The Landen Village of Agio, Askavi, Kaeleer, Thursday Afternoon [Fandom Time]
The situation, as haltingly described by both Karla and Lucivar, was dire. Even with Karla and Jaenelle restricting their Craft to the most life-threatening of injuries, there were still a double-handful or more upstairs who were in immediate danger, in addition to the hundreds below who were still grievously wounded. Six thousand Jhinka were outside, willing to fling themselves at the shield and certain death, simply to wear away at it and bring it crashing down.
Lucivar was wearing his Birthright Red Jewels, the Ebon-gray drained almost to the point of shattering, and the reservoir in the Red was precipitously low, too. Karla's Sapphire no longer glowed with its usual inner light; she barely had enough Craft left to light a candle.
Food had run out the day before. The well had dried up that morning. Anything edible that the three of them had carried with them was long since devoured.
And still the psychic witch storm howled on outside, cutting them off from communicating with anyone.
More help would arrive in hours, but honestly? They didn't have that long.
Landens
It was hard to ignore the cries of the wounded, if for no other reason than because they were everywhere. None of the wounds were fatal, but some were still dire nonetheless; without treatment, limbs would be lost, eyes would go blind, bones would heal badly. There were limits even to Jaenelle’s Craft, and while she and Karla fought to keep those on the brink of death from falling over, the other injured went without. Mari and her few lightly-injured companions did all they could, but they lacked equipment, skill, and numbers.
Regardless of how little people knew of medicine or first aid, there was plenty enough to do.
Raven
Raven had never seen such carnage before. Even when she'd been imprisoned on Quasa, the world her father had conquered, she'd felt numbing amounts of fear and misery, but few had resisted the conquest, and the bloodshed had been minimal. And when Trigon had destroyed Xynthia, it had been over in an instant, not this prolonged suffering.
She moved from body to body, taking in their pain. But there were so many more, and she didn't have the strength to heal them all. She was going to try, however.
Mari
"Lady." The landen female with her arm in a sling bobbed a quick curtsy at Raven, her eyes immediately going to the Red Jewel on Raven's forehead. "Lady, may I assist you? I still have one good arm, should you need someone to do your bidding."
Raven
"You will help me better with two arms," Raven said gently, touching her hand to the woman's shoulder. She was conserving her power for the most grievous of injuries, but to have a helper who was whole would be invaluable. And there was no way she could resist the instinct to heal someone who was standing right in front of her.
She hissed as she felt the pain shift to her own arm and cradled it against her body, willing the injury to vanish.
"There," she said with a soft smile. "Now you can aid me by bandaging the wounds of those who have minor injuries."
Mari
"Oh thank you, my Lady," she said, looking up at Raven in wonderment. Even the Lady Jaenelle couldn't heal things quite so quickly. She stretched her arm and wiggled her fingers, marveling at the ease with which she could do so. The deep knife wound that had threatened to sever tendon and muscle was gone. "I'm Mari," she said, bobbing a curtsy. "My Gran was an herb-woman, so I know a bit about setting bones and wrapping bandages and the like."
Raven
"And I am Raven," she said, inclining her head. "Though I wish we might have met under more pleasant circumstances." She glanced around at the injured, biting at her lip. "There are so many, and it is too much for me to heal them all. So I welcome any aid in stabilizing those who are not in immediate danger."
Mari
Mari didn't mention how unlikely it would have been for them to meet under any other circumstances. Lady Jaenelle stopped by every few weeks, along with several of her friends to help teach Khevin Craft, but she'd never brought any of her female friends along.
"I'll do as much I can, Lady," Mari said with a nod. "Most of the more immediate wounds have been treated already, but there are still grave injuries yet."
Raven
"Take me to those who are most in need of healing," Raven said. "My gifts are strong -- I will do the most good there." She took a deep breath to steady herself; this would not be easy.
Mari
Mari bobbed another curtsy. "Of course, Lady," she said, leading her down the brief space between makeshift pallets.
There was no organization to where people lay. So long as they were downstairs, they had been Healed of anything immediately life threatening, though the injuries that remained were still enough to threaten limbs and livelihood.
"Here's one," Mari said, stopping by a female laying on a pile of clothing. Her stomach was a red ruin. After seeing the slash has missed her vitals, Karla and Jaenelle had reluctantly sent her downstairs to be bandaged as best someone could.
Raven
Raven knelt beside the woman, gingerly touching her hands to her stomach, staining her fingertips with blood. "I will help her," she murmured, not hesitating to draw her injuries into herself. She stiffened as she felt the slashes open up her own stomach, but she didn't falter. The wounds began to close, the woman's flesh -- and her own -- mending.
Woman
The woman on the floor gasped and bolted upright, her hands immediately going to her stomach, feeling for herself the closed and mended skin. "My Lady, my Lady," she said, tears already tracking down her cheeks. She reached out to clasp Raven's hand. "Thank you so very much!"
Raven
"You are very welcomed," Raven said with a tired smile, letting the woman take her hand. "Please, if you can, assist with those who have minor injuries. If you see someone who is in need of healing, alert me. I am Raven."
Woman
"Raven, Lady Raven, you are a miracle," the woman said, dropping grateful kisses and tears on Raven's hand. "I cannot thank you enough."
She scrambled to her feet. "If there are bandages enough, I can see what I can do."
Raven
Raven's cheeks flushed pink, embarrassed by the woman's gratitude, but pleased as well. It was a pleasant feeling compared to all the suffering around her. "Your well-being is all the thanks I need," she said.
A vision of the smallest bodies outside flashed before her eyes. "I will be here, tending to those I can," she said. "If you see any children who are injured, I will wish to aid them first."
Mari
The woman nodded and bobbed another curtsy at Raven again. Mari appeared at Raven's side. "Excuse me, Lady, but there is another one of your companions?" She pointed at Gabrielle. "She has organized many of the patients into some kind of order in severity of injuries. Might that be helpful to you?"
Raven
"Yes, very much so, thank you," Raven said. "I will speak to her immediately." She gave Mari a reassuring touch to her arm and then hurried over to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle could have been out there fighting, but it was hard to ignore the wounded, and her sense of sympathy for them was much stronger than any impulse she had to go out there and swing her staff.
"I could use some help here," she called out, trying to emulate Xena's authoritative tone, and swallowing back any bile that rose in her throat from memories of that awful siege in the Mitoan temple. "If someone can help assess the wounded and figure out who needs treatment soonest -- who needs magic healing immediately, or who can be tended to with simpler methods?"
Yeah, that's right. Who invented triage? That would be the Warrior Princess.
Mari
After leading Raven to a patient, Mari rushed over to help the other young lady who was asking for assistance. "I am here, my Lady. What is it that I can do to assist?"
Gabrielle
"Have we got everyone separated out?" asked Gabrielle. "I haven't got any magic, but I can patch up anyone who doesn't need that kind of attention. Save your energy for the ones who need it."
Raven
Mari had returned to Raven to tell her what Gabrielle had been doing, and Raven soon joined her as she organized the injured. "I have been trying to tend to the most seriously injured," she said. "You have been finding those most in need, Gabrielle?" She could sense their pain, but with so much suffering around her, it was hard to sort out.
Gabrielle
"I'm trying," Gabrielle answered, looking up from the injured woman she'd started tending. "She's -- she's lost a lot of blood. I'm trying to stop it, but there's only so much I can do at this point, I-I'm trying, but . . ."
Raven
"Let me," Raven said gently, sinking to her knees beside the woman to begin to heal her wounds. The blood loss made her head spin dizzily, and when she was done, she had to brace a hand on the floor to keep herself from toppling over.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle reached out to put a hand on Raven's shoulder in support. "There's so many of them," she said, closer to despair than she liked to let herself come. "I'm doing what I can to stop it from getting this bad, but . . . are you going to be all right? Do you need some time to rest?"
Raven
"There is no time to rest," Raven said, trying her best to sound reassuring. "I will be all right. It will pass quickly." There were so many more who needed her aid, and she would not stop until she had healed them all.
Gabrielle
"No, you listen to me," Gabrielle insisted. "These people need your abilities -- Karla needs you, too, and you are not burning yourself out on my watch."
The situation was bringing it out of her -- this was the same kind of stubbornness that got Xena to give in.
"There are other healers here. Just take a few minutes, please?" she asked. "One or two. You won't be of any help to anyone if you're too exhausted to do your job."
At least Raven was less exasperating than the last incredibly recalcitrant healer she'd had to deal with, but she wasn't hauling people willy-nilly up onto an altar and praying for a god to grant the knowledge of how to treat the injury.
Raven
"There are people whose injuries cannot wait!" Raven protested passionately. "I will now allow any of them to die while I rest." Their pain was already battering at her shields. She had to heal them.
Gabrielle
"And what happens if you kill yourself in the process?" Stop being so idealistic, Gabrielle. "How many people could we lose without you to help them?"
Raven
"No one will die here if I can prevent it," Raven said fiercely. "No one!" And to prove her point, she looked around for the closest source of strong pain, then took the steps to kneel beside a man whose leg had been mangled to the point of near amputation. She pressed her hands to the gore, fighting a whimper as drew the pain into herself, letting the flesh and muscle knit beneath her fingertips. Blood dripped down her own leg, but she paid it no mind, staggering back to her feet to pick someone to heal next. There were so many; she didn't know how to choose.
Gabrielle
"Raven, I can't tend to the wounded and tend to you at the same time!" Gabrielle burst out a little desperately, but she was distracted by a whimpering patient with a badly gashed shoulder -- nothing fatal, but the blood loss needed to be stopped before it got critical.
And the girl couldn't have been more than twelve, at best.
"It'll be all right," she soothed, dropping to her knees beside the girl, voice gentle and reassuring. Looking up at Raven, she said quickly, "I can handle this one, but can you get me some clean rags and water?"
If it gave Raven at least thirty gods-damned seconds of a break . . .
Raven
Raven paused from her frantic looking around to give Gabrielle a dazed look. But what she needed sank in, and the need to help in any way had her moving to find what she needed. "Here," she said, handing the clean cloth and water to Gabrielle, fighting the urge to heal the girl's arm herself.
It was more like twenty seconds before she was moving to the side of a young man with a bloody head, then a woman with a deep slash in her back, then a man with a shattered arm. Her face was pale with the strain, but she refused to let herself stop.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle, already concentrating on sponging the wound, watched her go with a resigned sigh.
"Am I going to have to knock her out myself to get her to not burn herself out?" she asked no one in particular.
The wounded girl in front of her blinked and asked weakly, "What?"
"Not you," Gabrielle said quickly, knotting a clean rag as tightly as was safe around the wound. She gave the girl a smile. "You're going to be all right."
Physically, anyway; she only hoped the poor girl would be all right mentally. Gabrielle had rather vivid firsthand experience with what could happen when that went horribly wrong.
Jack
Jack wasn't trained in medicine, but he had a strong stomach and a basic knowledge of anatomy. He could bandage the easiest cases and let Raven save herself for the people who would never mend on their own.
He went from person to person as quickly as was decent, keeping moving so he wouldn't have to think.
Injured Male
"Water." A bloodied hand reached up to snag Jack's sleeve. "Please, Lord? Water? I'm...powerful thirsty."
The male lay back on a sheet, a bandage around his eyes and rust-colored streaks running down his cheeks. His shirt was gone and Jack would be able to see a trail of hasty stitches that led from his left nipple down past the waistband of his pants.
Jaenelle had Healed him to the point where Karla's stitches could do the rest, but neither of them had had time for his eyes.
Jack
Jack took him in with careful eyes. The stitches looked like a magnet for infection to him; he hoped they had something for that possibility.
"We don't have any," he said apologetically. "Soon, though. I could give you a coin to suck on so your mouth stays moist, and wipe off your face with a bit of oil. How does your chest feel?"
Injured Male
"Hurts," he rasped. "Feels like my whole body is on fire. Mostly my eyes. Are you sure you haven't any water?"
He was close to being delirious by this point. "Malcolm? Is that you, my boy?"
Jack
"No water at all," Jack said. He used the kind of matter-of-fact turn he had to use to keep from collapsing entirely. "But I can put a little salve on your eyes and chest, and that might help."
A very little. He barely had a jar left, and there were scores of people to get to. Still, he sat to rubbing it in, using as little of the good as he thought might have some effect. "I'll let Malcolm know you're looking for him, if I see him," he promised. "My name is Jack. What's yous?"
Mikael
"I'm Mikael," the man said, whimpering a little under Jack's ministrations. His skin was warm to the touch. No signs of infection on his chest, but he was running a bit of a fever. "I can't see. Why can't I see? The last thing I remember was running towards the building with Sofia and Malcolm. I'm not sure how I get in here. Do you know Malcolm?"
Jack
"You have a bandage over your eyes," Jack answered, tugging that scrap of cloth into place more firmly. "Really, you're lucky not to be able to see -- the place is nothing to look at right now."
A joke. A weak, black-humored one, but a joke.
"I'm a stranger here," he added. "I don't know hardly anyone. Sofia is your wife?"
Mikael
"Yes. Yes, my wife. Have you seen her? Or my boy, Malcolm?" Mikael was having trouble staying focused. He was in a lot of pain. "Do you have more of that oil? My chest itches and I can't scratch."
He raised his voice. "Sofia? Are you there?"
Jack
Jack judged the amount of ointment he had and the number of injured. "A tiny bit," he said, and barely dampened his fingertips with salve before rubbing it in. "You have to be brave. There are a lot of hurt people. I think you'll heal just fine, if you don't scratch."
Mikael
"I'm not very brave," Mikael said. "I'm afraid of those flying beasts. What they've done to my wife. My son. Unless you've seen them--?"
He tried to struggle to a sitting position. "Sofia? Malcolm?" he called.
Jack
Jack hesitated, almost letting himself despair. "No," he finally got out. "I can -- I have a tiny bit of a sleeping drought. Perhaps they'd be with you when you wake."
Mari
Mikael took what was offered and gratefully, then settled down to let it do its job.
Mari waited until the young lord had moved a little bit away before coming over and giving him a quick curtsy. "Thank you for that bit of kindness, my lord," she said, bobbing a small curtsy. "He needs his rest and he won't get any if he keeps fretting so."
It didn't matter how long he called for his wife and son. They weren't ever going to answer.
Cassidy
Cassidy wasn't a Healer, but she knew some Craft for easing discomforts and she knew a great deal of soothing and warming spells. If you paired that with a full summer of First Aid courses, then she was being kept pretty busy as she helped as many of the wounded as she could.
She would dress the wounds and give them what comfort she could, trying to make sure they could hold on until one of the Healers reached their sides.
After a while, her mind managed to block out how bad some of the injuries were as she moved from person to person.
And when she couldn't do any more Craft because she had worn herself out, she continued to perform what first aid she could. And yes, a couple of times she wished that Dr. Pierce was there so that she could make sure she was doing everything right.
Stop the bleeding, bandage the wounds. Prep them for healing.
It would become her mantra as time wore on.
Raven
Raven was still moving from body to body in a daze, healing as much as she could. But there was still so much more to be done, and she couldn't do it alone. "Cassidy," she called wearily. "I need your assistance."
Cassidy
Cassidy would never have ignored a plea from someone she cared about, especially now. So, when she heard Raven, she finished what she was doing and made her way to her friend's side. "What do you need?"
Raven
"I know this may be difficult at the moment," Raven said, looking around them at the wounded and the dying. "But I need you to think of something that makes you happy. Something you love. Like...your mother."
Cassidy
Cassidy was tired, but she nodded when Raven made the request. She thought about how much she loved her mother and how proud her mother was of her. The happiness didn't take long to move through her.
Raven
"Yes," Raven whispered, dropping her shields to absorb the emotion. She needed something positive to counter all the pain around her. She pulled at Cassidy's love and affection, harder than she should have, greedily drinking it down.
Cassidy
Cassidy kept pulling up happy emotions from her memories and more memories of love like she had for her father and her brother.
Raven
Raven called forth her Soul-Self, strengthened by the positive emotion. It hovered over her shoulders for a moment, then she sent it to sweep its wings around a group of the most sorely injured. Taking in all their pain at once was dangerous, but she didn't have time to wait. She sank to her knees with a cry of pain and their wounds became hers, as bones snapped and flesh tore.
Cassidy
"Raven," Cassidy gasped when she went to her knees and she dropped down next to her. She had her shield up, but she wasn't sure if she should try to shield Raven from whatever was happening. She didn't want to make her pain worse. "Raven, let me help. Tell me how to help you."
Raven
"Too much," Raven moaned, sinking back against Cassidy. She was dispelling the pain as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough.
Cassidy
Cassidy held onto her letting her lean against her for as long as she needed to. "What can I do?"
Raven
Raven's Soul-Self sank back into her body, and she struggled to rise. Gabrielle was right; she needed to rest. Cassidy's love had given her a burst of strength, but she'd burned it out too quickly. "There are more who need me," she murmured, unwilling to give up.
Warren
It was like stepping out of one fresh hell straight into another, wasn't it? Warren's head was still spinning a little as he looked around, trying to find something to make himself useful with. He wasn't a fighter, not in any way that would do him good against that horde outside, and if he didn't keep his hands busy, then he was liable to just find himself a nice little corner to have a breakdown in.
He had some first aid behind him, so if he could keep his head in the game, at least he wouldn't be completely useless.
Landen Child
There was a little girl peering at him from out of one of the doorways. Unlike everyone else they’d seen in the building, she was both clean and uninjured, though her dress had a bloody rip in the side.
Warren
Clean and uninjured, but also on her own, wasn't she? Warren could kind of relate to that, right about now. Heck, this was one of those things that he could probably even improvise his way around, at this point.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice soft as he leaned sideways a little, pulling his wings as tightly to his back as he could manage. "How are you holding up?"
Landen Child
Her eyes followed his wings and she frowned, puzzled. "Not Jhinka?" she asked. Even as she spoke, her muscles tensed in case she needed to run again.
Warren
And that question, that fear that was so plainly visible, it made Warren's heart ache. He shook his head, kneeling down so that he could talk to her on eye level.
"Not Jhinka," he promised, softly. "I'm just me. I'm Warren."
Cora
"Cora," the little girl whispered. "Are you with the Lady?"
There was more than a little bit of reverence in her tone, and a little awe, too. "You can't be Jhinka if you're with the Lady. Like the big male who looks like one, but she says he isn't. He's her brother."
That didn't stop Cora from hiding anytime Lucivar strode by.
"Can I touch your wings?" she asked, keeping her hands clasped in front of her until she had permission.
Warren
"We're here to help," he replied, spreading one wing just a little bit. "We're friends, friends of friends."
Warren swallowed at the lump that had formed in his throat, but he was trying to smile encouragingly all the same, to hold Cora's eyes with his own. "You can touch my wings if you want to. I don't mind, Cora."
Cora
Hesitantly, ready to snatch her hand away if Warren looked like he was rethinking that 'friend of friends' designation, Cora reached out and gently stroked her hand down Warren's wing. "Soft," she whispered. "Pretty. It's like a birdie's wing. I had a birdie. He sang the prettiest songs for me."
Cora's face fell. "I had to leave him outside. But I opened his cage so he could fly away. Maybe he can fly faster than the Jhinka."
Warren
"I'm sure he can. Birds are much better at flying," Warren whispered, at then bit at the inside of his cheek, hard. The coppery taste only filled his mouth for a moment before his healing factor kicked in, but the quick stab of pain kept him from opening his mouth and loosing a messy exhale that would have ultimately ended in a sob. He swallowed. "Are you here with anybody, Cora?"
Cora
"There're some other kids with me in the back room," Cora said, with a shake of her head. "We've got to be very good and very quiet and the big kids have to look out for the little kids, cause most of the mamas and papas didn't make it in the building."
She shrugged and pointed a finger at Karla, who was still sitting at the table. "She Healed me while the Lady took Mama upstairs. I don't know where Papa is. Probably outside the shield."
Warren
Warren turned a tired little smile toward Karla. It only lasted for a second before it faltered, before the combined weight of her current state and the possibility that this girl was now down at least a father all sank in.
He bit his cheek again.
"How are the other kids doing?"
Right about now, he wanted to gather them all up in his wings and make everything go away. But he would have to be a real angel for that. Genetics hadn't been that kind to him.
Cora
Cora shrugged again. It was hard for her to put into words. They were all Healed, but they were hungry and thirsty and sad. Most of them didn't know where their parents were and those that did saw them laying out in the main hall, covered in blood.
Rather than try to explain, she held out her hand to Warren. "Want to see? We don't have someone watching us right now anyway."
Warren
Warren nodded and reached to take her hand, hauling himself to his feet.
"I can be like one of the big kids, if you like," he said, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "I won't go anywhere until it's safe again. Okay?"
Cora
Cora gave him a shy smile. "I'll tell the others not to be scared of you," she promised. "Sometimes the Lady tells us stories. And Lady Karla did too, until she had to go help with the Healings upstairs. I like stories. I like the ones with happily ever after and no one gets hurt."
She led him through a few small rooms. The children were staying in the center of the community building, insulated from sight and sound of the Jhinka. "Are you sure you will stay?" she asked, pausing in front of a closed door.
Warren
He paused in front of the door with her, and then crouched down a bit once again, so that he could talk to her on her own level.
"I'll stay," he replied. "I don't know if I can tell stories that are anywhere near as good as Lady Karla's, but I'll try. Does that sound good?"
He had no idea how many of Earth's fairy tales would carry over to Kaeleer, but he would give it his best attempt. If nothing else, he was getting to know Snow White fairly well, and could probably edit some of the more traumatic bits out.
It would be a welcome distraction for the kids and for himself, as well.
Cora
Cora nodded and opened the door. Inside were close to fifty children, the oldest no more than ten or eleven. They all stared at Warren with big, scared eyes. "This is Warren," she said, tugging him forward a bit. "He's not a Jhinka and his wings are very soft. He's friends with the Lady and he's come to tell us some stories."
And with the bossiness of a born leader, she added, "Littlest kids up front. 'Cept for me. He's my friend, too."
Ah, Warren. Always popular with the ladies.
Warren
And suddenly, Warren found himself with an audience. One that was full of tiny faces, all crowding in around him, some more tentatively than others. His heart broke a little more, and at the same time, he tried to wear a slightly more steady smile as he found a place to sit down.
This, he could do. Something good for him to do, while keeping out of the way of the more experienced healers, and getting his wings out of the view of people who were still seeing shadows of Jhinka out of the corners of their eyes, beyond the blood and the bandages and the pain.
"Once upon a time, there was a Queen who wasn't a very good Queen at all, and she had a step-daughter..."
This, he could do.
Karla
Karla sat at the table, banned from doing anything more than resting for now. Still, it was clear to anyone that she yearned to be doing something, even basic healing that required no Craft.
Watching her hands tremble, however, probably made that a bad plan.
Ben
Ben was from a family who believed in fighting first and lecturing later, which was why he hadn't taken time yet to yell. Besides, from the group who'd hovered around her earlier, he figured she'd heard most of the more salient points.
Instead he reached into his belt pouch and held out a portion of his emergency field rations. "You eat this," he said quietly, "and you don't guilt for a second about other people who need this. You need it more."
Karla
"Jaenelle--"
Ben
"--is not my concern," Ben finished, giving her a stubborn look. "I'll sit on you until you eat this."
Karla
Better than being threatened with a Force choke, from what Karla remembered from the other-Fandom.
She took a small bite, wishing it wasn't so dry or that she had something to wash it down with. Her stomach rebelled a bit when she swallowed, but she fought it until it calmed again and took another bite.
"Don't let anyone see me?" she pleaded. "I couldn't bear to eat in front of them."
And didn't have the Craft to raise a sight shield.
Ben
Ben shifted how he was standing to block Karla from view. "Better," he said quietly. "Keep going."
Karla
"It's dry," Karla said, trying not to sulk even if she totally was, "and chewing so much makes me tired."
That last bit was less a whine and more a statement of a sorry truth.
She wished she could just jump to the part where her body remembered it was ravenous and she could devour the bar, dry or not. This stage here, where her stomach rebelled against the calories she so desperately needed, was a right pain in the ass. She had things to do.
Ben
"It's me or Morton fussing, Karla," Ben said, leaning his head into hers. "Or Warren. Take your pick. But one way or another, you're eating that ration."
Karla
Karla took another bite. Chewed, slowly and painfully. Swallowed. "On a scale of one to ten, about how much trouble am I in?" she asked. Took another bite. Chewed.
Ben
"I'm in a building with the few people I've ever been able to count as friends trapped inside with me, and no way out. If we all survive, you're at a 14," Ben replied.
Karla
"Do you think I want you to be here?" Karla asked. "Any of you? Knowing that we could all die--that you could all die here? Mother Night, if I had my way, you'd all still be safe in Fandom. I can't bear knowing what will happen in the Jhinka get at us."
She was crying a little now; short, hiccuping sniffles at salty tears slid down her cheeks. The tears? Didn't help wash the granola down.
Ben
Ben sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, wincing a little internally about how thin she'd gotten. "This is why you don't leave notes that wait a few days to show up," he murmured, "especially when we're all worried about Hobart's next move on you." He sent a pulse of reassurance through the Force toward her. "We'll figure this out."
Somehow.
"We always have before."
Karla
Karla found the energy to finish her granola bar and then hugged him back. She didn't say anything--couldn't think of anything--just trusted in his strength and hoped that he was right.
[NFI, NFB, OOC is like candy. At best, this section is kind of 'inspired by' events from Anne Bishop's Heir to the Blood, Chapter Thirteen. For plot master list, go here. Part one of two.]
Lucivar was wearing his Birthright Red Jewels, the Ebon-gray drained almost to the point of shattering, and the reservoir in the Red was precipitously low, too. Karla's Sapphire no longer glowed with its usual inner light; she barely had enough Craft left to light a candle.
Food had run out the day before. The well had dried up that morning. Anything edible that the three of them had carried with them was long since devoured.
And still the psychic witch storm howled on outside, cutting them off from communicating with anyone.
More help would arrive in hours, but honestly? They didn't have that long.
Landens
It was hard to ignore the cries of the wounded, if for no other reason than because they were everywhere. None of the wounds were fatal, but some were still dire nonetheless; without treatment, limbs would be lost, eyes would go blind, bones would heal badly. There were limits even to Jaenelle’s Craft, and while she and Karla fought to keep those on the brink of death from falling over, the other injured went without. Mari and her few lightly-injured companions did all they could, but they lacked equipment, skill, and numbers.
Regardless of how little people knew of medicine or first aid, there was plenty enough to do.
Raven
Raven had never seen such carnage before. Even when she'd been imprisoned on Quasa, the world her father had conquered, she'd felt numbing amounts of fear and misery, but few had resisted the conquest, and the bloodshed had been minimal. And when Trigon had destroyed Xynthia, it had been over in an instant, not this prolonged suffering.
She moved from body to body, taking in their pain. But there were so many more, and she didn't have the strength to heal them all. She was going to try, however.
Mari
"Lady." The landen female with her arm in a sling bobbed a quick curtsy at Raven, her eyes immediately going to the Red Jewel on Raven's forehead. "Lady, may I assist you? I still have one good arm, should you need someone to do your bidding."
Raven
"You will help me better with two arms," Raven said gently, touching her hand to the woman's shoulder. She was conserving her power for the most grievous of injuries, but to have a helper who was whole would be invaluable. And there was no way she could resist the instinct to heal someone who was standing right in front of her.
She hissed as she felt the pain shift to her own arm and cradled it against her body, willing the injury to vanish.
"There," she said with a soft smile. "Now you can aid me by bandaging the wounds of those who have minor injuries."
Mari
"Oh thank you, my Lady," she said, looking up at Raven in wonderment. Even the Lady Jaenelle couldn't heal things quite so quickly. She stretched her arm and wiggled her fingers, marveling at the ease with which she could do so. The deep knife wound that had threatened to sever tendon and muscle was gone. "I'm Mari," she said, bobbing a curtsy. "My Gran was an herb-woman, so I know a bit about setting bones and wrapping bandages and the like."
Raven
"And I am Raven," she said, inclining her head. "Though I wish we might have met under more pleasant circumstances." She glanced around at the injured, biting at her lip. "There are so many, and it is too much for me to heal them all. So I welcome any aid in stabilizing those who are not in immediate danger."
Mari
Mari didn't mention how unlikely it would have been for them to meet under any other circumstances. Lady Jaenelle stopped by every few weeks, along with several of her friends to help teach Khevin Craft, but she'd never brought any of her female friends along.
"I'll do as much I can, Lady," Mari said with a nod. "Most of the more immediate wounds have been treated already, but there are still grave injuries yet."
Raven
"Take me to those who are most in need of healing," Raven said. "My gifts are strong -- I will do the most good there." She took a deep breath to steady herself; this would not be easy.
Mari
Mari bobbed another curtsy. "Of course, Lady," she said, leading her down the brief space between makeshift pallets.
There was no organization to where people lay. So long as they were downstairs, they had been Healed of anything immediately life threatening, though the injuries that remained were still enough to threaten limbs and livelihood.
"Here's one," Mari said, stopping by a female laying on a pile of clothing. Her stomach was a red ruin. After seeing the slash has missed her vitals, Karla and Jaenelle had reluctantly sent her downstairs to be bandaged as best someone could.
Raven
Raven knelt beside the woman, gingerly touching her hands to her stomach, staining her fingertips with blood. "I will help her," she murmured, not hesitating to draw her injuries into herself. She stiffened as she felt the slashes open up her own stomach, but she didn't falter. The wounds began to close, the woman's flesh -- and her own -- mending.
Woman
The woman on the floor gasped and bolted upright, her hands immediately going to her stomach, feeling for herself the closed and mended skin. "My Lady, my Lady," she said, tears already tracking down her cheeks. She reached out to clasp Raven's hand. "Thank you so very much!"
Raven
"You are very welcomed," Raven said with a tired smile, letting the woman take her hand. "Please, if you can, assist with those who have minor injuries. If you see someone who is in need of healing, alert me. I am Raven."
Woman
"Raven, Lady Raven, you are a miracle," the woman said, dropping grateful kisses and tears on Raven's hand. "I cannot thank you enough."
She scrambled to her feet. "If there are bandages enough, I can see what I can do."
Raven
Raven's cheeks flushed pink, embarrassed by the woman's gratitude, but pleased as well. It was a pleasant feeling compared to all the suffering around her. "Your well-being is all the thanks I need," she said.
A vision of the smallest bodies outside flashed before her eyes. "I will be here, tending to those I can," she said. "If you see any children who are injured, I will wish to aid them first."
Mari
The woman nodded and bobbed another curtsy at Raven again. Mari appeared at Raven's side. "Excuse me, Lady, but there is another one of your companions?" She pointed at Gabrielle. "She has organized many of the patients into some kind of order in severity of injuries. Might that be helpful to you?"
Raven
"Yes, very much so, thank you," Raven said. "I will speak to her immediately." She gave Mari a reassuring touch to her arm and then hurried over to Gabrielle.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle could have been out there fighting, but it was hard to ignore the wounded, and her sense of sympathy for them was much stronger than any impulse she had to go out there and swing her staff.
"I could use some help here," she called out, trying to emulate Xena's authoritative tone, and swallowing back any bile that rose in her throat from memories of that awful siege in the Mitoan temple. "If someone can help assess the wounded and figure out who needs treatment soonest -- who needs magic healing immediately, or who can be tended to with simpler methods?"
Yeah, that's right. Who invented triage? That would be the Warrior Princess.
Mari
After leading Raven to a patient, Mari rushed over to help the other young lady who was asking for assistance. "I am here, my Lady. What is it that I can do to assist?"
Gabrielle
"Have we got everyone separated out?" asked Gabrielle. "I haven't got any magic, but I can patch up anyone who doesn't need that kind of attention. Save your energy for the ones who need it."
Raven
Mari had returned to Raven to tell her what Gabrielle had been doing, and Raven soon joined her as she organized the injured. "I have been trying to tend to the most seriously injured," she said. "You have been finding those most in need, Gabrielle?" She could sense their pain, but with so much suffering around her, it was hard to sort out.
Gabrielle
"I'm trying," Gabrielle answered, looking up from the injured woman she'd started tending. "She's -- she's lost a lot of blood. I'm trying to stop it, but there's only so much I can do at this point, I-I'm trying, but . . ."
Raven
"Let me," Raven said gently, sinking to her knees beside the woman to begin to heal her wounds. The blood loss made her head spin dizzily, and when she was done, she had to brace a hand on the floor to keep herself from toppling over.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle reached out to put a hand on Raven's shoulder in support. "There's so many of them," she said, closer to despair than she liked to let herself come. "I'm doing what I can to stop it from getting this bad, but . . . are you going to be all right? Do you need some time to rest?"
Raven
"There is no time to rest," Raven said, trying her best to sound reassuring. "I will be all right. It will pass quickly." There were so many more who needed her aid, and she would not stop until she had healed them all.
Gabrielle
"No, you listen to me," Gabrielle insisted. "These people need your abilities -- Karla needs you, too, and you are not burning yourself out on my watch."
The situation was bringing it out of her -- this was the same kind of stubbornness that got Xena to give in.
"There are other healers here. Just take a few minutes, please?" she asked. "One or two. You won't be of any help to anyone if you're too exhausted to do your job."
At least Raven was less exasperating than the last incredibly recalcitrant healer she'd had to deal with, but she wasn't hauling people willy-nilly up onto an altar and praying for a god to grant the knowledge of how to treat the injury.
Raven
"There are people whose injuries cannot wait!" Raven protested passionately. "I will now allow any of them to die while I rest." Their pain was already battering at her shields. She had to heal them.
Gabrielle
"And what happens if you kill yourself in the process?" Stop being so idealistic, Gabrielle. "How many people could we lose without you to help them?"
Raven
"No one will die here if I can prevent it," Raven said fiercely. "No one!" And to prove her point, she looked around for the closest source of strong pain, then took the steps to kneel beside a man whose leg had been mangled to the point of near amputation. She pressed her hands to the gore, fighting a whimper as drew the pain into herself, letting the flesh and muscle knit beneath her fingertips. Blood dripped down her own leg, but she paid it no mind, staggering back to her feet to pick someone to heal next. There were so many; she didn't know how to choose.
Gabrielle
"Raven, I can't tend to the wounded and tend to you at the same time!" Gabrielle burst out a little desperately, but she was distracted by a whimpering patient with a badly gashed shoulder -- nothing fatal, but the blood loss needed to be stopped before it got critical.
And the girl couldn't have been more than twelve, at best.
"It'll be all right," she soothed, dropping to her knees beside the girl, voice gentle and reassuring. Looking up at Raven, she said quickly, "I can handle this one, but can you get me some clean rags and water?"
If it gave Raven at least thirty gods-damned seconds of a break . . .
Raven
Raven paused from her frantic looking around to give Gabrielle a dazed look. But what she needed sank in, and the need to help in any way had her moving to find what she needed. "Here," she said, handing the clean cloth and water to Gabrielle, fighting the urge to heal the girl's arm herself.
It was more like twenty seconds before she was moving to the side of a young man with a bloody head, then a woman with a deep slash in her back, then a man with a shattered arm. Her face was pale with the strain, but she refused to let herself stop.
Gabrielle
Gabrielle, already concentrating on sponging the wound, watched her go with a resigned sigh.
"Am I going to have to knock her out myself to get her to not burn herself out?" she asked no one in particular.
The wounded girl in front of her blinked and asked weakly, "What?"
"Not you," Gabrielle said quickly, knotting a clean rag as tightly as was safe around the wound. She gave the girl a smile. "You're going to be all right."
Physically, anyway; she only hoped the poor girl would be all right mentally. Gabrielle had rather vivid firsthand experience with what could happen when that went horribly wrong.
Jack
Jack wasn't trained in medicine, but he had a strong stomach and a basic knowledge of anatomy. He could bandage the easiest cases and let Raven save herself for the people who would never mend on their own.
He went from person to person as quickly as was decent, keeping moving so he wouldn't have to think.
Injured Male
"Water." A bloodied hand reached up to snag Jack's sleeve. "Please, Lord? Water? I'm...powerful thirsty."
The male lay back on a sheet, a bandage around his eyes and rust-colored streaks running down his cheeks. His shirt was gone and Jack would be able to see a trail of hasty stitches that led from his left nipple down past the waistband of his pants.
Jaenelle had Healed him to the point where Karla's stitches could do the rest, but neither of them had had time for his eyes.
Jack
Jack took him in with careful eyes. The stitches looked like a magnet for infection to him; he hoped they had something for that possibility.
"We don't have any," he said apologetically. "Soon, though. I could give you a coin to suck on so your mouth stays moist, and wipe off your face with a bit of oil. How does your chest feel?"
Injured Male
"Hurts," he rasped. "Feels like my whole body is on fire. Mostly my eyes. Are you sure you haven't any water?"
He was close to being delirious by this point. "Malcolm? Is that you, my boy?"
Jack
"No water at all," Jack said. He used the kind of matter-of-fact turn he had to use to keep from collapsing entirely. "But I can put a little salve on your eyes and chest, and that might help."
A very little. He barely had a jar left, and there were scores of people to get to. Still, he sat to rubbing it in, using as little of the good as he thought might have some effect. "I'll let Malcolm know you're looking for him, if I see him," he promised. "My name is Jack. What's yous?"
Mikael
"I'm Mikael," the man said, whimpering a little under Jack's ministrations. His skin was warm to the touch. No signs of infection on his chest, but he was running a bit of a fever. "I can't see. Why can't I see? The last thing I remember was running towards the building with Sofia and Malcolm. I'm not sure how I get in here. Do you know Malcolm?"
Jack
"You have a bandage over your eyes," Jack answered, tugging that scrap of cloth into place more firmly. "Really, you're lucky not to be able to see -- the place is nothing to look at right now."
A joke. A weak, black-humored one, but a joke.
"I'm a stranger here," he added. "I don't know hardly anyone. Sofia is your wife?"
Mikael
"Yes. Yes, my wife. Have you seen her? Or my boy, Malcolm?" Mikael was having trouble staying focused. He was in a lot of pain. "Do you have more of that oil? My chest itches and I can't scratch."
He raised his voice. "Sofia? Are you there?"
Jack
Jack judged the amount of ointment he had and the number of injured. "A tiny bit," he said, and barely dampened his fingertips with salve before rubbing it in. "You have to be brave. There are a lot of hurt people. I think you'll heal just fine, if you don't scratch."
Mikael
"I'm not very brave," Mikael said. "I'm afraid of those flying beasts. What they've done to my wife. My son. Unless you've seen them--?"
He tried to struggle to a sitting position. "Sofia? Malcolm?" he called.
Jack
Jack hesitated, almost letting himself despair. "No," he finally got out. "I can -- I have a tiny bit of a sleeping drought. Perhaps they'd be with you when you wake."
Mari
Mikael took what was offered and gratefully, then settled down to let it do its job.
Mari waited until the young lord had moved a little bit away before coming over and giving him a quick curtsy. "Thank you for that bit of kindness, my lord," she said, bobbing a small curtsy. "He needs his rest and he won't get any if he keeps fretting so."
It didn't matter how long he called for his wife and son. They weren't ever going to answer.
Cassidy
Cassidy wasn't a Healer, but she knew some Craft for easing discomforts and she knew a great deal of soothing and warming spells. If you paired that with a full summer of First Aid courses, then she was being kept pretty busy as she helped as many of the wounded as she could.
She would dress the wounds and give them what comfort she could, trying to make sure they could hold on until one of the Healers reached their sides.
After a while, her mind managed to block out how bad some of the injuries were as she moved from person to person.
And when she couldn't do any more Craft because she had worn herself out, she continued to perform what first aid she could. And yes, a couple of times she wished that Dr. Pierce was there so that she could make sure she was doing everything right.
Stop the bleeding, bandage the wounds. Prep them for healing.
It would become her mantra as time wore on.
Raven
Raven was still moving from body to body in a daze, healing as much as she could. But there was still so much more to be done, and she couldn't do it alone. "Cassidy," she called wearily. "I need your assistance."
Cassidy
Cassidy would never have ignored a plea from someone she cared about, especially now. So, when she heard Raven, she finished what she was doing and made her way to her friend's side. "What do you need?"
Raven
"I know this may be difficult at the moment," Raven said, looking around them at the wounded and the dying. "But I need you to think of something that makes you happy. Something you love. Like...your mother."
Cassidy
Cassidy was tired, but she nodded when Raven made the request. She thought about how much she loved her mother and how proud her mother was of her. The happiness didn't take long to move through her.
Raven
"Yes," Raven whispered, dropping her shields to absorb the emotion. She needed something positive to counter all the pain around her. She pulled at Cassidy's love and affection, harder than she should have, greedily drinking it down.
Cassidy
Cassidy kept pulling up happy emotions from her memories and more memories of love like she had for her father and her brother.
Raven
Raven called forth her Soul-Self, strengthened by the positive emotion. It hovered over her shoulders for a moment, then she sent it to sweep its wings around a group of the most sorely injured. Taking in all their pain at once was dangerous, but she didn't have time to wait. She sank to her knees with a cry of pain and their wounds became hers, as bones snapped and flesh tore.
Cassidy
"Raven," Cassidy gasped when she went to her knees and she dropped down next to her. She had her shield up, but she wasn't sure if she should try to shield Raven from whatever was happening. She didn't want to make her pain worse. "Raven, let me help. Tell me how to help you."
Raven
"Too much," Raven moaned, sinking back against Cassidy. She was dispelling the pain as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough.
Cassidy
Cassidy held onto her letting her lean against her for as long as she needed to. "What can I do?"
Raven
Raven's Soul-Self sank back into her body, and she struggled to rise. Gabrielle was right; she needed to rest. Cassidy's love had given her a burst of strength, but she'd burned it out too quickly. "There are more who need me," she murmured, unwilling to give up.
Warren
It was like stepping out of one fresh hell straight into another, wasn't it? Warren's head was still spinning a little as he looked around, trying to find something to make himself useful with. He wasn't a fighter, not in any way that would do him good against that horde outside, and if he didn't keep his hands busy, then he was liable to just find himself a nice little corner to have a breakdown in.
He had some first aid behind him, so if he could keep his head in the game, at least he wouldn't be completely useless.
Landen Child
There was a little girl peering at him from out of one of the doorways. Unlike everyone else they’d seen in the building, she was both clean and uninjured, though her dress had a bloody rip in the side.
Warren
Clean and uninjured, but also on her own, wasn't she? Warren could kind of relate to that, right about now. Heck, this was one of those things that he could probably even improvise his way around, at this point.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice soft as he leaned sideways a little, pulling his wings as tightly to his back as he could manage. "How are you holding up?"
Landen Child
Her eyes followed his wings and she frowned, puzzled. "Not Jhinka?" she asked. Even as she spoke, her muscles tensed in case she needed to run again.
Warren
And that question, that fear that was so plainly visible, it made Warren's heart ache. He shook his head, kneeling down so that he could talk to her on eye level.
"Not Jhinka," he promised, softly. "I'm just me. I'm Warren."
Cora
"Cora," the little girl whispered. "Are you with the Lady?"
There was more than a little bit of reverence in her tone, and a little awe, too. "You can't be Jhinka if you're with the Lady. Like the big male who looks like one, but she says he isn't. He's her brother."
That didn't stop Cora from hiding anytime Lucivar strode by.
"Can I touch your wings?" she asked, keeping her hands clasped in front of her until she had permission.
Warren
"We're here to help," he replied, spreading one wing just a little bit. "We're friends, friends of friends."
Warren swallowed at the lump that had formed in his throat, but he was trying to smile encouragingly all the same, to hold Cora's eyes with his own. "You can touch my wings if you want to. I don't mind, Cora."
Cora
Hesitantly, ready to snatch her hand away if Warren looked like he was rethinking that 'friend of friends' designation, Cora reached out and gently stroked her hand down Warren's wing. "Soft," she whispered. "Pretty. It's like a birdie's wing. I had a birdie. He sang the prettiest songs for me."
Cora's face fell. "I had to leave him outside. But I opened his cage so he could fly away. Maybe he can fly faster than the Jhinka."
Warren
"I'm sure he can. Birds are much better at flying," Warren whispered, at then bit at the inside of his cheek, hard. The coppery taste only filled his mouth for a moment before his healing factor kicked in, but the quick stab of pain kept him from opening his mouth and loosing a messy exhale that would have ultimately ended in a sob. He swallowed. "Are you here with anybody, Cora?"
Cora
"There're some other kids with me in the back room," Cora said, with a shake of her head. "We've got to be very good and very quiet and the big kids have to look out for the little kids, cause most of the mamas and papas didn't make it in the building."
She shrugged and pointed a finger at Karla, who was still sitting at the table. "She Healed me while the Lady took Mama upstairs. I don't know where Papa is. Probably outside the shield."
Warren
Warren turned a tired little smile toward Karla. It only lasted for a second before it faltered, before the combined weight of her current state and the possibility that this girl was now down at least a father all sank in.
He bit his cheek again.
"How are the other kids doing?"
Right about now, he wanted to gather them all up in his wings and make everything go away. But he would have to be a real angel for that. Genetics hadn't been that kind to him.
Cora
Cora shrugged again. It was hard for her to put into words. They were all Healed, but they were hungry and thirsty and sad. Most of them didn't know where their parents were and those that did saw them laying out in the main hall, covered in blood.
Rather than try to explain, she held out her hand to Warren. "Want to see? We don't have someone watching us right now anyway."
Warren
Warren nodded and reached to take her hand, hauling himself to his feet.
"I can be like one of the big kids, if you like," he said, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "I won't go anywhere until it's safe again. Okay?"
Cora
Cora gave him a shy smile. "I'll tell the others not to be scared of you," she promised. "Sometimes the Lady tells us stories. And Lady Karla did too, until she had to go help with the Healings upstairs. I like stories. I like the ones with happily ever after and no one gets hurt."
She led him through a few small rooms. The children were staying in the center of the community building, insulated from sight and sound of the Jhinka. "Are you sure you will stay?" she asked, pausing in front of a closed door.
Warren
He paused in front of the door with her, and then crouched down a bit once again, so that he could talk to her on her own level.
"I'll stay," he replied. "I don't know if I can tell stories that are anywhere near as good as Lady Karla's, but I'll try. Does that sound good?"
He had no idea how many of Earth's fairy tales would carry over to Kaeleer, but he would give it his best attempt. If nothing else, he was getting to know Snow White fairly well, and could probably edit some of the more traumatic bits out.
It would be a welcome distraction for the kids and for himself, as well.
Cora
Cora nodded and opened the door. Inside were close to fifty children, the oldest no more than ten or eleven. They all stared at Warren with big, scared eyes. "This is Warren," she said, tugging him forward a bit. "He's not a Jhinka and his wings are very soft. He's friends with the Lady and he's come to tell us some stories."
And with the bossiness of a born leader, she added, "Littlest kids up front. 'Cept for me. He's my friend, too."
Ah, Warren. Always popular with the ladies.
Warren
And suddenly, Warren found himself with an audience. One that was full of tiny faces, all crowding in around him, some more tentatively than others. His heart broke a little more, and at the same time, he tried to wear a slightly more steady smile as he found a place to sit down.
This, he could do. Something good for him to do, while keeping out of the way of the more experienced healers, and getting his wings out of the view of people who were still seeing shadows of Jhinka out of the corners of their eyes, beyond the blood and the bandages and the pain.
"Once upon a time, there was a Queen who wasn't a very good Queen at all, and she had a step-daughter..."
This, he could do.
Karla
Karla sat at the table, banned from doing anything more than resting for now. Still, it was clear to anyone that she yearned to be doing something, even basic healing that required no Craft.
Watching her hands tremble, however, probably made that a bad plan.
Ben
Ben was from a family who believed in fighting first and lecturing later, which was why he hadn't taken time yet to yell. Besides, from the group who'd hovered around her earlier, he figured she'd heard most of the more salient points.
Instead he reached into his belt pouch and held out a portion of his emergency field rations. "You eat this," he said quietly, "and you don't guilt for a second about other people who need this. You need it more."
Karla
"Jaenelle--"
Ben
"--is not my concern," Ben finished, giving her a stubborn look. "I'll sit on you until you eat this."
Karla
Better than being threatened with a Force choke, from what Karla remembered from the other-Fandom.
She took a small bite, wishing it wasn't so dry or that she had something to wash it down with. Her stomach rebelled a bit when she swallowed, but she fought it until it calmed again and took another bite.
"Don't let anyone see me?" she pleaded. "I couldn't bear to eat in front of them."
And didn't have the Craft to raise a sight shield.
Ben
Ben shifted how he was standing to block Karla from view. "Better," he said quietly. "Keep going."
Karla
"It's dry," Karla said, trying not to sulk even if she totally was, "and chewing so much makes me tired."
That last bit was less a whine and more a statement of a sorry truth.
She wished she could just jump to the part where her body remembered it was ravenous and she could devour the bar, dry or not. This stage here, where her stomach rebelled against the calories she so desperately needed, was a right pain in the ass. She had things to do.
Ben
"It's me or Morton fussing, Karla," Ben said, leaning his head into hers. "Or Warren. Take your pick. But one way or another, you're eating that ration."
Karla
Karla took another bite. Chewed, slowly and painfully. Swallowed. "On a scale of one to ten, about how much trouble am I in?" she asked. Took another bite. Chewed.
Ben
"I'm in a building with the few people I've ever been able to count as friends trapped inside with me, and no way out. If we all survive, you're at a 14," Ben replied.
Karla
"Do you think I want you to be here?" Karla asked. "Any of you? Knowing that we could all die--that you could all die here? Mother Night, if I had my way, you'd all still be safe in Fandom. I can't bear knowing what will happen in the Jhinka get at us."
She was crying a little now; short, hiccuping sniffles at salty tears slid down her cheeks. The tears? Didn't help wash the granola down.
Ben
Ben sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her, wincing a little internally about how thin she'd gotten. "This is why you don't leave notes that wait a few days to show up," he murmured, "especially when we're all worried about Hobart's next move on you." He sent a pulse of reassurance through the Force toward her. "We'll figure this out."
Somehow.
"We always have before."
Karla
Karla found the energy to finish her granola bar and then hugged him back. She didn't say anything--couldn't think of anything--just trusted in his strength and hoped that he was right.
[NFI, NFB, OOC is like candy. At best, this section is kind of 'inspired by' events from Anne Bishop's Heir to the Blood, Chapter Thirteen. For plot master list, go here. Part one of two.]