip. Barely tilting the canister up, I dribble a little more sap onto her tongue. She gags trying to swallow it, so I lift the back of her head two inches off the ground. Her body convulses from the movement and she squeezes her eyes shut, but she manages to swallow the sap. I lower her head to the pillow again.
“I think that’s enough for now,” I say. “Get a little strength back first. We’ll try again later.”
With her eyelids half closed, she tries to focus her eyes on me. “Don’t leave,” she whispers.
“I won’t,” I say. “I’m right beside you.
After she closes her eyes, I lean my face down so that my lips are beside her ear.
“You’re safe,” I say. “I won’t let you die.”
She pushes the back of her hand against my leg. I tenderly take it into my grasp and hold it until she falls asleep. After her hand goes limp, I lay it on the ground.
After crawling to one side of the cavern, I lean my back against the wall. For several hours, I sit and watch Tela sleep. Every half hour, I check to make sure that her breathing and heartbeat are still there. Each time I find they are, my mind is put a little more at ease.
Although I fight to stay awake as long as I can, complete exhaustion finally sets in. Unable to avoid the inevitable any longer, I close my eyes.
Chapter 18
I’m disoriented when I wake up and have no idea how long I slept. The gloomy purple light is an instant reminder of where I am and the desperate situation we’re in. After scooting over to Tela, I lay one hand on the center of her chest. It’s hard to tell with her sleeping, but her breathing seems to be a little stronger than it was the last time I checked.
My body aches as I stand to my feet, just one sign of how depleted I feel. I peek into the tunnel to make sure no one has come inside and then sit back down beside Tela. Looking at the full canister resting beside her head, I decide not to drink any wild sap until I know more about how she’s doing.
“Tela,” I say in a hushed voice. “Wake up.”
When she doesn’t immediately respond, I repeat her name several times and lightly run my fingers over her cheek. Her skin is crusty with a mixture of dried blood and sap. She finally blinks her eyes open, but they’re glassy and distant.
“Where are we?” she asks in a weak, raspy voice
“Try to drink some sap before you talk.”
I pick up the full canister, twist off the top, and slip a hand under her neck. As I tilt her head a few inches forward, she gnashes her teeth. When she opens her mouth, I drip a little sap onto her tongue. She chokes at first while trying to swallow, but soon forces it down. Over and over, she agonizingly gulps the small amounts that I trickle into her mouth. Her cheeks flush from the fresh energy in her blood.
“No more,” she whispers after about a quarter of the canister is gone.
I lower her head to the pillow. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”
“What happened?” she groggily asks.
“When we tried to get away from the Murkovin, you went over a cliff and crashed into a canyon wall.”
She shudders and closes her eyes, probably from the memory of going over the cliff returning to her. “I hit my blend before I saw the cliff. I couldn’t stop in time.”
“I barely stopped or we’d both be dead.”
“Where are we?” she asks, reopening her eyes.
“I found a hidden cavern,” I answer. “I didn’t think you’d live through the trip back to the Delta.”
“How bad am I?”
Not wanting her to panic, I try to keep my voice even and calm. “One of your legs has a compound fracture. The other ankle is broken. I set them both while you were passed out. Your neck is broken. I did as much as I could to fix it. I think your right shoulder is dislocated, but I didn’t want to work on it until you were stronger. Tell me if there’s anything else that feels injured.”
Her eyes wander around the cavern while she inhales a few shallow breaths. “I think my left ribs are cracked.”
“Do you feel like they punctured your lungs?” I ask.
“No. They’re just sore.”
“Then we can deal with that when we fix your shoulder. I don’t know if I should have, but I’ve been using wild sap on you. I didn’t have any other choice.”
“Where did you get it?” she asks.
“I stole the transport we saw,” I answer. “I tricked the Murkovin into thinking I was on the other side of the hill from them. When they went to look for me, I took it.”
“You’re very resourceful,” she murmurs.
“Thanks,” I say. “Right now, let’s just worry about getting you better.”
Like she did before she went to sleep, she rubs the back of her hand against my leg. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
“You don’t need to thank me, bu
t you’re welcome. Besides, you saved my life at the tree.”
“It was stupid of me to stop,” she says.
“Don’t blame yourself. I would have stopped if I saw what you did.”
“Thanks,” she whispers.
I sympathetically smile at her. “I want to do some more work on you while you’re awake. How does your neck feel?”
As soon as she starts to lift her head from the pillow, her body tenses and her eyes water. “I can’t move my head.”
“Don’t worry about trying now,” I say. “The inflammation needs to go down first. Just stay still, try to relax, and let me know if anything I do hurts too much.”
I stand up and cross the cavern to the small spill of water. Bringing handful after handful of water back to Tela, I wash the bloodstains off her face, arms, and legs. Using the tip of the spear to rip the fabric, I cut her pants leg off above the knee on the leg with the broken ankle.
After rubbing sap on both her legs and checking that the bones seem to be straight, I find two football-sized stones on the side of the cavern. With the fabric I just cut from her pants and the strip I tore off the other leg when we first arrived here, I cover the two rocks. I place them under her knees to prop up her legs in a more comfortable position.
Kneeling above her head, I gently massage several handfuls of sap on the back of her neck. Using my fingers, I again try to align any inconsistencies in the vertebrae of her upper spine. Any time she flinches or cries out, I stop for a few seconds to let her recover. I then carefully extend her neck in a round of traction while she talks me through the amount of tension that doesn’t cause her too much pain.
Once I finish with her neck, I scoot to the side of her body. I pour the last of the canister on my palm and slip my hand under her shirt. As I gently rub it over her broken ribs, Tela lets out a soft groan.
