Spears of Uu'kata

Chapter 34 - No Secrets

It felt good to be home again. This last campaign had felt especially long and bloody. There had been a huge party in the city for the returning warriors, but Gondrol hadn't attended. As Helkta, Ahnekk had to attend and as a high-ranking official in the Arinoll, Shodara had to be there too. Echnar shouldn't have gone because his leg was still healing, but it was impossible to keep that male from a party. Gondrol was just a doctor. He didn't need to be anywhere. So, he stayed at Charlotte's side. She was still unconscious, her body still healing from the abuse it had sustained.

It was hard to see her like this. Charlotte had been strong, and determined. Though she'd always been petite, she'd never seemed frail, until now.

Her pale skin was sallow and drawn, her cheeks sunken. Dark rings sat like bruises around her eyes. Not for the first time, he thought of sneaking her back to her people. Being here, among the Uu'k'asht seemed likely to kill her. As much as he lived having her where he could scoop her into his arms and care for her, he would be glad just knowing she lived and was healthy somewhere in this universe or the next.

Lifting her head, he pushed a cup of broth against her dry, cracked lips. "Charlotte," he said softly, "Come on, my little heart. Drink."

Her lips parted and he poured a sip into her mouth and waited while she swallowed before pouring another sip.

He spread balm on her lips, then checked the stitches holding her skin together. There were so many.

Retrieving a bowl of warm water and a washcloth, he carefully cleaned her body, then washed her hair. After which he reapplied ointment to her wounds and carefully re-wrapped them. Gently, he moved her body, forcing her muscles to bunch and stretch around the healing wounds so the scar tissue would be pliant enough not to cause her too much pain if she awoke.

When! he corrected himself. When she wakes.

Gondrol laid beside her and smoothed her hair back from her face, loving the soft, smooth feel of the strands on his hands.

"You wanted to see the city, my Charlotte," he said. "I think you will love it. Well, what you can see of it through the rain, anyhow."

He sighed. "There are a lot of people who want to meet you. There are a lot who don't but you don't need to worry about them."

She just laid there, silent and still as death, except for the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

Finally, he got up from the bed and left the room, making his way through the castle halls. They felt so empty. It wasn't just because of the party either. His people were dying out. The land of the Fire Bird had once had eight fully populated plateau cities. Now there were only five, and their numbers were dwindling so fast. These halls used to be so full. Now there were entire rooms that were closed off and collecting dust and it filled him with grief to know there was no reason to reopen those rooms. There may never be a reason to reopen those rooms again.

He reached the kitchens and located a chunk of meat and some white bean milk, then made his way down to the dungeons. Everything was so silent he felt like a wandering spirit until he made it to the cell where the ennelath cub was being kept. It yowled miserably. Its cries were high-pitched and frightened and it tugged at his chest to hear. It was odd, the little creature. Ennelaths didn't breed so close to the rainy season as all the prey would be moving to higher places, away from the ennelath's hunting grounds. He supposed that was why the mother had been hunting Uu'k'asht. They were all that was left that she could find to feed her cub.

Gondrol poked the meat onto the end of the rod and pushed it through the bars. Then he poured the milk into a bowl and pushed it in too. The little creature waddled up to the bars, looking up at him and crying out, yellow eyes fixed on him, stinger uncurling and flexing.