Chapter 3: A Serious Condition
A/N: Hey hey! Its me again!
With one really subliminal message:
R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R. R&R.
Was that subliminal enough?
Now read!
Not Falling in Love
Ps. you have to read the first chapter again if you've already read it. It's totally different and lots longer. Cheers!
Pps. All my reviewers? (Even though there's not that many of you)… I love you! I seriously love you!
"Oh, Lud." Kella pursed her lips, and her wan look deepened. I bit my lip. "We have to get him inside, into the Healer's hall. There's nothing I can do for him out here… and not very much at all inside," she added, wringing her hands. The snow had begun to fall again, dusting our hair with white. I looked up at the clouds. They were not promising, some light grey whorled with a dark colour almost black.
"The weather is going to become worse," I informed Kella, and then added, "It might even become a blizzard." A gust of icy wind cooled the sweat and tears on my face. I shivered and pushed my face furthur into my hood.
"I don't think that we can carry him by ourselves…" she said, putting a hand on his forehead. Rushton's face was now milk-pale. I could see now that he was breathing, even if somewhat erratically. I ran a soft finger down his cold cheek. What had I done now?
"No… he would be too heavy. We don't want to give him concussion or something like that by dragging his across the ground all the way to the Healer's hall. His condition is grave enough already." I felt another tear slip out of my eye. I impatiently brushed it away. I was now the Mistress of Obernewtyn by default. There could be no breaking down. I grit my teeth. "Would there be anyone out here?" She shrugged.
"I don't think so. I think that everyone's inside… except for the animals."
"A horse!" I cried, looking up. "We can take him back on Gahltha's back!"
"Of course," Kella murmured, feeling around his head. "Oh Lud… I think he might've cracked his skull too!"
"Oh, Lud… Oh, Lud no…" My voice cracked, and I closed my mouth to stop any other weakened words from spilling out. She looked at me enquiringly. "What?" I asked.
"Could you please call Gahltha? We have to get him inside and warm as quickly as possible."
"Of course," I replied quietly, feeling slightly stupid. I closed my eyes, and sent out a probe attuned to Gahltha's mindset. He was quickly found, in one of the sheds, with Avra and the new foal, Saoirse. The proud parents had chosen the name because it meant freedom, and this was what they wanted her to be for all of her life. Free.
"What is the cause/meaning of yoursummons, ElspethInnle?" Gahltha sent, his mental voice happy and relaxed. I explained the situation to him quickly, and Gahltha reassured me that he would be here right away. I thanked him profusely, and then broke the contact. I bit my lip. Then I saw Kella's enquiring face.
"He shall be here as quick as he can," I said quietly, biting my lip even harder. I tasted blood. Another tear escaped from my eye, and I mentally cursed, wiping it away. No time for weakness!
We stood in the freezing snow for a while, both of our gazes resting on Rushton's almost peaceful face. Rapidly, he was becoming paler, and paler. My gaze kept on blurring over, and more than a couple of times I had to surreptitiously wipe my eyes against my sleeve. I wondered where on earth Gahltha was.
Suddenly, I could hear the sound of drumming hooves. That would be Gahltha. I struggled out the alcove by the bush, and surely enough, I could see him, galloping flat out. He pulled himself up into a sudden halt a mere ten handspans away from me. The concerned look in his liquid eyes was enough to set my own eyes off again. I wished that they would just leave me alone.
"I will bear/bring yourlove to the barudbuilding," he told me solemnly, nudging my shoulder with his muzzle. I ran my hands over it, velvety soft, for a moment, before running back through the bush to Kella.
"Help me get him out of here. Gahltha cannot fit through the opening," I told Kella, who nodded sharply in reply. She took ahold of his wrists, which left me to grasp his ankles. Between us, we struggled to lift him up, and it was a severe challenge to get all of us out of the little area. Nonetheless, we managed it, but not without much panting and cursing. Kella used phrases that I wasn't even aware that a demure Healer such as herself would even hear of, let alone use. Once we had staggered out of the alcove, we almost dropped Rushton's comatose body in relief. Despite the wish to do this, we lowered him carefully to the ground. I didn't know that a comatose man could weigh so much!
Gahltha knelt to receive the body. We draped him across Gahltha's back, which was the easiest and safest option we could think of. There was a near mishap when Gahltha stood up again, and we decided that one of us should ride behind him so to make sure that he didn't fall off the horse due to a lack of restraint. I jumped up onto the horse, and quickly sat myself behind Rushton's body. I found it easier to wrap my arms around his shoulders to keep him falling off than any other way that I could think of. Slowly, Gahltha set off in a walk, and with the swaying of this movement, his body moved limply in my arms. His head lolled backwards, and it gave me the faint impression that his neck might snap. I just held on even tighter, and locked my knees into place.
"Make haste," I sent to Gahltha, and he broke into a trot.
After a long and jerky ride, we had arrived at the Healer's hall. Unable to carry Rushton all by myself, I merely eased him to the ground. I left Gahltha with instructions to guard him while I was gone. I ran into the hall, screaming at the top of my lungs, "ROLAND!" The patients were woken for the second time this day by me, and grumbled insults in my direction. I ignored them, and when I saw Roland, I ran to him, where he was applying a poultice to a nasty wound. He looked at me with cool eyes. I remembered that I still hadn't told him the real reason behind the mysterious healing of my legs. And hopefully, he would never know the full reason behind it.
"Elspeth," he greeted me coolly, wiping his poultice-covered hands on a convenient towel. "What appears to be the problem?" After looking at me, just like Kella, his expression turned more serious. He repeated his question, softer this time.
"I think you had better come and see for yourself," I said grimly. He nodded gravely. I lead him out of the Healer's hall, to where Gahltha was standing beside Rushton's body.
"Oh, Lud." All of the colour drained out from his face. "That is a problem."
A/N: Question: Is Gahltha and Avra's foal a girl or a boy? I forget
Also, I beg your forgiveness for the pointlessness of these past… 1000 odd words. In the next chapter, something will actually happen!
At least, I updated.
Hope you enoyed!