Alex’s Injuries
Stumbling on the ragged earth, she rushed over to join Aydo. On the ground was her older brother, still clad in his armor and helmet. She crouched down and carefully lifted the helmet from his head, revealing a mud-covered, blood-splattered face. She put her fingers to his neck and felt for a pulse. “He’s alive!” she cried. “Alex…can you hear me? Alex?” said spoke, gently shaking his shoulders.
He coughed and his eyes flickered open to a slit. “Zoë?” he groaned.
“Yes, Alex, I’m here. Are you injured?”
“My leg…” he motioned to his right side.
Zoë removed his boots and socks. His right foot was dark purple and oozing pus from the heel. “Grab my horse,” she shouted to her counterparts. “Help me get him on - I need to take him back to camp now!”
Alex screamed in pain as he was lifted up. Zoë quickly climbed up behind him and sprinted towards base camp. Upon arriving she hurried over to the healing tent. Two helpers were waiting outside. “Help me get him onto the table,” she demanded with desperation in her voice. Alex was lifted onto to the table as Zoë cleaned her hands. “Get his armor off,” she ordered as she took a knife to his right trouser leg. Her eyes widened in shock - his entire lower leg below the knee looked like a purple and green lump.
“What? What is it?” he asked.
Zoë remained silent, staring at Alex with concern. “Zoë, what is it?”
“We have to amputate it. The leg is dead and starting to rot. If we don’t remove it, the disease will spread to the rest of your body.”
“What? No…No! You can save it; you have to!”
“Alex, it’s already dead. There is no saving it.” Zoë turned around and shouted to a helper, “Get my father!”
Though Zoë was a skilled healer, she never had to amputate a limb. Practicing on her brother was not the time to start. With much protest from Alex, Zoë began stripping his shirt from his body, looking for other injuries. He had several bruises and scrapes on his chest and back, but nothing else serious. When she reached to take his trousers off, he stopped her. “Alex, I have to clean the area and look for other injuries,” she responded.
He looked at her in the eye with an embarrassment and plea only a brother could have for his sister. “Alex, this is not the time to be worried about me…seeing you!”
He continued to plea with his eyes. “Oh good lord!” She turned to a male helper. “Take his trousers off and put a towel over his waist,” she hissed. “You always were stubborn, Alex.”
“There are some things a sister should never know about or see on her brother.”
The helper let her know it was okay to turn around. She began to wash his legs, being careful not to climb too high up.
“Goddam it, Zoë!” he shouted in pain as she wiped down his battered leg.
“That’s no way to talk to your sister,” Keio reprimanded as he walked into the tent. “She’s only trying to help.”
He strode over to the table and began to examine Alex’s leg. “Please save it,” Alex begged his father, sounding the slightest bit hopeful.
“I’m afraid I cannot, Alex. It’s diseased and dying. If the disease reaches the rest of your body, it would mean certain death.”
Alex laid his head back down and began weeping. He felt that although he was alive, his life was coming to an abrupt end. A life without mobility was no life at all. “I’m sorry, Alex. We’ll help you through this,” Keio commented, seeming to understand what his son was thinking.
Alex could only nod. Zoë wiped his tears as they fell down his face. “Zoë, we need some letnaleaf,” Keio calmly ordered.
Zoë walked over to a shelf that held bottles of various sizes and colors. Choosing and opening one she pulled out a few small, dark green ovate-shaped leaves. Once again at Alex’s side, she ordered him to chew up the leaf. He cringed. “I thought you were trying to heal me, not poison me,” he coughed out.
“We are,” Zoë answered. “It may not taste great, but it will take some pain away.”
“Some?” Alex emphasized. “Don’t you two have anything that will take it all away?”
There was no response other than a shared concerned look between Zoë and Keio.
As they waited from the letnaleaf to take effect, Keio cleaned his tools and began heating a knife for the operation. He pressed in areas below Alex’s knee. “Can you feel this?”
Alex shook his head. Zoë grabbed his hand and held a U-shaped wooden piece to his mouth. “Bite down on this.”
He obeyed. A rather large helper came over and held Alex’s body down.
Keio took the red-hot knife from the fire and positioned it over Alex’s leg. Alex could feel the heat of the curved blade before any cut was made. He began to tremble in fear. Keio made the first sizzling slice into Alex’s infected leg. A small bit of smoke rose up from the site along with a putrid stench. Alex released a blood-curling scream from his throat as the pain embodied all his senses. Blood and green pus spurted from the cut, and the scent of burning flesh wafted into the room. Tears were streaming out of his eyes, and Zoë’s hand was being crushed.
Keio made another deep slice, curving the blade around to the inside of the leg. More blood flowed, more pus oozed, and more screams deafened. Alex began thrashing on the table, despite the attempts to hold him down. “Father, it’s too painful for him,” she pleaded.
Keio paused and for a moment darkness clouded over his intense eyes. He knew what Zoë wanted to give him - a new anesthetic derived from the Vetle plant. Though made with different parts of the plant than Vetle paste, the association with the paste made Keio weary. The addictive properties of the anesthetic had not been assessed. He had promised himself never to subject himself nor anyone else to any type of addiction. “Please, Father.”
“Do it,” he finally responded. Zoë quickly mixed a few drops of a dark red juice with some water. She took the wooden bite from Alex’s mouth ordered him to swallow the concoction. In a matter of minutes, Alex’s body settled into a state of deep relaxation, and he drifted off to sleep.
Keio sighed and finished cutting the soft muscle tissue before sawing through the bone. He tied off the major blood vessels and cauterized the smaller ones, then stitched the loose flaps of skin together over the stump. After cleaning and bandaging the end of the leg, Keio had the helpers move Alex to the resting tent which he and Zoë cleaned up.
For his own curiosity, Keio examined the amputated leg and dissected it. The bones were brittle and pitted. It was as if something had started dissolving them
He coughed and his eyes flickered open to a slit. “Zoë?” he groaned.
“Yes, Alex, I’m here. Are you injured?”
“My leg…” he motioned to his right side.
Zoë removed his boots and socks. His right foot was dark purple and oozing pus from the heel. “Grab my horse,” she shouted to her counterparts. “Help me get him on - I need to take him back to camp now!”
Alex screamed in pain as he was lifted up. Zoë quickly climbed up behind him and sprinted towards base camp. Upon arriving she hurried over to the healing tent. Two helpers were waiting outside. “Help me get him onto the table,” she demanded with desperation in her voice. Alex was lifted onto to the table as Zoë cleaned her hands. “Get his armor off,” she ordered as she took a knife to his right trouser leg. Her eyes widened in shock - his entire lower leg below the knee looked like a purple and green lump.
“What? What is it?” he asked.
Zoë remained silent, staring at Alex with concern. “Zoë, what is it?”
“We have to amputate it. The leg is dead and starting to rot. If we don’t remove it, the disease will spread to the rest of your body.”
“What? No…No! You can save it; you have to!”
“Alex, it’s already dead. There is no saving it.” Zoë turned around and shouted to a helper, “Get my father!”
Though Zoë was a skilled healer, she never had to amputate a limb. Practicing on her brother was not the time to start. With much protest from Alex, Zoë began stripping his shirt from his body, looking for other injuries. He had several bruises and scrapes on his chest and back, but nothing else serious. When she reached to take his trousers off, he stopped her. “Alex, I have to clean the area and look for other injuries,” she responded.
He looked at her in the eye with an embarrassment and plea only a brother could have for his sister. “Alex, this is not the time to be worried about me…seeing you!”
He continued to plea with his eyes. “Oh good lord!” She turned to a male helper. “Take his trousers off and put a towel over his waist,” she hissed. “You always were stubborn, Alex.”
“There are some things a sister should never know about or see on her brother.”
The helper let her know it was okay to turn around. She began to wash his legs, being careful not to climb too high up.
“Goddam it, Zoë!” he shouted in pain as she wiped down his battered leg.
“That’s no way to talk to your sister,” Keio reprimanded as he walked into the tent. “She’s only trying to help.”
He strode over to the table and began to examine Alex’s leg. “Please save it,” Alex begged his father, sounding the slightest bit hopeful.
“I’m afraid I cannot, Alex. It’s diseased and dying. If the disease reaches the rest of your body, it would mean certain death.”
Alex laid his head back down and began weeping. He felt that although he was alive, his life was coming to an abrupt end. A life without mobility was no life at all. “I’m sorry, Alex. We’ll help you through this,” Keio commented, seeming to understand what his son was thinking.
Alex could only nod. Zoë wiped his tears as they fell down his face. “Zoë, we need some letnaleaf,” Keio calmly ordered.
Zoë walked over to a shelf that held bottles of various sizes and colors. Choosing and opening one she pulled out a few small, dark green ovate-shaped leaves. Once again at Alex’s side, she ordered him to chew up the leaf. He cringed. “I thought you were trying to heal me, not poison me,” he coughed out.
“We are,” Zoë answered. “It may not taste great, but it will take some pain away.”
“Some?” Alex emphasized. “Don’t you two have anything that will take it all away?”
There was no response other than a shared concerned look between Zoë and Keio.
As they waited from the letnaleaf to take effect, Keio cleaned his tools and began heating a knife for the operation. He pressed in areas below Alex’s knee. “Can you feel this?”
Alex shook his head. Zoë grabbed his hand and held a U-shaped wooden piece to his mouth. “Bite down on this.”
He obeyed. A rather large helper came over and held Alex’s body down.
Keio took the red-hot knife from the fire and positioned it over Alex’s leg. Alex could feel the heat of the curved blade before any cut was made. He began to tremble in fear. Keio made the first sizzling slice into Alex’s infected leg. A small bit of smoke rose up from the site along with a putrid stench. Alex released a blood-curling scream from his throat as the pain embodied all his senses. Blood and green pus spurted from the cut, and the scent of burning flesh wafted into the room. Tears were streaming out of his eyes, and Zoë’s hand was being crushed.
Keio made another deep slice, curving the blade around to the inside of the leg. More blood flowed, more pus oozed, and more screams deafened. Alex began thrashing on the table, despite the attempts to hold him down. “Father, it’s too painful for him,” she pleaded.
Keio paused and for a moment darkness clouded over his intense eyes. He knew what Zoë wanted to give him - a new anesthetic derived from the Vetle plant. Though made with different parts of the plant than Vetle paste, the association with the paste made Keio weary. The addictive properties of the anesthetic had not been assessed. He had promised himself never to subject himself nor anyone else to any type of addiction. “Please, Father.”
“Do it,” he finally responded. Zoë quickly mixed a few drops of a dark red juice with some water. She took the wooden bite from Alex’s mouth ordered him to swallow the concoction. In a matter of minutes, Alex’s body settled into a state of deep relaxation, and he drifted off to sleep.
Keio sighed and finished cutting the soft muscle tissue before sawing through the bone. He tied off the major blood vessels and cauterized the smaller ones, then stitched the loose flaps of skin together over the stump. After cleaning and bandaging the end of the leg, Keio had the helpers move Alex to the resting tent which he and Zoë cleaned up.
For his own curiosity, Keio examined the amputated leg and dissected it. The bones were brittle and pitted. It was as if something had started dissolving them