Chapter 42
Forty-Two
Ayla
F rantic, I rushed up the hill, hoping I remembered where the boy was hiding. My eyes scanned the trees and bushes, looking for that downed log. Soon enough, I found it, but there was no sign of Tamin. For a moment, I thought he'd been taken, but then the leaves rustled as the boy lifted his tail.
Sighing in relief, I hurried to his side. "Oh, Tamin. Are you okay?" Switching languages so much was starting to get confusing, but I made sure that was in Vestrian.
"Ayla," the boy sobbed, reaching for me. "I was so scared you wouldn't come back like my papa."
Not knowing what else to do, I just held him close and rocked him gently. Zasen reached down to touch my shoulder, proving he'd followed me.
"They're leaving," he said gently.
Confused, I paused to listen, realizing there weren't any more pops. The bell deeper into town was still ringing, and people were still screaming, but I couldn't hear gunshots.
"Where's Kanik?" I asked. "Rymar?"
"Rymar's at work," Zasen assured me. "Kanik's helping to stop the Moles. We need to take Tamin back to his mother. She has to be terrified."
"He's been shot," I admitted. "I couldn't stop it. I tried, and the man is in the kitchen, but - "
Zasen stopped listening to me the moment I said the boy had been shot. His focus was locked on Tamin, scanning him for injuries.
"His leg," I explained, turning the kid so Zasen could see. "It's shallow and not fatal, but probably hurts. We have to get the bullet out."
"We have to get him back to his mother," Zasen insisted, opening his arms to take the child. "I'll carry him. He's heavy."
"It hurts," Tamin said even as he reached for Zasen.
So I let the boy go. Zasen hefted Tamin onto his hip and led the way. Once again, we were aiming back for our house, but not perfectly. When we came down the steep hill, Zasen went around his own home, slipping between it and the one beside it. I followed, trying to look all around me in case another hunter jumped out of a shadow.
"Ayla, I'm sorry," Zasen said as he walked fast enough that I had to hurry to keep up. "I didn't mean for you to learn about it like this."
"No," I said, cutting him off. "Right now, we need to focus on Tamin. All that matters is making sure he's okay."
"But you attacked your people," Zasen said.
"They aren't my people. They are liars and sinners who fed me Dragons!" I clenched my teeth, making sure my stomach wasn't about to revolt at the thought. It was rolling hard enough that I wasn't sure. "I hated it. I always said it was disgusting, and they all laughed at me for not wanting to eat meat. I can't believe I didn't know."
"Well, shit," Zasen said, sounding like he wasn't sure what to make of that.
But we were at Saveah's house, so I rushed ahead, getting the door. I didn't bother knocking, I just opened it so Zasen could carry Tamin inside.
"Saveah!" Zasen bellowed. "I have Tamin. He's been shot."
"No!" the woman screamed from the far end of the house. "Tamin!"
"He'll live!" Zasen said belatedly, heading straight for the large table at the back of the house.
Saveah rushed down the hall carrying her daughter. The little one was latched onto Saveah's breast, but the woman didn't seem to care about that. Then again, it would be a good way to keep the baby quiet with all the terrifying sounds that had been so close.
"Tamin?" Saveah gasped as her eyes found her son.
I hurried ahead of Zasen to remove the decorative bowl in the center. Grabbing that, I set it on the counter closest to us, then I turned back. Zasen was speaking gently to the boy, smoothing down his hair. Tamin was no longer crying, but the occasional tear slipped out. The boy was trying so hard to be tough.
When his tail flicked, Saveah rushed over, gushing at him. I just held up my arms, taking Taris from her so Saveah could focus on her son.
"Zasen?" I asked softly, not wanting to get in the way - or watch as Saveah adjusted her shirt. "What happened to her husband?"
He lifted sad orange eyes. "Moles. They killed him and took his body."
I gasped. "I'm sorry!"
"No." He caressed Tamin's hair again, but his eyes were still on me. "You fought back. Tamin…" He looked down with a sad smile. "You saved him."
"He saved me too. He bit and stung Elias."
So Zasen asked, "How many did you know?"
"Most of them. I don't know all their names, but there aren't too many people in the compound. I recognized all their faces, and most of them know my name because of how I left."
Zasen huffed in a dry sort of amusement. "If you'd had a knife, your husband wouldn't have lived." Then he smiled to show that was meant as a compliment. "But we need to get the bullet out and close the wound."
I moved around so I could see the boy's injury. "I'm going to need long tweezers, suture, and someone to hold him down."
That made Zasen look at me strangely. "You can treat gunshot wounds?"
"At fifteen, we must learn how to help the hunt -" I sucked in a breath. "The Moles. Sometimes, the men are not careful with their guns. They accidentally fire them or shoot with a person on the other side. They aren't common, but I've sewn a few. So if we have the things, I can help Tamin."
"I'll get the things," he promised.
Then Zasen spoke quickly to Saveah and the boy before simply heading for the door. Still soothing her son with her hands, Saveah looked up at me. There were tears filling her eyes.
"I thought he was dead."
"I wouldn't let that happen," I swore.
She nodded quickly. "I see that, but you don't understand. He was outside after sunset. I heard the gunshots and hid to protect Taris, but..."
I smiled down at the plump little human-looking baby. "She's okay, though. You made sure of it. Now I'm going to make Tamin okay, if Zasen can get the things I need."
Saveah just stood and held out her arms for her daughter. "I'll hold her. You use the sink to wash up."
Because I was covered in a mess. Dirt, pieces of plant and splatters of red spots that must be blood were on my arms. When Saveah pointed towards the kitchen and explained where the soap was, I headed that way. Like the one in our place, the lever turned on the water, so I began to scrub.
Outside, I could hear people calling for help, and others were wailing in grief. I barely even had my arms rinsed before Zasen was back, dragging the doctor woman with him. A bag was hung over her shoulder, and she looked like a woman on a mission.
"Good, you've already washed." Then she began digging in her bag. "My name is Naomi. I'm a doctor, and Zasen's mother. He said you can do this, so here. Suture. Clamp. Needles. Numbing." As she listed each item, she passed them into my hands. "There are a lot of hurt people outside right now, and I need to take care of them. Are you sure you can do this? Because if you can't, I will."
"I can do this," I swore. "It's one thing I know how to do."
Her head twitched slightly at what I could only guess was my accent, but she nodded. "When you're done, if you can help anyone else, that would be nice, but take care of Tamin first. We've already found Kanik and Rymar and they're going to help us move people." Then she turned to Zasen. "Stay with her. We're moving the critical ones to the hospital, but we're going to need medics in the street."
"And she looks like a Mole," Zasen said.
"So stay with her, " Naomi said again, this time making it sound like a command.
I felt like everything around us was out of order and confusing, but it was the very nature of an emergency. Now that I had what I needed, I hurried back to the table where Tamin was lying with Saveah watching over him.
Naomi left. Saveah was still holding Taris, which meant I was going to need Zasen's help with this. Before I could even ask, he moved to the boy's side and began murmuring to Tamin. When the boy nodded, Zasen opened a small bottle and started dripping liquid across the wound. That gave me the chance to lay out my tools the way I needed.
I should be hurrying, but I also needed to make sure I got this right. I was so blessed to have found these people, so I wanted to make sure I didn't do anything wrong when I was trying to help them. More than that, I now understood why my blonde hair and untanned skin caused so much distress, and I'd tolerate it. If the situation was reversed, I'd feel the same way they did. I had been the enemy. If they hated me, I clearly deserved it, but that still wouldn't stop me from helping.
"Zasen, I've never used anything for numbing before," I admitted.
"Already done," he assured me. "It's hard to use too much and works quickly. He will feel pressure but not the sharp pain, just like when my mother treated your feet."
"Good," I whispered, mostly to myself, because I knew this would hurt. "Ready?"
Zasen said a handful of gentle words, then grabbed the boy's tail, holding it up by Tamin's chest. Zasen's hands were careful, but his grip was secure. I was sure he wouldn't let go. I just hoped the numbing agent would work well enough.
"I'm sorry, Tamin," I told the kid. "Let me know if it hurts, and I'll try to be gentle."
The boy nodded, so I bent to his leg. First, I poked gently. When he didn't react, I began to probe. The bullet hadn't gone far. The shot had been rushed and aimed poorly, but it was enough to hurt. Looking up at the boy's face, I pressed upward on the outside of his leg and shoved the tip of the clamp into the hole. It wasn't easy. The bullet was slick and warped. At one point, Tamin yelped, but then I managed to get a grip on the thing, pulling the chunk of metal out.
Saveah quickly passed me a bandage. I pressed it over the wound, staunching the bleeding. "Are you okay, Tamin?" When he nodded, I smiled proudly. "You're such a brave man."
That made him smile in return, but it was weak and his eyes were still glossy with unshed tears. I grabbed the suture next. Checking the wound again, I began to lace him back together. His scaled skin resisted the needle, but the boy barely flinched from the pokes. It was when I tugged the wound closed that he began to squirm. He muttered something to Zasen, whimpered, and then the end of his tail thrashed.
"The numbing is fading," Zasen told me. "The wound is too deep. If you can finish soon, he won't need more."
I grabbed the bottle and added a few drops. "There's no reason for him to hurt any more than he already does." And I returned to sewing.
For most of my life, sewing had been all I was allowed to do. I was good at it, even if I didn't always enjoy it. Keeping my stitches small and clean, I tried hard to align the pattern as I closed the gap. He would most likely have a scar, but he'd live. As I tied the final knot, I wondered how many people hadn't. Then, using a small knife from the kitchen, I cut off the excess thread.
"Okay," I told the child. "A scar to remember when you saved me."
Tamin grinned, then leaned forward to hug me tightly. He kissed my cheek, wiped his eyes, and his voice turned very serious. "You are the bravest Dragon ever, Ayla. I'm glad you're not a Mole anymore. I love you."
Zasen tried not to laugh, but only contorting his mouth stopped it.
I saw, but didn't care. The boy's words slammed into me hard, making my own eyes turn misty, so I simply hugged the child tighter. "I love you too, Tamin. Are you going to be okay?"
He nodded his head. "Mhm. You made it better."
And that was all that really mattered.