degree that they can’t move. I warn you, it’ll be slow.”
“Slow is fine as long as we get you down to the shelters. We have portable habitats, which will be much more comfortable for you than these caves.”
Pomaera blinked rapidly and wiped her suddenly misty eyes on her sleeve. Raviciera looked up at her mother, clearly reassured that these strangers might not be bad news after all.
The cave closest to them was inhabited mainly by younger people, most of them looking weak rather than ill. Ciel helped Gemma administer a filter-drug that would help them fight off the poison fed to them over time. Ciel also provided them with different strengthening herbal solutions.
The marines constructed a stretcher made of two young trees interwoven with long leaves. They placed the fragile old man on it after Gemma and Ciel both had tended to him. Appalled at his oozing wounds and the state the thin man was in, Ciel asked if any of the refugees were strong enough to help with the stretcher.
A tall man limped forward. His left arm was in a sling, but he grabbed hold of one of the young trees and stood there, proud, if a bit shaky.
“Thank you.” Ciel grabbed the tree opposite the man. “What’s your name?”
“Camol.” He chewed his lower lip for a moment and then spoke with a tremulous voice. “I don’t suppose you’ve come across more refugees from Teroshem? A large group left together a few weeks ago.”
“Yes. We did. They came through Rihoa while we happened to be there to evaluate the clinic. It became a very different humanitarian effort instead.”
Camol walked a few paces in silence, his face pensive and so pale, his lips and earlobes looked amber in the setting sunlight. “I know you must’ve seen a lot of people during the last few days, but I have to ask anyway. You didn’t happen to come across a young pregnant woman. Gantharian. Her name is Tammas?”
Ciel looked up hastily. Gemma was walking right behind them, supporting an elderly woman who looked almost as bad off as the poor man on the stretcher. “Tammas? Tammas O’Mea of Emres?”
Camol gasped, nearly losing his grip on the stretcher. “She’s all right? Oh, please tell me she’s all right.”
“Last I saw Tammas and Ilias, her little boy, he was doing much better. They were being airlifted to—”
“Little boy?” Camol looked like his knees were giving in. Furious at herself for speaking without thinking first, Ciel called out for the marines to stop.
“She had the baby? I’ve been in this godforsaken place so long, I’ve lost track of the days…weeks.” Camol ran his uninjured hand over his face. “A boy. A son. And she named him Ilias, after my father.” He sobbed quietly and wiped at his tears. Then it was as if he became aware of his surroundings. “A boy? A son.” He gripped the stretcher harder and seemed energized. “Tammas,” he murmured. “Ilias.”
“What’s up?” Gemma peered down at the man on the stretcher.
“Meet Tammas’s husband and Ilias’s father, Camol.” Ciel smiled through tears. “How’s that for amazing?”
Gemma looked over at Camol and smiled. “Glad we found you. She was very concerned.” Then her eyes returned to Ciel. “And you’re such a softie.” She wiped an errant tear from Ciel’s eyelashes with her thumb. “That said, we need to get going. You all set?”
“Yes, Doctor,” Camol said, now looking as if was ready to carry the old man entirely on his own.
Ciel held her firm grasp of the stretcher. In her mind she could still hear the tenderness in Gemma’s voice as she called her a softie. Her feet moved automatically as they made their way back to the pass. So far they’d carried out their assignment with good results, but they still had a lot left to accomplish. They had to establish what poison was used and figure out how to evacuate the patients since they couldn’t cross the river like the trained soldiers had. Ciel certainly wasn’t looking forward to
“Slow is fine as long as we get you down to the shelters. We have portable habitats, which will be much more comfortable for you than these caves.”
Pomaera blinked rapidly and wiped her suddenly misty eyes on her sleeve. Raviciera looked up at her mother, clearly reassured that these strangers might not be bad news after all.
The cave closest to them was inhabited mainly by younger people, most of them looking weak rather than ill. Ciel helped Gemma administer a filter-drug that would help them fight off the poison fed to them over time. Ciel also provided them with different strengthening herbal solutions.
The marines constructed a stretcher made of two young trees interwoven with long leaves. They placed the fragile old man on it after Gemma and Ciel both had tended to him. Appalled at his oozing wounds and the state the thin man was in, Ciel asked if any of the refugees were strong enough to help with the stretcher.
A tall man limped forward. His left arm was in a sling, but he grabbed hold of one of the young trees and stood there, proud, if a bit shaky.
“Thank you.” Ciel grabbed the tree opposite the man. “What’s your name?”
“Camol.” He chewed his lower lip for a moment and then spoke with a tremulous voice. “I don’t suppose you’ve come across more refugees from Teroshem? A large group left together a few weeks ago.”
“Yes. We did. They came through Rihoa while we happened to be there to evaluate the clinic. It became a very different humanitarian effort instead.”
Camol walked a few paces in silence, his face pensive and so pale, his lips and earlobes looked amber in the setting sunlight. “I know you must’ve seen a lot of people during the last few days, but I have to ask anyway. You didn’t happen to come across a young pregnant woman. Gantharian. Her name is Tammas?”
Ciel looked up hastily. Gemma was walking right behind them, supporting an elderly woman who looked almost as bad off as the poor man on the stretcher. “Tammas? Tammas O’Mea of Emres?”
Camol gasped, nearly losing his grip on the stretcher. “She’s all right? Oh, please tell me she’s all right.”
“Last I saw Tammas and Ilias, her little boy, he was doing much better. They were being airlifted to—”
“Little boy?” Camol looked like his knees were giving in. Furious at herself for speaking without thinking first, Ciel called out for the marines to stop.
“She had the baby? I’ve been in this godforsaken place so long, I’ve lost track of the days…weeks.” Camol ran his uninjured hand over his face. “A boy. A son. And she named him Ilias, after my father.” He sobbed quietly and wiped at his tears. Then it was as if he became aware of his surroundings. “A boy? A son.” He gripped the stretcher harder and seemed energized. “Tammas,” he murmured. “Ilias.”
“What’s up?” Gemma peered down at the man on the stretcher.
“Meet Tammas’s husband and Ilias’s father, Camol.” Ciel smiled through tears. “How’s that for amazing?”
Gemma looked over at Camol and smiled. “Glad we found you. She was very concerned.” Then her eyes returned to Ciel. “And you’re such a softie.” She wiped an errant tear from Ciel’s eyelashes with her thumb. “That said, we need to get going. You all set?”
“Yes, Doctor,” Camol said, now looking as if was ready to carry the old man entirely on his own.
Ciel held her firm grasp of the stretcher. In her mind she could still hear the tenderness in Gemma’s voice as she called her a softie. Her feet moved automatically as they made their way back to the pass. So far they’d carried out their assignment with good results, but they still had a lot left to accomplish. They had to establish what poison was used and figure out how to evacuate the patients since they couldn’t cross the river like the trained soldiers had. Ciel certainly wasn’t looking forward to
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