THUNDER
Scene 59
Fiarsinhilh sulked in innerspace. She was hungry, Zash-hungry. Maybe it was time to prompt Derizan again. An odd, unpleasant aroma crept into the near space, near to the humans in the outer world, an odor Fiarsinhilh had never sensed in all of her long time. It brought a sapping darkness into innerspace, a draining of light from an immense hunger far greater than any Zash could imagine. She spread wings of light in alarm.
“Wake up! Wake up!” she called to Piotras from her presence in Derizan. “What is happening?”
Piotras jerked awake. Bunjaian was bending over Guinban, one hand reaching into a case at his waist, the other holding a bally gun. Piotras sprang towards the intruder, yelling out, “Attack! Attack!” Bunjaian gun-slapped him, sending him sprawling.
Selech was the first up, racing toward them. A gunshot blew past Piotras, and Selech fell, clutching his chest. Daryuz, Derizan, and Denzari staggered up and sprinted toward Bunjaian, who was now up, shouldering the paralyzed Guinban, and hauling him toward the portal.
The outer door to the portal lay open, Mentrianos disappearing inside, and as Bunjaian followed him, Daryuz struck out in an effort to free Guinban, and wrenched Bunjaian’s knee. A cry: the two fleeing men vanished into the chamber, slamming the door, and Daryuz reopened it to the sound of fading thunder. Munizkara lay wounded on the floor, and the two men, with Samantine and Guinban, were gone.
Derizan shouldered into the chamber, seeing the fading Wylwood symbol. He saw Munizkara. “Listen! Tend her, and tend Selech. Now!” Gently but hastily they carried the woman from the portal, as Astina came up to stanch her wound with pressure. They came out to where Ajina worked to treat Selech, her face tear-streaked.
Denzari sighed. “They’re in that awful place now. May Arcalio protect them.”
Derizan added, “Let’s pray that Arcalio finds them there. We must save Samantine, before... before she is…” He choked. Not again. Not again. Have I let another child slip away, and this one, of all the children?
Acting quickly, Astina managed to stop Munizkara’s bleeding, suture and dress her wounds from her kit, and get her hydrated and stabilized. She was weak and ashen. They laid her near one of the largest trees, on blankets, her head raised slightly.
“We’ve got the bullet out!” Denzari called. “His bleeding isn’t too bad – the bullet hit bone – and he’ll be up soon. But no lifting with that right shoulder.”
Ajina completed Selech’s sutures and dressing, and sighed. “Selu, why do you always jump the fastest? That bullet could have taken you from me!”
He started to reach to her, but winced with pain, and let his arm fall back. “It could have been worse. He could have killed us.”
“Come on,” said Alumaras, appearing with Diamann, “We’ll help you move him over beside Munizkara.”
After the move, Ajina kissed her husband’s forehead. “Now heal up!”
# # #
It was still dark, but a feeble glimmer far above seemed to hint at early dawn. Little by little the gentle hissing of the forest rose into clarity, and now and then flying creatures, mere sparks of moving color, traced movements in the tree canopy. Between two great planks of scaly bark over the sleeping Munizkara’s resting-place, Daryuz and Astina discovered a shining flow of tree sap. Before Daryuz could stop her, Astina tasted it.
“Tree honey! Let’s look for more of it.” They went around the tree, and off to others, carefully searching, but found only the one rivulet over the wounded. To their relief, the sap’s effects seemed benign, even energizing. They gathered some and fed it to Munizkara and Selech.
Ajina watched over the two. The ashen color left Munizkara’s face after a few minutes, and soon Selech was trying to stand. “You lie down!” his wife ordered.
“I’ll sit, then,” he said, smiling. “Whatever that syrup is, it’s awfully good. Think it’s an upkick?”
She laughed. “You’re my upkick, Just stay alive, huh?” Her expression turned thoughtful. “Why just here? Could the tree be feeling the need?”
He laughed in turn, but then looked over towards Tellina, huddling next to Derizan, her face buried in his shoulder. “When good comes, don’t interrogate it. I’ve got to get better fast. We’ve got to bring back that baby.”
Just then Daryuz, looking around, called out, “Where’s Piotras?”
