families or homes. They promise them a better life, and so slowly they take over from the inside. They find your weaknesses and your strengths and report their findings to their leaders. When they finally strike, their people are on both sides of the line, and you don't know who the enemy is. They are evil to the very core of their being . Their primary belief is that anyone who doesn't believe as they do is evil, and therefore they are under no moral obligation to treat us any better than bugs. Their history is littered with slaughter and death. That is why we fight; we have to kill them. We have to kill them before they can kill us, because given half a chance they will kill us all. Have no doubt of that."
"They should have you speak to the troops, Tarius, the men need to know what they are fighting against and for," Arvon said.
Tarius just nodded silently.
Tarius had been taught how to bind and tend wounds as a child in Kartik. She knew that the Jethrik ways were different than Kartik and certainly different from the way the Katabull did things, but there was still no sign of the surgeon, and she got the impression that Arvon was running out of time. She found a piece of wire and some alcohol. Then she secured a piece of cloth to the wire. First making sure she had left no sharp edges hanging out, she dipped the cloth into the alcohol. If it ran into the wound easily, that would mean that it was rotting instead of healing.
"This is going to hurt a lot," Tarius said.
"Thanks for telling me," Arvon said with a forced laugh.
Tarius poked the swab into the wound gently. Yellow and green puss immediately erupted from it, and instead of screaming in pain, Arvon let out a sigh of relief. The smell was awful, and Tarius almost threw up. She ran the swab through the wound several times. It was no wonder Arvon was running a fever.
He was all over filthy, so Tarius undressed him and started to give him a sponge bath as much to clean him off as to reduce his fever.
"Ah! My dream come true," Arvon coed.
"Shut up, ya blaggard, or I'll leave ya set in your own filth," Tarius said but not without a smile.
His fever was bad, and he shook with the cold. As soon as he was clean, Tarius dressed his wound and pulled one of the surgery's tunics on him. She covered him with blankets and wondered where the hell the surgeon was.
"Crawl in with me and keep me warm," Arvon said through chattering teeth.
Tarius laughed as she cleaned up the mess she'd made. "You really are incorrigible."
"Do you really only like women?" Arvon asked.
"Yes, sorry," Tarius said with a smile. "If I liked men, I'm sure I'd go for you in a heartbeat. However, I'm afraid you would be gravely disappointed in me," Tarius said.
Brakston walked in then. "Where's the surgeon? He said he'd meet me here."
Tarius shrugged. "I cleaned it up and dressed it the way I was taught. I'm sure the surgeon will want to do it all over again when he gets here."
"It feels better all ready," Arvon said. He was starting to get tired.
"He hasn't kept any food down in days. Water either for that matter," Brakston said.
Tarius nodded. "I'll go get him broth then." Tarius left.
Brakston watched him go. "He is a puzzlement that one. Looks like a kid, yet he knows so much more about everything than I do."
"His life has been a hard one," Arvon said.
The surgeon swept into the room then, and ran to Arvon's side. "I'm sorry it took me so long. It's the leg, isn't it?"
Arvon nodded. "It's all right. Tarius has seen to it."
The surgeon looked at the dressing. It was different than he would have done it, but it worked the same way. "Well, he seems to have dressed it properly. Let's just see the leg." He peeled the dressings back, and a frown darkened his face. "The infection has spread; the leg will have to come off."
"You'll not take my leg," Arvon said.
"I'll give you something to kill the pain." He walked over and started mixing powders.
"Isn't there some other way?" Brakston
"They should have you speak to the troops, Tarius, the men need to know what they are fighting against and for," Arvon said.
Tarius just nodded silently.
Tarius had been taught how to bind and tend wounds as a child in Kartik. She knew that the Jethrik ways were different than Kartik and certainly different from the way the Katabull did things, but there was still no sign of the surgeon, and she got the impression that Arvon was running out of time. She found a piece of wire and some alcohol. Then she secured a piece of cloth to the wire. First making sure she had left no sharp edges hanging out, she dipped the cloth into the alcohol. If it ran into the wound easily, that would mean that it was rotting instead of healing.
"This is going to hurt a lot," Tarius said.
"Thanks for telling me," Arvon said with a forced laugh.
Tarius poked the swab into the wound gently. Yellow and green puss immediately erupted from it, and instead of screaming in pain, Arvon let out a sigh of relief. The smell was awful, and Tarius almost threw up. She ran the swab through the wound several times. It was no wonder Arvon was running a fever.
He was all over filthy, so Tarius undressed him and started to give him a sponge bath as much to clean him off as to reduce his fever.
"Ah! My dream come true," Arvon coed.
"Shut up, ya blaggard, or I'll leave ya set in your own filth," Tarius said but not without a smile.
His fever was bad, and he shook with the cold. As soon as he was clean, Tarius dressed his wound and pulled one of the surgery's tunics on him. She covered him with blankets and wondered where the hell the surgeon was.
"Crawl in with me and keep me warm," Arvon said through chattering teeth.
Tarius laughed as she cleaned up the mess she'd made. "You really are incorrigible."
"Do you really only like women?" Arvon asked.
"Yes, sorry," Tarius said with a smile. "If I liked men, I'm sure I'd go for you in a heartbeat. However, I'm afraid you would be gravely disappointed in me," Tarius said.
Brakston walked in then. "Where's the surgeon? He said he'd meet me here."
Tarius shrugged. "I cleaned it up and dressed it the way I was taught. I'm sure the surgeon will want to do it all over again when he gets here."
"It feels better all ready," Arvon said. He was starting to get tired.
"He hasn't kept any food down in days. Water either for that matter," Brakston said.
Tarius nodded. "I'll go get him broth then." Tarius left.
Brakston watched him go. "He is a puzzlement that one. Looks like a kid, yet he knows so much more about everything than I do."
"His life has been a hard one," Arvon said.
The surgeon swept into the room then, and ran to Arvon's side. "I'm sorry it took me so long. It's the leg, isn't it?"
Arvon nodded. "It's all right. Tarius has seen to it."
The surgeon looked at the dressing. It was different than he would have done it, but it worked the same way. "Well, he seems to have dressed it properly. Let's just see the leg." He peeled the dressings back, and a frown darkened his face. "The infection has spread; the leg will have to come off."
"You'll not take my leg," Arvon said.
"I'll give you something to kill the pain." He walked over and started mixing powders.
"Isn't there some other way?" Brakston
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