Chapter 24
Clarke paced outside the engineering bay. She knew that Raven had made the call to Hrathgar. She was surprised to hear that Raven hadn't talked to him but his wife, Ferre. She assured Raven that they would be leaving at first light, bringing supplies, more caballos, and plenty of medical supplies. Clarke prayed they wouldn't need them.
She felt useless. Octavia was out there and she was still just standing there, waiting. Raven was in her bay. Echo and Indra had disposed of Bellamy in the clinic for Abby to deal with. Madi was with Raven. Clarke was just standing there. Finally she needed something to do.
Madi came out of the barracks to find her setting up a fire circle, but it was huge. She wasn't sure why, but she learned early on not question Clarke so much when things seemed to be bleak. She knew that somehow Clarke always came out on top, even if how she got there was questionable.
"Signal fire," Clarke told her as she started piling logs and wood into the circle.
Echo came out of the clinic and started stacking the wood differently. Clarke just watched her. She said nothing, just kept bringing wood.
They stopped when Echo was happy. Clarke didn't ask where Indra was. She was sure that the older warrior was still in the clinic making sure that Bellamy didn't try anything stupid beyond what he'd already done that day. Madi went back to talk to Raven as Clarke and Echo sat down beside the fire pit and waited for the suns to go down.
When they finally did, Echo lit the fire. Clarke stood up to go get some food for them both after being there waiting for hours. On her way, she passed Raven.
"Have you heard anything?"
"No, complete radio silence," Raven told her.
"Have you tried to contact her?" Clarke asked her.
Raven looked at Clarke and shook her head
"I feel like an idiot," Raven said and quickly hobbled off back to her engineering bay.
She was back minutes later with the comm device. She checked it to make sure that it was working. It was. Standing next to Echo and Clarke by the fire, she called Palla. There was no answer, but they weren't sure how far out she was.
"Could she be too far?" Clarke asked her.
"Doubt it, but..." Raven said as she started doing something to the device.
She tried a few more times after that. She waited each time, trying to make sure that she gave Palla time to answer. But, Raven being Raven, she kept at it. She would try to tweak the comm device and call again. She never stopped, and after looking at the worry on Clarke and Echo's face, she wasn't going to stop until either Palla was back with them or they got an answer.
"Palla?" she tried again.
"I'm here."
"Did you find her?" Raven asked.
"I did," Palla answered.
Clarke jumped when she heard it. She took the comm from Raven's hand, before Raven could even think about asking a follow up question. She knew that it was rude, but at the moment she didn't care. She needed more information. They all did because they were all worried about Octavia.
"How is she?" Clarke asked.
"She's hurt."
"Hurt?" Clarke questioned trying to get a better understanding of what Palla meant.
Her mind started racing. Octavia was hurt and she had been out there alone. Clarke's ire with Bellamy grew as she waited for more information.
"Have Abby ready to receive her early in the morning. As soon as there is light, we'll be moving. Tell Abby that it is Sticky Sap poisoning. She should have everything that she needs in the clinic. If not, call Hrathgar and tell him."
Clarke threw the device at Raven before Palla finished telling them that Octavia was injured and she needed Abby. She kept saying "sticky sap, sticky sap" as she quickly made her way to the clinic and her mother. She bypassed Indra and Bellamy to get to Abby first.
"He'll be on the way at first light as well," Raven told her.
"You called him?"
"You told me to before you left."
"Oh...sorry...good. I need to speak with him anyways. I'll let you know when I leave in the morning. Keep someone on the radio, Raven," Palla said.
Raven agreed with her. Echo took the device and shooed Raven and Echo towards their beds. They all looked towards the clinic.
"I'll talk with her. You both sleep. We'll take turns. Go, now. Rest, Heda," Echo told them.
After she saw them enter engineering, knowing that Madi was safe with Raven there, she went into the clinic. Clarke was frantically gesturing to her mother. Abby looked concerned and Indra looked like she was about to beat on Bellamy more.
"If he can move, I'll take him to our rooms. Indra watch the fire. Keep it lit. Clarke, help your mother prepare for their arrival," Echo told them.
She knew that Wanheda should take offense to her taking charge, but someone needed to keep a level head. Clarke nodded. Indra looked at her, then Clarke, and then took the post as assigned. Abby looked at the tall guard and regarded her before tilting her head towards Bellamy's cot. She took that as a sign and went to him.
She said nothing as she helped him up and practically drug him out of clinic. She didn't care about his wounds at that moment. She was still angry with him because of how he'd treated his little sister. But, she still loved him, which is why she'd let Indra beat the shit of him earlier that day. As she deposited him on the bed in their room, she just shook her head at him.
"Octavia ran because of you, you fool. She's hurt. I hope you are happy," she hissed at him as she left him.
Back downstairs, she waited with Indra. They stared from the fire to the woods, willing the suns to rise, so they could see Octavia again. A few hours later, Clarke joined them.
"Wake someone else, you need to sleep."
"I'll keep my watch," Echo told her firmly.
Blue eyes met hazel. Clarke backed down immediately. She knew that Madi had tasked them to be as close as sisters and true to their word, they were trying. Bellamy didn't make it easy on either of them, but Octavia had lifted the banishment on Echo. They'd forgiven each other for anything that they had done to each other before Praimfaya. If they could do it, why couldn't Bellamy? She ran a hand over her face. Echo and Octavia would both die for them. But, that didn't help Clarke now. Octavia was injured and she felt like part of her was missing. She needed them both to stay alive. She couldn't lose anyone else. She didn't think that she'd be able to handle it. She was so close to breaking, but she had to remain strong. She had to keep them all alive.
Just before dawn, Echo turned to Indra. She was adding more to the fire, banking it. Indra met her eyes and quickly flicked them towards the engineering bay. Echo nodded and headed to get Raven and Madi. They came back with her minutes later. Madi wiping sleep from her eyes as she moved to cuddle up to Clarke, and Raven holding the comm device in a death grip as she hobbled closer.
"Any word?" Clarke asked.
"No," Raven stated.
They all sat and stared at the fire. Not long after, the first sun started to rise. Clarke stood and went to the clinic. She called for Abby to join them. Abby came out just as the second sun rise came over the horizon. The trees were starting to show their color again instead of the blue-black of night. Clarke found herself staring out that forest hoping to see two caballos coming at her.
Minutes later she got part of her wish. The red roan that Palla had given Octavia came bounding out of the forest and headed straight for the stables. Clarke wanted to scream when there was no rider upon her back.
"Fotia," Echo stated.
"Where's Octavia?" Clarke asked.
"Where's Palla and her horse?" Raven questioned.
Clarke met Echo's eyes. She drew her sword. Indra was stood and turned like she was going to get the other two mounts. She'd be damned if she was going to her let her Skai daughter die without her by her side.
Minutes later, just as Indra started to move, Palla broke through the treeline. She was heading straight for their signal fire. They could see a small smile cross her face.
"Get whatever you might need from the clinic," Raven told them.
Everyone quickly ran inside gather things and coming back out. As Palla started to slow, Echo and Indra saw that she was carrying Octavia in front of her on the caballo. They ran out to meet her. If need be, they would carry her back to Abby themselves. Palla had done enough. They didn't have to say anything to Palla as they approached her on the left. She slowly and carefully lowered Octavia to them. Abby met them as they carried her back and straight into the clinic. Raven followed her to help her with the computers and scanners.
Clarke heard her tell them, "Take her inside. I kept her as warm as could, but she needs the salve now. Abby help her."
Madi turned to look at Palla and then Octavia as she passed by. She looked back at Palla and met her dark brown eyes. She could see her own worry reflected there. Silently mouthing, Mochof, Madi followed them into the clinic. She might not be a medic or healer, but she was going to help Abby any way that should could. She owed that to Octavia because no matter what anyone said, Octavia was one of her people. It also didn't hurt that she'd always looked up to the older brunette, whom even as Skairipa and her mother's personal guard, she still thought of as an older sister.
Clarke had joined them by the time Palla handed Octavia over. She held the reins of Svathimmel, Palla's large, midnight black caballo. She watched as Palla took a few steps towards her and then actually meet her eyes. Clarke could see that there was still some distress there. She could only imagine the amount of adrenaline that was coursing through Palla's body in the moment. She watched as Palla scrunched her eyebrows in disbelief before she started swaying. Clarke reached out for her, calling her name, but got no response just before she caught her and kept her from hitting the ground.
"ECHO! INDRA! HELP!" Clarke screamed.
Echo was the first out of the clinic. She grabbed the other side of Palla and that is when they both noticed that she'd been shot. There were two arrows in Palla. One was buried in the meat of her calf, the other was through her back, near her kidneys, but it didn't look like it made it all the way through. They carried her into the clinic and lay her on her stomach on one of the gurneys.
"When did that happen?" Abby asked as she turned to see her newest patient.
"I don't know, Mom. Help her. What can I do?"
"We need to deal with the arrow in her back. Raven, scan her and see if it hit anything. If it did, we'll have to do surgery now. Octavia will have to wait."
"What does she need Abby?" Madi asked pointing at Octavia.
"We need to bathe her again and then start putting this salve on her wounds," Abby told her.
"Indra and I will handle that," Madi told her. "Help Palla. She risked herself for Octavia. Save her."
Indra grabbed a bowl and filled it with water. Madi was already grabbing rags and towels. Echo had run out of the room to get more blankets. She handed them to Indra as they took Octavia behind a curtain and started to wash her.
"Abby, what the hell is all this?" Raven asked as the scans came up on a screen.
"I don't believe it," Abby said as she stared at the screen.
Clarke turned to look at it. There was an image up on the screen. It might have been eight years or so, since Clarke had seen an anatomy book, but even she knew that was right. She could make out the arrow. It was thin at least and didn't have a large broad head. She'd learned from the Trikru that arrows like that were used for war because they were quickly made. They might not tear as much flesh going in or being pulled out, but they still made a good hole and did plenty of damage. They saved the broader heads for hunting. In hunting, they needed the kill. Not so much in war, incompassitation worked just fine and then they could use a blade to finish the job.
"How?" Clarke asked.
"Don't ask me, Clarke. I have no idea. She should be needing surgery right now. But somehow, her kidney moved just enough to the left."
"That's not all that had to have moved. Her pancreas, gall bladder, intestines...the arrow hit nothing. It literally hit nothing but skin, muscle and fat. How?"
"Don't question it, Clarke. Be thankful. She's very lucky," Abby stated.
"It hit nothing inside?" Raven inquired as she looked at the scan again. "That isn't luck, Abby. That's fucking devine intervention or some shit."
"No, that is her being Palla," Echo told them as she looked at the scans with childlike wonder. "Is that what we all look like inside?"
"Yes, but if she'd been nicked, it would be bad. Raven run the scan again at a small increment. I want to be sure that I don't have to stitch something up. Clarke, start an IV, fluids and a high does of antibiotics. I'm not taking any chances," Abby ordered.
Raven ran the scans. Abby watched the screens and shook her head in disbelief. She turned and Raven held up her thumb and forefinger closer together. Abby nodded and Raven did the scans again at a small splice. Each time it was always the same. The arrow penetrated her body, but hit nothing vital.
"I'll have to push it through because of the barbs. I don't want to risk doing more damage. It isn't ideal, but it is the best course of action," Abby told Clarke as she joined her on Palla left side.
"And, her leg?"
"It's already through. Break it off on both sides. Will push it through and then cartorize the wound. I'll put some salve on it and she'll be fine."
"Same with that one?" Raven asked as she pointed to the one still sticking out of Palla's back.
"Yes," Abby stated as she drug a small stool over to the bed.
She stood atop it and got in position. She nodded to Clarke and watched her as she broke off both sides of the arrow that was embedded in Palla's right leg. Echo joined her and held down Palla's leg as Clarke pushed the broken shaft through the meat of her leg. Palla whimpered but didn't really stir. She reached out, after tossing the arrow shaft on the floor, and was handed a poker to seal with wound. Echo again holding her down. Palla didn't make a sound.
Raven rankled her nose at the smell, but she didn't move from where she was. She watched as Clarke wrapped Palla's leg in some bandages before moving around to help her mother. She looked up at Abby and waited. Raven wondered how well this was going to work. She remembered Abby doing surgery on her with pain meds. It sucked, so she could feel for the woman before her.
"Hold her down. This is going to..."
"Suck monkey balls," Raven supplied for Abby.
"Yes," Abby stated as she placed both of her hands on the feathered end of the arrow shaft.
She looked to Echo and Clarke. Then she turned to Raven, who got the hint and leaned over to add her weight to hold Palla down. Once Abby was happy with everyone's position, she dropped her weight onto her hands and pushed the arrow through until it broke through the front of Palla's belly. Palla wasn't quiet this time. She left out a deafening howl of agony. Her eyes opened, wildly and searched where she was quickly. Abby went to address her before her body went slack on the cot. Turning to study the screens, she realized that Palla had woken from the pain only to pass out again from it.
"Okay, so now we break it," Abby said as she reached down for the head and snapped it off.
She dropped it on the floor. She then broke off the feathered end. She was about to pull out the shaft when the clinic door slammed open. They all turned to see a very, heavily pregnant blond in the doorway.
"What in Eligius do you think you're doing to Palla?" she demanded, angry as hell, holding a notched bow aimed straight for Abby.