5. Sirin #2
She'd sacrificed so much, and spent all her time, lunula, and effort in building the perfect brain for research.
Others had used lunula to modify their bodies, to be better at fighting, or become more graceful.
But not Sirin. No, she had enhanced her mind so she could keep entire texts of books stored for reference, like a maze of bookshelves, organized as intricately as the library of the Citadel was.
Her photographic memory and excellent drawing hand had only augmented her mental library.
And now she couldn't even look up the provenance of a type of fabric or embroidery pattern?
This horrible, sluggish thinking made her want to pull out her hair in chunks.
Arndis interrupted her mental tirade. ''Ach, can you tell me how you feel?''
''Oh, I have a concussion with a small hematoma, a fracture on both my ulna and radium in my left arm, and the other shoulder is dislocated, well actually it's subluxated.
I have a few small lacerations on my head and right arm, but that's all.
But, more importantly, did the Citadel send you?
'' Sirin asked. Hopefully, she'd get a clue who these people might be.
''They did not,'' said the smaller woman by the door, which helped Sirin confirm her as the one with the feathery voice.
She had an aquiline nose and sharp eyes, putting Sirin in mind of a raptor.
Her movements were remarkably fluid until she would suddenly jerk her head or eyes to look at something with intense focus.
Sirin blinked in confusion, there were no civilizations north of the Citadel as far as she knew. Were they traveling as well? She couldn't think why anyone else might be this far north. Not that she knew how far North she'd traveled yet.
''Berne here found you and came to get aid,'' the bird-like woman said, waving her hand to the man beside her as if it explained everything.
Sirin frowned; the woman had the air of a person who didn't like to explain herself, but Sirin needed answers.
She opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Arndis chose that moment to reset her shoulder with a hard press that had Sirin yelping.
Her vision blacked out as the pain blocked out the rest of the room, her heart immediately racing.
Blessedly, it didn't last long, the pain melting into a dull ache as Arndis put a strong arm behind her to help her sit up.
''We will assess your injuries and then decide what we are to do with you,'' said the small woman by the door.
Do with her? She was a grown woman; she didn't need anyone to do anything with her. Sirin fumed. Flicking her eyes back and forth between the two women was requiring conscious thought which only made her more frustrated.
Near the door, the man, Berne, moved as if he would speak, but the smaller woman silenced him with a sweep of her hand and commanding look. Brow furrowed, he cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.5
It was fascinating to see such a big man silenced so immediately by the slight woman. He was at least a foot taller than her, likely a head taller than Sirin herself, but the woman was clearly in charge, even if he didn't seem to like it. At Sirin's side, Arndis was splinting her arm.
The tiny bird woman crossed to squat next to Sirin, squinting at her in a way that made her feel like she was being measured.
''Why are you here?'' she asked Sirin, sharpness clipping her lilting accent.
Sirin narrowed her eyes. They were definitely not from the Citadel, and the way they were treating her was reprehensible.
''I appreciate the aid,'' she bit out, ''but I don't know it is any of your business. Who are you to demand my purpose? I'm a scientist, and my purpose is purely academic, and that is enough for you to know.''
The unnamed woman looked pointedly at the man, stood and dusted her hands on her legs, and jerked her head, indicating he should follow. Before leaving, she turned back to Sirin, biting out ''You might want to wise up before we get back.''
The man gave Sirin an apologetic smile and ducked through the low door of the cave to follow.
Odd, Sirin thought. He acts so familiarly. Surely would have remembered those kind blue eyes?
After they'd left, Arndis secured her splint and fished around in a pack the man had set on the floor; it appeared to be Sirin's own. She pulled Sirin's thick socks and boots out of the bag and crossed to put them back on Sirin's feet with a wry smile.
''An' I'm afraid Berne took your footwear,'' she said, refusing to meet Sirin's eyes.
''He was worried you would try to leave and hurt yourself if you woke before we arrived.
You do strike me as just the stubborn sort who would try to go haring off on your own, even while injured.
'' Arndis smiled, trying to put Sirin at ease.
''He guessed right. I don't like waiting,'' Sirin replied absently, as she was more interested in her pack.
''Can you get me the jar out of the side pocket?
I have some lunula in there. I'll heal significantly faster if I can get some in my system.
You wouldn't need to worry about any of this,'' Sirin said, indicating her splinted arm.
Arndis moved as if reaching for her pack but then grimaced. ''Ach , I am sorry. I don't—I don't, I mean...''6
''You don't… what?'' Sirin frowned, Arndis was acting extremely odd, and she'd had about enough of whatever the hell they were playing at. ''You don't want to give me my own belongings?''
Arndis sighed and opened and closed her mouth several times before speaking. ''Well, once they come back, we'll know the plan moving forward.''
''The plan?'' Sirin sputtered, affronted.
These people spoke as if she was a child, incapable of making her own choices.
Or some sort of criminal. ''The plan is for me to take some lunula, heal up, and continue on my mission.
Look, I am grateful to you for coming to my aid, but I am here for a reason and I really should get going.
You three have no say in what my next steps are.
I don't have time for this! I have barely even started my journey, and every day brings us closer to winter. ''
Arndis dropped her shoulders, darting her eyes to the opening of the cave. ''An' I think it might be safe to let you know, I think you may have lost several weeks' time. Berne has been tracking you for a week now and you were at least a week's walk out from the nearest outpost when he began.''
''Weeks?'' That couldn't be possible. Sirin would remember weeks of travel. Wouldn't she? ''It couldn't have been weeks. I swear I just left, I…''
She looked down at her clothes, which were definitely dirtier than she would expect if she had left only yesterday, and at her new boots which were extremely scuffed.
''But I just…'' She blinked and gave her head a shake, wincing as it made her headache worse.
''Oh, well…I suppose it could have been longer,'' she said after a deep breath, trying to understand.
She could swear she'd only left last night, though as she thought of her clothes, and boots, and held her hand in front of her face, the cold unyielding truth revealed itself.
Her hands shook with horror when she rubbed them against her pantaloons, hoping to rid them of their clamminess.
Not only had she likely lost time, but she had no idea what had transpired in the meantime.
These people, she might really not know them.
It seemed that Arndis was trying to be kind to her, she knew, but the entire situation was unconscionable.
''In that case, all the more reason for me to take some lunula to heal. Once I do, any memories I have lost will come back. Could you at least hand me my notebook, maybe seeing my notes will help me remember?''
Arndis's lips pressed flat, she slowly shook her head and placed a hand gently over Sirin's pack.
The action shot fear into Sirin's veins, a slow creeping iciness that trickled through her, with each pulse of her heart.
Blinking rapidly—Sirin realized that she truly had no idea who these people were.
And that they might not have her best interests, or any of her interests at heart.
''You aren't here to help me, are you?''
''We might be, it's not up to me to decide. As I said, we'll know when they return. For now, try to rest. I, for one, don't want you to hurt yourself any further. Please, try to relax. I am sure they will be back soon. Berne seems fond of you. He'll be trying to sway her to leniency.''
''Leniency? I haven't done anything wrong,'' Sirin protested. These people were ridiculous, Sirin could feel her chest tightening as she recoiled.
''Ach, aye? Are you sure? You can't remember the last several weeks, but you're so sure you've done nothing,'' Arndis sighed heavily as Sirin gaped.
She held up her hand. ''Hush, as I said, Berne'll argue on your behalf, and perhaps it will be a non-issue.
I know it might seem like you've done nothing wrong, but we take certain things very seriously up here. ''
Sirin breathed deeply, trying to temper her anger. She strained to hear what was being said outdoors, but they were speaking rapid fire in their language again. Tears prickled behind her eyes as she tried to remember exactly when she left the Citadel.