Angels of the Battlefield

Chapter 5

I apologize if I haven't reviewed in a while but proofreading takes a long time so even though I have my story ready by about the next day, it takes about five days for it to be good enough to post.

Disclaimer: I forgot the disclaimer on all the other chapters so this disclaimer is for them and all the other ones after it. All characters that you recognize belong to the spirit of Victor Hugo and however own his writing now. I only twist the threads that have already been placed into a tapestry to make a new one.

Eponine saw Enjoloras' life slipping away from him. His lips were cracked with fever, his eyes were wild and his skin was burning. The infection in his lung and the flesh around it were dangerous; the skin was flaming red, with tendrils of infection going farther and farther everyday, thickening, despite her best care.

When Combeferre entered the room he looked worried; it was obvious that he didn't think that Enjoloras would live through the night. He said nothing, helping Eponine like his own life was leaving him.

'Not that I blame him,' thought Eponine, 'His best friend is about to die and he can't do anything.' Combeferre soon left; he knew that if Eponine needed anything she would ask for it.

When Eponine thought about Enjoloras' condition and Combeferre's obvious worry, she became aware of just how serious his condition was. Deciding to go to the extreme, she called for Combeferre and asked for violet heads knowing that an overdose might bring on internal bleeding. However she needed to do something and this was the best she could think off, whatever the risks.

Combeferre looked worried when she asked for them that they could have serious effects on Enjoloras. As Eponine prepared the mixture she added something from her core, something that she didn't know the nature off but seemed healing and wouldn't do any harm. She tipped the beaker full of liquid into Enjoloras' mouth, forcing him to swallow it.

An hour later the infection retreated its tendrils while the hole still blazed an ugly red. Eponine wet a linen cloth with a mixture of alcohol and water stepped in yarrow leaves and brushed the wound with the cloth, cleaning it. The red began less blazing in about two hours and Eponine repeated the process again. Finally the infection disappeared and Eponine treaded a sterilized needle with sterilized cat-gut and began to stitch the wound up.

But the fever continued to refuse to break; it appeared that he still might die despite the fact that the infection had led up. Looking deep inside herself for the energy and strength to keep going despite all the odds she found a pearly-white fire, burning deep inside her core. It appeared that this was what the white light that had flowed into the drink and the reason that she was such a good doctor, finding the strongest plants knowing all their uses, healing more patients than they thought possible. Curious at its exact nature, she probed it again with her soul. A woman's voice like the trample of horses, the cries of the mother during childbirth greeted her.

"Use this to save him," the goddess' voice said, "Use your magic Eponine, it's your only hope, don't let a powerful leader die. Much depends on you, child, do not fail me now. Come, I will guide you."

Caught in a trance, she pressed her hands to his forehead, not realizing that Combeferre had just entered the room and that her body glowed with white fire, her hands burning with it. Combeferre, about to stop it, was stopped by an invisible child that gave off hope. Worried, he watched the goings on that were happening in front of eyes with shock.

Eponine saw none of this, so caught up was she in the healing; with the unknown goddess guiding her, she brought Enjoloras out of his fever, going after his soul as it left his being, stopping it in the tunnel and forcing Enjoloras into the realms of the living. As she pulled she felt more and more tired, worried that she might lose Enjoloras before leaving the tunnel, she put all her energy into a burst of speed that left out near the tunnel's entrance and collapsed, exhausted by the first use of her magic on such a large basis and from the power of being the vessel to a god's powerful; falling into the state of concussion with a sigh. Combeferre seeing all of this was suprised, though he didn't realize all that had happened, how could he? All he knew was that Enjoloras was alive and that Bruisque was exhausted. He asked the men to put a cot in the room for Bruisque and to have the news spread out that Enjoloras lived.

She slept for a week, when someone tried to wake her on the fifth day; they were swatted by Eponine and told by a woman's voice to leave the boy alone. When Eponine finally woke up, she checked on Enjoloras who was healthier than before. The effort, however, made her faint from exhaustion and Eponine was confined to bed from another two weeks.

I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter, some of the plants that they used for various medical concuoctiond do have the uses that are discribed in here. ie: Violet heads contain salisilic acid which is the major compodinent of aspren. Some of the scenes in this chapter resemple what happens during the Sweating Sickness to Jonathan in Alann: The First adventure by Tamora Pierce and I used that scene as inspiration. The next chapter is a short one but it also has a list of chapters. Review, I may have to declare that I will update only after I have gotten a certain number of reviews. As for all my faithful reviers, thank you, you give me hope.

Until next time,

flyery