Visiting

***

We had pulled up in an empty loading area while Falling Smoke went to get a gurney. The grey concrete walls with their garble of painted symbols stood guard between the hive of souls inside and us, sheltering in the dark, quiet space.

"Flame," Alex said, "I'm sorry for having gotten you stuck in all this mess."

"Hey, it's not your fault," I said, rubbing his arm.

"I was the one that believed them. I led you all there," he continued.

"Anyone one of us would have done exactly the same," I reasoned. He shook his head.

"I could have gotten you killed," he said softly.

"Shh," I said, "Don't talk like that. We're a team remember?" This time I could hold his eyes, and it was him that looked away.

"If anything goes wrong in there, you have to promise me," he said, "Promise me, you'll kill me, rather than let them put a Seeker into me?"

I was speechless with shock.

"I know where too many human camps are. My father's, Dorsey's – you have to promise me!"

"Alex-"

"Just promise me, ok?" His eyes bored into mine.

I nodded reluctantly.

Falling Smoke arrived with the gurney.

"Sweet dreams," he said, spraying the anaesthetic, and Alex's eyes finally let mine go.

It went without a hitch. Falling Smoke dressed me up as a surgical nurse like before, and we strolled through the hospital with complete confidence. People melted before him. The scan was done and we were out again in no time. Alex was just waking up when we got back to camp.

"Jaw's cracked, not broken. His liver's bruised, it has been bleeding but it's stopped now. He'll be pretty sore for a while, but so long as he rests, he'll be fine," Falling Smoke told the others. Henry and Dorsey helped Alex out of the car and onto a sleeping mat. They'd set up camp while we were gone.

"Don't everyone thank me at once," Falling Smoke said, amused.

"So he can eat?" Dorsey asked.

"Sure," he replied. Dorsey brought over a bowl of steaming stew and tried to spoon feed him. Alex took it from her gently and fed himself. I grabbed another bowlful and tucked in too, relief releasing my hunger.

"You've all been tied up," Falling Smoke said, looking at our wrists. There was an embarrassed silence.

"I guess there's no point denying it," Henry said.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Falling Smoke asked. We looked at each other. I longed for them to trust him. At the same time I had a deeply ingrained block about talking of our work. Especially to a Soul.

"An edited version?" Dorsey asked, and we nodded.

"We were visiting a human group," Dorsey began, "They…"

"Weren't quite as friendly as we'd thought?" Henry suggested.

"They were keeping us hostage to make Flame steal stuff for them," Dorsey said.

"And…" Falling Smoke said, "so, what, they just let you go?"

"Um," Dorsey said, looking at me.

"We escaped," I said.

"Naturally! It is the sworn duty of all officers to try to escape," he laughed.

"Well, that does sound like the edited version," Falling Smoke said when I didn't say anything further.

"Actually, Flame rescued us," Dorsey said, "After she escaped. How did you escape?"

"Oh, you didn't try and blind them with torches, did you?" Henry said groaning. I filled them in.

"You headbutted her?" Henry asked, laughing.

"Well, I would have punched her but my hands were tied," I said defensively.

"Probably just as well you headbutted her," Henry said, eyebrows raised.

"Hey, I punch hard!" I protested. Falling Smoke shook his head smiling. I saw myself suddenly, trying to live up to human standards that no Soul would ever dream of aspiring to. Was I now proud of how violent I could be, if needed? I sat back, disturbed.

"She sure does," Alex said ruefully.

"Look who's talking! You're the one that gave her a fractured skull!" Henry said.

"Man if I ever see that Foreks again, he'll get more than a fractured skull," Alex growled.

"You'll wait your turn boyo," Dorsey said, "Me first."

"Uh guys," Henry said, "I thought you said this place wasn't inhabited?"

A young girl was standing in the clearing. Her blue eyes shone in the sunlight.

***

The only question she would answer was her name: Alida. Her dress was threadbare, the hem disemboweled and trailing stitches, the material baked by the sun, like her hair and skin.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"It's not safe for you here," she said, "You need to keep moving."

"We can't keep moving," Henry said.

"Foreks patrols through here now. It's not safe," Alida continued. We exchanged nervous glances.

"Well we can't stay here then," Dorsey said, echoing our thoughts.

"Alex needs to rest," Falling Smoke said. "You keep galavanting around and you'll start bleeding again."

"You are a doctor?" Alida asked. Falling Smoke nodded.

"We have to leave, we can't sit here like sitting ducks - hey, wait!" Dorsey said. The girl had run off into the bushes and was gone.

We packed the camp up and loaded it into the packs Falling Smoke had brought for us. Then we argued about where to go next.

"Do you guys argue over everything?" Falling Smoke asked, fascinated. The others ignored him. We were so intent on figuring out where to go next we didn't notice when the girl returned. This time she had a human woman with her. She looked distrustfully at us.

"Alida, are you going to introduce us?" Dorsey asked gently.

"Margie," the woman said.

"Henry, Alex, Flame, Falling Smoke and I'm Dorsey," Dorsey said, holding out her hand. Margie shook it warily.

"Who is she?" Margie asked, pointing at me.

"My sister," Dorsey said, frowning, and moving over to put an arm around me.

"She's a Soul." Margie stated.

"Yes. She helps us," Dorsey said.

"And so does he?" Margie asked, pointing at Falling Smoke.

"When I can," he replied.

"You are a doctor," Margie said.

"Yes," he replied.

"You have medicines," she said.

"Yes." She thought about this for a moment. She turned to Alex.

"He's hurt?" she asked. Dorsey nodded.

"Foreks held us prisoner," Dorsey said, "he needs to rest." Margie nodded.

"We have a camp, a few hours walk away. You can all rest there." Margie said. We looked at each other in surprise.

"I didn't know that anyone lived here," I said.

"We have had to move here," Margie said, "Foreks destroyed our other camp."

We looked at each other, weighing up the offer.

"A few hours walk is doable," Henry said.

"If we go slowly, take in turns helping him, there's three of us-" Dorsey said.

"Four of us," Falling Smoke said. We all looked at him.

"We can't guarantee your safety," I said, holding his arm, "You shouldn't get involved."

"I don't think they want to hurt us, they've had the opportunity and they haven't yet," he replied.

"They'll miss you at work," Alex said.

"Actually I told them I'm taking sick leave," he said.

"Oh is that why you kept coughing!" I said, "I thought you were trying to tell me something-"

"You've done enough. I'm fine, I don't need you telling me how to rest," Alex said tersely, "Just leave us some medicines and go home."

"Well, if I'm understanding this right, it's not really you guys that need me, it's them," Flaming Smoke said. We looked at Margie and she hesitated, then nodded.

"Oh game over, man, game over!" Henry chuckled. Alex shrugged and turned away.

"Let's get going then," Dorsey said, eager to be on the move, throwing me my pack. I shouldered it in unhappy silence. Henry put his arm around Alex and helped him along the trail. Dorsey followed, carrying hers and Alex's pack back and front. Falling Smoke followed behind me, making beeping noises.

"No, I don't think he likes you at all. Beep beep beep. No, I don't like you either." I rolled my eyes, but chuckled despite myself.

"So you're still talking to me then?" he asked, "Your thoughts betray you; I feel the good in you, the conflict."

I sighed.

"I suppose I am then," I muttered, "You shouldn't be doing this."

"I'll just check these people are ok then I'll go home, I promise."

"I'm not sure if I believe you. You Healers are a tricksy bunch," I said, smiling.

"I'm mortally offended," he said. Then the trail led uphill and we had no breath for banter.