Chapter 4: a challenging surgery
Luka was startled to be asked to participate in the surgery. He had no clue how a student alkemi could possibly help with such a complex enterprise. Kara took him aside while Artyom halfheartedly finished setting up. Ania leafed through a Grisha theory textbook, trying to do some last minute revisions on heartrender practice. Kara had asked that the work station be positioned on the ground and not on the table as previously planned. "Luka, " started Kara solemnly, " You once told me that you had won a competition with your friends of who would stay the longest in ice cold water. Do you remember?" Luka wondered where this was going, " Yes, it was last winter, I used our Grisha training in meditation to slow my heart down and hold out as long as I out all my friends gave up 10 minutes before I did." Kara nodded, " how long do you think you could hold that meditation? could you hold it for... let's say 3 hours?"
Luka nodded, excitement showing in his eyes, " what must I do?" She took him by the hand and brought him to Ania's side who looked skeptical. I want you to sit by Ania while she attempts to slow the patient's heart down. She is going to set it by your heartbeat as you meditate. You have to hold on as long as necessary so that Ania can reach out and feel your heart when she needs to. understood?". Ania's mouth formed an "O" as she saw the resemblance with what Kara had done for the prince with Igor. Luka sat down and crossed his legs and opened his purple kefta to reveal his undershirt and chest. It was cold in the room, so Kara placed warm blankets onto his lap and shoulders. He rested his wrists on his knees and closed his eyes. Within minutes, his breathing had slowed and his body was calm. Ania rested her hand on his chest and closed her eyes, imprinting the rhythm of his heartbeat. She signed over Vasily's body and maintained her concentration. Artyom waited for her signal and made a small cut on the patient's arm to check the effect of Ania's Small Science. The patient did not move and the blood oozing from the wound came out slow. Artyom nodded and they set to work. Artyom parted the damaged flesh as Kara gently plucked the fragments of vertebrae and tried to rebuild the vertebrae as you would a puzzle. Artyom had emitted the idea of replacing any missing fragments with iron that he had salvaged from one or two musket bullets. Ania wasn't very fond of the idea, the fusion of bone and iron being another new practice for her. She had agreed to try. She was curious to see if their crazy attempt would work. If it did, it would be a great advancement in military medical practices for both armies and she wanted to be part of it. It would at least give her the satisfaction of wiping Igor's irritating smile off his face.
As they worked, Ania would from time to time pause and press her hand on Luka's chest, to remind herself of the rhythm to maintain. Luka did not flinch and stayed still like a statue, his face relaxed and his eyes closed. Once Kara had finished setting the fragments, she realized that two pieces where missing. Artyom set the bullets where Kara indicated. once everything was in place, Kara tapped on Ania's shoulder indicating her to stop slowing the man's heart and start fixing the spine. Ania was sweating, despite the low temperature of the room. She wiped the drops forming on her brow and executed a complex series of signs with her hands. Artyom stood at the ready with the opium solution.
As Vasily began to moan, his consciousness resurfacing as well as his pain, Artyom pinched his nose and force-fed him the potion. Vasily tried to resist and Kara held him down with her own weight. After a moment, Vasily swallowed and his body slumped back onto the ground. Again, Artyom made a small incision on the arm and gave the clear to continue. Ania made quick work of melting the iron bullets and setting the fragments together. Once finished, the vertebrae looked like a beautiful pottery with veins of metal filling the breaches. Ania slumped onto Luka who woke up with a start. He was startled to see the fire-tempered Grisha healer trembling with fatigue on his lap. " Cover her with blankets and get her something to eat", said Kara. Luka quickly closed his kefta and gently placed Ania's head on the ground. he took the blankets covering him and placed them on Ania whose eyes fluttered like sleepy butterflies. He then sprang from the room crying out for tea with sugar. Kara took a moment to drink a glass of water as did Artyom before setting to work again. The remaining steps were known to them but they had to do them quickly. As Artyom dabbed away the blood and added disinfecting ointments in every fold of flesh, Kara sewed each layer shut trying to keep her stitches neat despite her trembling hands. By the time they had finished with the bandages, Artyom and Kara were sore, hungry and exhausted. The surgery had taken 6 hours, and the sun was setting, making the room very dark. Ania was looking better, nursing her second cup of sweet they could only wait, and see when Vasily awoke what the results might be.
When they stepped out of the room, Seraphine looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She and Yurii had been tending to the other wounded and they were exhausted. Ania, looked radiant after her participation in the surgery. Her long dark hair seemed shinier and her face bore a healthy pink flush. Feeling elated by her new exploit, she offered to help with a few of the wounded who could easily be healed and sent back to their battalion's tents. Kara was trying to think of a way to thank her but her mind was foggy and her legs stiff. She would find a way tomorrow, after a good night's sleep. Ania looked back to Kara, her eyes sparkling with pride. They did not need to speak in this moment, they had participated in something incredible together. Ania made Kara promise to give her news when the patient woke up and headed back to the Second army infirmary. Once Kara had congratulated Yurii and Seraphine and sent them to rest, Kara and artyom did one last round before settling down for the night. The prince was still sleeping soundly. They would attempt to wake him the next morning. As they crashed into their beds for the night, Kara intuitively felt their rest would be short lived.
She was awoken by an alarmed voice calling her name outside her tent. It was still dark out, with only 2-3 hours of sleep, Kara felt she functioned slowly. It took a moment for her muscles to respond, allowing her to pull on her army uniform on. Once she got out of the tent, she faced an unknown soldier, who grimly let her to the inside of the infirmary. He led her to a litter with a new soldier. She was told the man was the prince's cousin, found wondering in the woods, mumbling to himself. His back was bloodied which looked like whip lashes and the inside of his palms had been burned, clear indications he had been tortured. Two of his toes showed frostbites and Kara thought they would have to amputate at least one. But the worst of his injuries did not seem to be physical. His eyes were vacant and his mouth frozen in a gasp of horror. Kara could recognize trauma when she saw it. "he's gone soft in the head", whispered one of the soldier's in fear. Kara shook her head and shooed them gently away. she could do little for the soldier with only two hours of sleep. Thinking clearly was almost impossible with the sequence of events of the last few weeks. She gently ushered the man to an isolated corner of the barn. She cleaned his back with warm water and added the gel of a desert plant from near the Fold onto his burnt hands. She added evergreen sap to his back for good measure and after finishing the bandages, set him down to rest. The fear on his face had not left him and she took a moment to think of how she could relieve him until she could really see to him the next morning. she gave him an herbal tea with a hint of Kvas and left him when his eyes began to close.
Kara had sent Seraphine and Yurii early the next morning to collect herbs and oils at the market in Chenast. Their stock was too low for confort. Artyom and Kara were releasing nearly healed patients when Igor and two soldier's from the Darkling's Oprichniki called to them from the entrance of the infirmary. Igor looked grim and the Oprichniki grabbed Kara by the arms dragging her towards the center of camp. Artyom tried to intervene but was roughly pushed away. "Don't!," Kara cried out, " it's not worth getting hurt, whatever it is, I'll be fine." Artyom looked helplessly as they carried her away, being left alone to hold the First Army infirmary. He quickly snapped out of his trance and decided to call in a favor before tending to his patients.
Kara was unceremoniously shoved into the Darkling's tent. She discovered for the first time the interior of this tent that she had only observed from its somber exterior. The interior was extraordinary, lavishly decorated with carpets of fur and cushions for guest in the first room of the tent. The tent ceiling opened up to reveal a patch of blue sky to allow for the evacuation of smoke emanating from a fire pit in the ground at its center. Kara thought it must be nice to have one's own tent. Only the generals had their own quarters. As they proceeded to the back, it transformed to a meeting room, a large wooden table at it's center was covered in maps and parchments. General Kirigan was waiting, his eyes of quartz glinting coldly. Luka and Ania were standing to the other side of the table, looking just as lost as her. She was let go and the Oprichniki left the tent, leaving Igor to stand watch. The tent was silent for what felt like a glimpse of eternity when finally the Darkling spoke.
" News has reached my ear of events that need explanation". His eyes shifted from Ania to Kara. " Is it true Ania that you abandoned your post to intervene at the First Army infirmary?", Ania started to answer, " yes Moi General but I..." the General stopped her with a wave of his hand. He fixed Kara, " and is it true that you asked Ania for help?". Kara nodded. Alexhander straightened his back, growing it seemed, taller. "That is the second intervention of a Grisha healer in two days in the First Army infirmary. If I didn't know better I would say the competence of your team is lacking". Kara's cheeks flushed but she held her head high. She would not lose her temper and risk The Darkling's wrath. However, she could not let the reputation of her healers be questioned.
" I asked for help because I believed that combining science and Grisha Small Science would lead to more complex wounds being properly tended to". Alexhander raised an eyebrow, " Is that so?" he turned to Luka and Ania who were both nodding in agreement. Ania stepped in, " Please General, Kara had an idea to fix a broken spine which we Grisha, never attempted to do. With her guidance and Luka's help, I managed to do it". She stuck out her chin proudly, her chocolate brown eyes shining. Alexhander was indeed impressed but quickly collected himself, " that's beside the point. YOU abandoned your station, leaving two apprentices to heal wounded grisha." Ania scoffed, " the wounded had already been tended to, the remaining were resting before heading to their tents. I was hardly needed. The apprentices could manage cleaning up and checking our inventory". General Kirigan narrowed his eyes, the inside of the tent growing slightly darker. Kara had only heard of the Darkling's power and had never witnessed it. She stood her ground but her heartbeat quickened. " and what would have happened if the scouting party had come back injured? Who would have tended to your fellow Grisha then?" Ania bit her tongue. She could not argue against that scenario.
At the moment when General Kirigan was about to turn his attention back to Kara, General Biryukov marched into the tent. " What is the meaning of this Kirigan? If you call upon someone from First Army, that falls under my command!". Kara breathed out in relief. She would probably have to answer to her general but she could count on his protection from the Darkling. Kirigan was slightly taken aback. Indeed he had overstepped his command. He tried to justify, " your head healer has called upon Grisha for one of your soldiers". Biryukov turned to Kara, his eyes questioning. He would discuss this with her later. " I thought your Grisha healers pledged to help save any life belonging to the king's army. That is why we agreed to a common arm cuff for healers". Kirigan clicked is tongue in frustration, " The point is that Ania must answer to Grisha patients first and with a scouting party sent out, she should have awaited their return to guarantee their well-being." Biryukov placed a hand on Kara's shoulder gently pushing her out, " then ring the ear of YOUR healer and leave MINE be. The scouting party came back empty handed and its participants healthy so this conversation ends NOW." Kara tried to resist Biryukov long enough to turn towards Ania but he held her arm in an iron grip. She locked eyes with Ania who looked worried and Luka who looked terrified," Ania! The patient woke up this morning, his legs are responding, he'll walk again!". The look of triumph in Ania's eyes was beautiful. Kara new she would be able to face her General's lecture on duty and honor. Kara almost tripped as Biryukov pushed the flap of the tent. He released her and growled low, " To my tent, now". Her General's stride was quick, Kara had to walk fast to follow, " I can explain sir". He snorted, " you better give me a good one. I'm going to have some rough conversations with Kirigan thanks to you".
Back in the tent, Alexhander had turned to Ania. Ania was not known to work well with others. Yet, she seemed to show some form of respect or acceptance for the Otkazat'sya head healer. old as he was, little seemed to surprise him day to day. After centuries and different identities in Ravka, he thought he knew everything about the motives and desires of men. However, here was a curiosity, an anomaly of sorts in his established beliefs and he could not help but to wonder, how? He could not help it, he had to know. He would lecture the two of them after their explanation. He eyed Ania who seemed gloriously satisfied after lady Kara's last words prior to her departure. Luka was still frightened but calmer as well. Alexhander knew that he had to be firm but gentle enough that they would give some form of explanation. He kept the tent partly in the shadow, the blackness of him oozing from his palms as he sat slowly in his chair, keeping his gaze focused on them, his face grim. Ania shuffled slightly and Luka looked at his feet. He waited a moment before softly prompting them to speak.
Ania proceeded in explaining the unfolding of events with regular confirmation by Luka. The more the story unfolded, the more the Darkling felt a spark of admiration. between the four of them: Ania's healing talent, Artyom's precision, Luka's concentration and Kara resourcefulness, they were able to successfully conduct a revolutionary operation, never conducted before. Only the coming weeks would tell the amount of physical training needed for the man to walk, but he would be able to work in his farm, make love to his wife and play with his child when this was over. Ania insisted on the fact that it was Kara's idea to optimize the operation so as to limit the use of Ania's energy in case of an emergency in the Second Army infirmary. The whole enterprise had been risky but well thought through and executed. Alexhander hated to admit it, but the whole affair was genious. How did Kara come up with all these fresh ideas? The use of Luka's meditation skills was original, the calculation on the patient's relief of pain, methodical. Alexhander took his time to respond. " I cannot ignore the medical prowess you have all achieved. You were successful in a high-risk surgery on your first attempt. Was it luck or talent or both, we can only guess. I would like to insist however, that should you attempt such a thing again that you report to me, in the unfortunate absence of a Grisha head healer." His gaze was insistent on both of them.
On the other side of camp, an equivalent conversation was happening between Kara and General Biryukov. " You're lucky that your healer Artyom sent a soldier to warn me you were being dragged away by the Darkling's Oprichniki." The general Biryukov, slumped into a chair and waved impatiently for Kara to do the same. Kara could not help observe that his tent was more spares than the Darkling's. She envied however the fire pit he also had in his tent, keeping the cold at bay. " I rushed in to save your ass as soon as I heard. Now tell me what all that was about." Once Kara had finished her story, Biryukov whistled in amazement, " Now that took some seriously strong backbones from all of you to pull that stunt. That soldier will owe you his dignity as a man". His eyes grew darker, " You could have warned me. My tent is not exactly far from the Second Army infirmary". Kara knew she had ignored the chain of command which was a beginner's mistake. After a year in the army, she still was unused to reporting her every moves concerning her patients. She had worked and studied solo for more than a decade. It already took her a lot of energy to communicate properly with her team. Kara acknowledged her mistake, " My apologies sir, it won't happen again". The general traced a scar on his arm absentmindedly, " Meddling with Grisha is not exactly a good idea Kara. They are tolerated by the First Army but we aren't exactly buddies either". Kara snorted, that was clearly an understatement, " look General, I get the situation but I personally hold nothing against Grisha. If working together can help us improve medical science and treat patients better, than so be it". The General sighed, " just, let me know next time". He stared at her from the corner of his eye, " Do you sleep at all? you look like shit". Kara was sure he was right. The dark circles under her eyes must be comparable in size to the Fold. The last few days and weeks had been strenuous, demanding in time and energy. Not to mention the nightmares had plagued the few hours she had dedicated to sleep. The General dismissed her, commanding her to get some shut eye. she did feel that the recent heart palpitations and dizziness had something to do with her lack of rest.