Along the Forest Road: Chapter 11
Triage is no fun.
There were no more enemies to fight, and the white fire subsided into my core. I staggered for a moment but soon regained my balance.
Every brigand was dead or dying. All of the boys had at least minor wounds, and a few were in a very bad way. These were being helped toward the inn by others who weren’t so bad off. Jonn was not among them. A heap of dead brigands lay near the spot where Crispian and Mallus finished their duel, and by the metal plates on the jerkin one of those near the bottom must have been Mallus himself. I frantically tossed bodies aside. Jonn was beneath them, covered with blood. I bent over him, straining for any signs of life. The ghost of a breath came from his nostrils. I lifted him up and hurried to the inn.
Inside, a half dozen of the tables were occupied by wounded fighters, and more were being helped inside. Kit was here working on Crispian, and I laid Jonn down on a table next to him. Kit looked up.
“Thanks, Tam. And congratulations. It was hard for you, but you took a chance and it saved the day.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
Kit took his time examining Jonn with his thousand-mile stare, but when he was done he did nothing but touch him on the top of his head and back of his wrist before turning back to Crispian.
I didn’t see where Mora came from, but suddenly there she was hovering over Kit. “I got nothing against Crispian, but he’s lived his life. Jonn’s is hardly started yet. If you can fix anyone, fix him first!”
He kept his attention on Crispian’s wound and his tone was flat, emotionless. “There is no fixing him. He’s too badly hurt. I’ve made him comfortable, but there’s nothing more I can do.”
“You can at least try!”
“Yes. I can. I can take all day and try everything possible, even though it’s almost certainly futile. But if I do that, it’ll be too late for Crispian. And Bil. And the others I know I can save if I get to them sooner.”
Mora swelled up and her mouth opened as if she was going give him a tongue-lashing, but instead she sagged, entirely deflated. She sat down next to Jonn and took his hand, bowing her head over it so that I couldn’t see her face.
Kit worked for hours to close wounds, set broken bones, soothe bruised and torn flesh, ease pain, and strengthen damaged organs toward health. I ran hot water and bandages to and fro. Kit used the herbs in his box to make infusions for tonics or to wash out potential rot, and poultices to speed healing. Occasionally he had to use his knife to open up a wound so it could be cleaned. That drew less blood than I expected, but then I remembered how he kept his own deep wound from bleeding when he needed to. In these cases, and for the deeper gashes from enemy weapons, he didn’t just bandage them but stitched them closed with a needle and thread.
There was nothing to do for Shim but close his eyes.
By the time Kit finished with everyone who could be helped and turned back to Jonn, the sun was gone from the sky. Mora was no longer alone with him. Becka sat next to her, eyes red with tears. Behind them stood Miller. He would have appeared unmoved to anyone who didn’t know him, but his frown and downcast eyes spoke profound sorrow to his friends.
“Mother of Mercy,” breathed Kit. He looked Jonn over with his thousand-mile stare again, and then put a hand over his chest. “He’s amazing. Most anyone else would be gone by now. Even so, it won’t be long.”
“I wish I could’ve told him goodbye,” said Mora in a broken voice.
“That you can do.” Kit laid a finger between Jonn’s upper lip and nose, and exhaled.
Jonn’s eyes fluttered open. He drew in a breath and winced. Kit hurried to touch him on the back of the wrist again, and he relaxed. His eyes focused on his mother.
“Ma... I can’t hardly move.”
“You’re going to be fine, boy.”
Jonn looked around at the people hovering over him. “No. I don’t think so. I’m sorry Ma. I didn’t mean to―”
“Hush now. You did me proud, Jonn. You... you’re a fine man.”
His father laid a hand on his shoulder, then smiled and nodded. At that Jonn lit up as if he’d just been given a medal by the Emperor himself. Then he noticed Kit.
“I could’ve taken you someday.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “Maybe you could have.”
With a supreme effort Jonn lifted his hand out of his mother’s and reached out to Becka. She took it in both of hers. Jonn smiled. Then his breath rattled in his chest and he went completely limp.
For a while everyone around the table was silent except for Becka weeping over the hand she still held. When Mora finally spoke, her voice was unsteady. “Thanks for telling him what he wanted to hear.”
“For all I know it was true,” said Kit. “He had some talent. And he was very determined.” He rose from his seat and went into the innyard. I followed him.
“Now you’re telling her what she wanted to hear.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “He was very determined though. He could have made something of himself.” He closed his eyes for a moment and then grabbed me with both arms and buried his face in my chest. Sobs shook his body. I put my arms around him and stroked his hair, as much for my own comfort as for his. We held onto each other for a long time even after his tears stopped.
“I’m sorry...”
“I love you, Kit. That means being here for you, doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “Thank you. Gods above, I’m tired.”
“Let’s go and rest then. You’ve done enough.”
“It wasn’t enough. But it was everything I had.”
We walked back through the common room and up the stairs. Kit fell asleep in my arms almost as soon as we climbed into bed. Before I knew it, I was asleep too.
There were no more enemies to fight, and the white fire subsided into my core. I staggered for a moment but soon regained my balance.
Every brigand was dead or dying. All of the boys had at least minor wounds, and a few were in a very bad way. These were being helped toward the inn by others who weren’t so bad off. Jonn was not among them. A heap of dead brigands lay near the spot where Crispian and Mallus finished their duel, and by the metal plates on the jerkin one of those near the bottom must have been Mallus himself. I frantically tossed bodies aside. Jonn was beneath them, covered with blood. I bent over him, straining for any signs of life. The ghost of a breath came from his nostrils. I lifted him up and hurried to the inn.
Inside, a half dozen of the tables were occupied by wounded fighters, and more were being helped inside. Kit was here working on Crispian, and I laid Jonn down on a table next to him. Kit looked up.
“Thanks, Tam. And congratulations. It was hard for you, but you took a chance and it saved the day.”
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
Kit took his time examining Jonn with his thousand-mile stare, but when he was done he did nothing but touch him on the top of his head and back of his wrist before turning back to Crispian.
I didn’t see where Mora came from, but suddenly there she was hovering over Kit. “I got nothing against Crispian, but he’s lived his life. Jonn’s is hardly started yet. If you can fix anyone, fix him first!”
He kept his attention on Crispian’s wound and his tone was flat, emotionless. “There is no fixing him. He’s too badly hurt. I’ve made him comfortable, but there’s nothing more I can do.”
“You can at least try!”
“Yes. I can. I can take all day and try everything possible, even though it’s almost certainly futile. But if I do that, it’ll be too late for Crispian. And Bil. And the others I know I can save if I get to them sooner.”
Mora swelled up and her mouth opened as if she was going give him a tongue-lashing, but instead she sagged, entirely deflated. She sat down next to Jonn and took his hand, bowing her head over it so that I couldn’t see her face.
Kit worked for hours to close wounds, set broken bones, soothe bruised and torn flesh, ease pain, and strengthen damaged organs toward health. I ran hot water and bandages to and fro. Kit used the herbs in his box to make infusions for tonics or to wash out potential rot, and poultices to speed healing. Occasionally he had to use his knife to open up a wound so it could be cleaned. That drew less blood than I expected, but then I remembered how he kept his own deep wound from bleeding when he needed to. In these cases, and for the deeper gashes from enemy weapons, he didn’t just bandage them but stitched them closed with a needle and thread.
There was nothing to do for Shim but close his eyes.
By the time Kit finished with everyone who could be helped and turned back to Jonn, the sun was gone from the sky. Mora was no longer alone with him. Becka sat next to her, eyes red with tears. Behind them stood Miller. He would have appeared unmoved to anyone who didn’t know him, but his frown and downcast eyes spoke profound sorrow to his friends.
“Mother of Mercy,” breathed Kit. He looked Jonn over with his thousand-mile stare again, and then put a hand over his chest. “He’s amazing. Most anyone else would be gone by now. Even so, it won’t be long.”
“I wish I could’ve told him goodbye,” said Mora in a broken voice.
“That you can do.” Kit laid a finger between Jonn’s upper lip and nose, and exhaled.
Jonn’s eyes fluttered open. He drew in a breath and winced. Kit hurried to touch him on the back of the wrist again, and he relaxed. His eyes focused on his mother.
“Ma... I can’t hardly move.”
“You’re going to be fine, boy.”
Jonn looked around at the people hovering over him. “No. I don’t think so. I’m sorry Ma. I didn’t mean to―”
“Hush now. You did me proud, Jonn. You... you’re a fine man.”
His father laid a hand on his shoulder, then smiled and nodded. At that Jonn lit up as if he’d just been given a medal by the Emperor himself. Then he noticed Kit.
“I could’ve taken you someday.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “Maybe you could have.”
With a supreme effort Jonn lifted his hand out of his mother’s and reached out to Becka. She took it in both of hers. Jonn smiled. Then his breath rattled in his chest and he went completely limp.
For a while everyone around the table was silent except for Becka weeping over the hand she still held. When Mora finally spoke, her voice was unsteady. “Thanks for telling him what he wanted to hear.”
“For all I know it was true,” said Kit. “He had some talent. And he was very determined.” He rose from his seat and went into the innyard. I followed him.
“Now you’re telling her what she wanted to hear.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “He was very determined though. He could have made something of himself.” He closed his eyes for a moment and then grabbed me with both arms and buried his face in my chest. Sobs shook his body. I put my arms around him and stroked his hair, as much for my own comfort as for his. We held onto each other for a long time even after his tears stopped.
“I’m sorry...”
“I love you, Kit. That means being here for you, doesn’t it?”
He nodded. “Thank you. Gods above, I’m tired.”
“Let’s go and rest then. You’ve done enough.”
“It wasn’t enough. But it was everything I had.”
We walked back through the common room and up the stairs. Kit fell asleep in my arms almost as soon as we climbed into bed. Before I knew it, I was asleep too.