Chapter 3

Waiting was not the same as idling. Kyminn started two small fires to warm the Herald and his Companion. He heated stones and rested them close to the injured, trying to stave off shock and chill from the cold ground. He scraped as much mud and grime from them as he could, helping them stay dryer and warmer. As he did, he kept up an idle stream of chatter in an effort to keep them awake and alert.

As the afternoon stretched on, Kyminn paused more frequently, reaching out with his mindspeech, searching for the help that was coming. Shortly before dinner time, he gave a sigh of relief. "They aren't far now. They should be here within the hour."

Randen nodded slightly, trying not to move his shattered shoulder. The willow bark tea Kyminn had made had dulled the pain a bit, but movement still sent jolts of fire through him. He'd gulped down the brew, grateful for the relief even as he gagged on the bitterness of the raw bark.

"I'm sorry Herald," Kyminn apologized. "Usually we make it with gentler – and stronger – herbs. My grandmother always believed that if someone had to decide which of the two was worse – the sickness or the cure – then there was something wrong with the cure." He sighed in frustration. "This time of year, there's nothing much I can find aside from the willow."

"It's alright Kyminn." Randen gave him a wan smile. "Derris and I both know how much worse it could be. In case I forget, thank you from both of us."

Kyminn wasn't sure how to respond, so he simply ducked his head and said "You're welcome" and busied himself moving warmed stones to replace the cooled ones.


"I found him!" The woodsman's shout of discovery was joined by a clamour of voices as people appeared at the lip of the ravine.

"Let me through!" The speaker was woman on the edge of her sunset years, her braids showing more gray than chestnut these days. For all that, she still moved strongly, pushing her way through the throng without regard to rank or sex.

"What have you got boy?" The voice might have been thinning with age, but there was strength of will behind it.

"A Herald and Companion caught in a slide. Both are pinned. We are going to need you and mother. I need your talents." Kyminn paused, then added obliquely, "All of them."

It took several minutes for his grandmother and mother to rope up and inch their way into the ravine. A second line lowered down bundles of supplies. Kyminn signaled the others to wait at the top of the bank, to let the Healers work first.

"Why didn't you let them send more help down? We're going to need the help." Kyminn's mother opened the pack and started removing supplies.

Kyminn looked from his grandmother to Randen. "It's his leg, Grandmother. What does your healing gift tell you?" His voice, for the first time, was dark with worry. "I didn't want to discuss this where everyone could hear."

Stiff knees bent into the mud beside Randen. "Herald, my name Anya. I have not been in active service for many years now, but I never stopped being a Healer. No Healer ever really does. I was trained at the collegium and served the crown for a long time. I know my craft and what I am asking of you. Let me in?"

Randen nodded, and Anya closed her eyes and reached for the Herald's mind. She was still for several long moments, then with a sad sigh, she opened her eyes again. "It's as Kyminn feared, and I'm afraid it's not good news. You have been pinned for many hours now and the leg is badly crushed. The flesh has started to die and those poisons are trapped in the leg. With no blood flowing, the body is not able to cleanse itself. If we were to free the leg right now, those poisons would flood your body and stop your heart." Her voice was soft as she went on. "If I had a stronger gift, I might be able to prevent it. Or if Kyminn had been able to free you, I could have saved the leg. Crippled still, but with two legs. I'm sorry."

Randen's voice was bleak, but firm. "And Derris?"

Kyminn spoke up. "Once you are free, we can easily lift you up the bank. You can't see it from where you are lying, but the slope is steep and it's about 60 feet to the top. I have an idea on how we can lift Derris out, but it won't be easy, fast or painless."

A nod. "Well then Healer, I guess you're going to have to cut off my leg." The smile was a bit wobbly.

Decision made, things moved quickly. Under Anya's direction, the villagers prepared the stretcher and ropes to move the Herald. Anya and Keli, Kyminn's mother, prepared the Herald for surgery. The sleeping draught was quick, and for the first time in hours, the Herald was free of pain.

Kyminn and one of the woodsmen packed and tightened the shaft in Derris's chest. Although Derris could not yet stand, he was going to have to shift to free his Herald, and the wound was far too close to being fatal for them to risk anything.

"Ready?" Anya gathered Keli and Kyminn with her eyes. Keli nodded. Kyminn picked up the unconscious Herald's hand and placed it gently on Derris's shoulder again. "Ready."

It was done in moments, Anya using her gift to seal the vessels she could and tying off the rest. Kyminn and Keli helped Derris shift just so and Randen was, at last, lifted clear. As the stretcher started to make its way to the base of the bank, Kyminn put his hand gently on the arm of one of the bearers and said "Stop a moment. Let his Companion be with him."

The villager nodded and they stopped the stretcher where Derris could, after a day of pain, see his Herald. Carefully, the white head reached out and touched Randen's chest. A part of Kyminn wondered what was passing between them, beyond where words and consciousness dwelt. Then the moment passed and Derris gave the stretcher bearers an imperious shove. Careful of their precious cargo, they continued their journey out of the ravine.