The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Blue Sky, Night Thunder: The Fool's Errand

Susan Delgado · 11-23-2002, 03:13 AM

Thorondruin rolled away from the fire. He wasn't asleep, though he was trying. Stupid as Ox was, Throndruin was prepared to admit he probaably had enough experience as a fighter to keep a decent wary eye out. And it wasn't as if he himself could stay up all night at watch, nor could he trust that conniving Elf, so he didn't really have a choice about letting Ox stand guard.

He rolled over again, restless, still unable to sleep. He pullled out the large rock digging into his spine, but all that did was leave a hole, which was almost as bad. Then it suddenly started to rain. Great!
Growling, he started to pull the blanket over his head to block the worst of the waterfall when he stopped. Had he heard something? He glanced over at Himelilek but she seemed to be asleep. He made a similar glance at Hithduiniel and leapt to his feet in alarm. She was gone! Where was that idiot barbarian that he wasn't watching the prisoners? He'd started around the fire when the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started, but he gave it only passing attention because by that time he'd seen the body lying across the clearing. He also noticed the sack Livia had been in torn open and empty and cursed under his breath as he approached the figure on the ground.

Ozracles, sure enough. He nudged the body with his foot and was startled when it let out a weak groan. He knelt down and rolled the barbarian over, exposing the knife sticking out of his side. He pulled it out and examined it, peripherally noting the increase of bloodflow when he did so.

The knife wasn't one he recognised, and it wasn't the one they'd taken from Livia when she escaped the first time; it must have belonged to Hithduiniel.
He looked back at the man on the ground and growled. Why hadn't Ozracles been watching? He could have prevented himself from being stabbed at all, but now Thorondruin had to deal with his inattentiveness. Ah, well, nothing to do but wake Himelilek. She could heal him, surely.
He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Elf and reconsidered his original plan to wake her himself. She was heavily armed and such an action would probably get him stabbed as well, so he threw a rock instead. Nice and distant, so when she sprang up fighting, he was still relatively safe. He called her over to examine the wounded man, and she came. Irritated or not, she was still the healer of the group.

---------------------------------------------

"I can't heal this."

"What?"

"You heard me. Whoever stabbed him punctured his lung and severed an artery in his chest. He's bleeding, inside as well as outside. My herbs can do nothing for such a wound. If we were in one of the cities of my people, they might be able to do something, but as it is, there's nothing I can do. He's going to die." Himelilek sat back on her heels and embraced herself. Her arms were covered in blood halfway to her shoulders, and the front of her tunic was solidly red.

Throndruin didn't know what to think beyond, Damn those girls!
He said, "Well, can't we stop the bleeding? Just hold the wound there." He began to suit action to word, but the Elf stopped him.

"You don't understand. He's bleeding inside his body. There's no way to put pressure inside, so putting pressure outside would be a waste of effort."

Thorondruin frowned. What she said was beyond his comprehension. He thought for a moment, then said, "What do we do?"

She looked over at Ozracles and shook her head. He was unconcious from loss of blood and she wasn't sure how much longer he had.
"I don't know," she murmered. She may have been a thief and a murderer, but she was still an Elf with an Elf's love of life and beauty, and as a healer she hated being unable to help a wounded comrade.

Thorondruin stood up tall and pulled out his knife. "Well, if there's nothing we can do to save him, why leave him like this? Anyway, he'd be nothing but a burden until he died naturally."
He reached toward the man on the ground, but before he could do more than start his motion, Ozracles gave an odd, whistling sigh, twitched twice, and lay still again.

Himelilek leaned over to examine him, then got her feet and looked down at the barbarian for a long moment.

"He's dead," she said at last.

[ November 23, 2002: Message edited by: Susan Delgado ]

11-23-2002, 03:13 AM	#225
Susan Delgado The Perished Flame Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: behind my eyes Posts: 1,096	Thorondruin rolled away from the fire. He wasn't asleep, though he was trying. Stupid as Ox was, Throndruin was prepared to admit he probaably had enough experience as a fighter to keep a decent wary eye out. And it wasn't as if he himself could stay up all night at watch, nor could he trust that conniving Elf, so he didn't really have a choice about letting Ox stand guard. He rolled over again, restless, still unable to sleep. He pullled out the large rock digging into his spine, but all that did was leave a hole, which was almost as bad. Then it suddenly started to rain. Great! Growling, he started to pull the blanket over his head to block the worst of the waterfall when he stopped. Had he heard something? He glanced over at Himelilek but she seemed to be asleep. He made a similar glance at Hithduiniel and leapt to his feet in alarm. She was gone! Where was that idiot barbarian that he wasn't watching the prisoners? He'd started around the fire when the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started, but he gave it only passing attention because by that time he'd seen the body lying across the clearing. He also noticed the sack Livia had been in torn open and empty and cursed under his breath as he approached the figure on the ground. Ozracles, sure enough. He nudged the body with his foot and was startled when it let out a weak groan. He knelt down and rolled the barbarian over, exposing the knife sticking out of his side. He pulled it out and examined it, peripherally noting the increase of bloodflow when he did so. The knife wasn't one he recognised, and it wasn't the one they'd taken from Livia when she escaped the first time; it must have belonged to Hithduiniel. He looked back at the man on the ground and growled. Why hadn't Ozracles been watching? He could have prevented himself from being stabbed at all, but now Thorondruin had to deal with his inattentiveness. Ah, well, nothing to do but wake Himelilek. She could heal him, surely. He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Elf and reconsidered his original plan to wake her himself. She was heavily armed and such an action would probably get him stabbed as well, so he threw a rock instead. Nice and distant, so when she sprang up fighting, he was still relatively safe. He called her over to examine the wounded man, and she came. Irritated or not, she was still the healer of the group. --------------------------------------------- "I can't heal this." "What?" "You heard me. Whoever stabbed him punctured his lung and severed an artery in his chest. He's bleeding, inside as well as outside. My herbs can do nothing for such a wound. If we were in one of the cities of my people, they might be able to do something, but as it is, there's nothing I can do. He's going to die." Himelilek sat back on her heels and embraced herself. Her arms were covered in blood halfway to her shoulders, and the front of her tunic was solidly red. Throndruin didn't know what to think beyond, Damn those girls! He said, "Well, can't we stop the bleeding? Just hold the wound there." He began to suit action to word, but the Elf stopped him. "You don't understand. He's bleeding inside his body. There's no way to put pressure inside, so putting pressure outside would be a waste of effort." Thorondruin frowned. What she said was beyond his comprehension. He thought for a moment, then said, "What do we do?" She looked over at Ozracles and shook her head. He was unconcious from loss of blood and she wasn't sure how much longer he had. "I don't know," she murmered. She may have been a thief and a murderer, but she was still an Elf with an Elf's love of life and beauty, and as a healer she hated being unable to help a wounded comrade. Thorondruin stood up tall and pulled out his knife. "Well, if there's nothing we can do to save him, why leave him like this? Anyway, he'd be nothing but a burden until he died naturally." He reached toward the man on the ground, but before he could do more than start his motion, Ozracles gave an odd, whistling sigh, twitched twice, and lay still again. Himelilek leaned over to examine him, then got her feet and looked down at the barbarian for a long moment. "He's dead," she said at last. [ November 23, 2002: Message edited by: Susan Delgado ] __________________ "Man as a whole, Man pitted against the universe, have we seen him at all 'til we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?"