Snippet #1719360

Silver blood wetted my hands as they became increasingly slippery. That arrow needed to be dealt with, but i hesitated to tear it out just yet. If her sister couldn't find sewing materials in time and we pulled the arrow free, her chances of bleeding out increased exponentially. Even now, with the arrow still lodged into her shoulder, she was losing a graphic amount of blood and wouldn't last long.
"Iri'eio, tol ginauanji a'ae...tol ginauanji a'ae."
Iri'eio didn't speak at first, but instead her hand near dragged to my pantleg and just gripped it. She was weak, but her grip was still pretty solid. That was a vokurian--a fighter to the end. "Nonyeh unur..." ((get rid of the arrow)) she said softly but desperately.
"Tol," ((in this context, "wait")) I said, like a captain telling his archers to hold their fire.

The younger sister came back and near thrust the needle and thread into Constance's hands. She was doubtful of her ability, but at this rate, anything would be helpful. "Iri'eio, tol ginauanji a'ae," i told her again, but this time my tone was different, almost cautious, like she was supposed to glean some kind of warning from it. She apparently did, because her grip on my pants tightened suddenly and she sucked in a shallow breath and held it. "A'aita..." i said before i placed one hand on her chest and the other around the shaft of the arrow. I had to take a few breaths, myself, lest i lose my concentration and do something stupid. "La, jo, cahn! ((1, 2, 3)) With sudden force, I pulled up on the arrow, pushed down on her shoulder and tore the weapon free from her flesh. Iri'eio screamed, though the cry was sharp and shortlived due to her inability to take deep breaths and get adequate air into her lungs. Almost immediately, blood began to pour faster out of the now open wound, and that's when Constance hesitatnly stepped in to sew it up. I could tell she didn't want to, likely out of fear of doing something wrong and further injuring the girl, but she managed to finally stitch the woman's wound back together At this point, she was barely conscious and I could feel her grip on my pantleg loosening gradually. In that moment, like a child longing for his parents in a storm, I wanted Berlin at my side, so much so that a sick feeling struck my stomach when i told myself that wasn't possible. Berlin would know what to do. Berlin would know how to save her.

Agonizing minutes ticked by with the chorus of harrowing cries still carrying with the wind. The younger sister was in silent hysterics, and while she stood frozen in place, shaking like a frightened dog, i noticed that no parent came to their aid. No grandparent or aunt, not even some form of adopted godfather came to answer the girl's call for help. Just us. It occurred to me then that they had no parents, and this young girl depended on Iri'eio. They were all they had left. My throat began to feel increasingly dry. Finally, Constance was done, just as Rheaj suddenly halted before us. He took a second to drink the situation in before speaking further, telling us that the Ci'deia was going after the ji'ci'ira responsible. One thing he said that really struck me, however, was the fact that these soldiers seemed to be looking for something. Or someone. It clicked, then. The last time we made contact with humans, Constance escaped from her captor and I escaped prison. They came looking for us. A twisting sensation wrenched through my stomach as again I lay eyes on Iri'eio's bleeding figure.

"Ja'aisen!" Rheaj's voice was as quick as his arm; he reached quickly out to catch a falling Constance before she could hit the ground. Both of us cursed and the younger girl allowed small, "eep!" to escape her clenched lips. Now what was I supposed to do? I had an injured woman, an unconscious partner-in-crime, and vigilanti justice to uphold. "Gi'io'au'ri, if you're going, you ought to do it now..."
"Rheaj...a'ae--" I didn't know how to answer him.
"Stay, Rohaan," came Audaj's voice. I turned to the left to face him, and it seemed like he'd already taken his account of the situation before approaching. "Get help for the girl and stay with Constance. Things have turned ugly around here--honestly, I don't trust her in any other care than ours, for her sake. Get someone to help you and move them both back to the house--it's still standing, as far as I know. My crew and I will go after the soldiers....this time, I want a prisoner...to show them what it's like to be tortured..." His voice was dark and threatening, much like Shadow's when she was angry, and honestly sent a chill through my spine. Audaj was deadly serious and he meant exactly what he said.
I just nodded and watched them go for a half second before calling over for someone to help me bring both Iri'eio and Constance into Audaj's home.
And then a sickening, gloomy thought touched my mind.
Just how many people like Iri'eio were there in the village, exactly?