The Key to the Warriors (completed)

Chapter 42

42Zirlic

I sat upright in bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I thought I'd heard Charlie's voice in my head again but couldn't tell for sure if it was just a dream.

"Charlie?"

"I'm here. I need your help."

"Okay, gimme a second."

I didn't bother to dress before retrieving another piece of Charlie's clothing from his room. I woke Zyirah in the process, and she in turn woke Kat before following me out to the firepit, leaving the others to sleep. I struck a flame, then tossed the shirt on top as Zyirah came up next to me, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Charlie, are you there?"

"I'm here."

"Are you okay? What did you need help with?"

A muffled choking could be heard through the smoke, distant, as though whoever it was had moved away from the thing they were speaking through, then Charlie came back. "I need you to promise not to tell Zyirah. I don't want her to worry."

My eyes shifted to her as she gently shook her head, silently begging me not to send her away. With a deep breath, I nodded. "Okay. How can I help?"

"I broke my arm. It's okay, but Rory and Zak don't know how to fix it."

My eyes slid to Zyirah again to see her standing with fear on her face, a hand pressed over her mouth as she shot her eyes to me with worry.

"How did you break it?" There was no response for several minutes, and I frowned as I looked up into the smoke. "Charlie?"

"Hey, Zirlic, it's Zak." Zak came suddenly, and I licked my lips, fearing the worst. "Don't let Charlie downplay it. His arm is bad. He fell off a ridge a few days ago, then collapsed out here in this heat, and now the bone is sticking through the skin. I don't... me and Rory have no idea what to do about it. Rory was able to put a basic splint on it before, but with it being like it is... only the chief could treat it, but we're so far away now..."

"Okay." I took a deep breath as I considered, wishing I could see the damage myself to better assess. "When you get back to the Cascades, have the chief check for any minor fractures. For now, just focus on the bone that's exposed. He's not going to like it, but you can take hold of his hand and pull as hard as you can. If it's a clean break, it should pop the bone back into place."

"Oh God, the idea of that gives me the willies." Zak groaned, then sighed before speaking again. "Charlie, bite this. Rory, can you hold him still?"

There were sounds of sudden movement, then tugging, then I startled as Charlie's muffled scream suddenly erupted through the smoke, followed by heavy coughing. Zyirah had a hand pressed firm over her mouth, eyes closed as tears slid beneath them. Beside her, Kat was much the same, her attention on the rising smoke.

"Zak?" I glanced at Zyirah again as more sound of movement came through, then Zak returned.

"I think we got it. It's not sticking out anymore. That was horrible."

"How's Charlie?"

"Calling me every name in the book, but I think it'll be all right. Um... Rory, stay with him a minute, I'll be right back." We listened to his sounds of movement and walking, and when he returned his voice was softer. "Listen, Charlie'll kill me if he knows I told you this, but he's sick. I mean... really sick."

I swallowed hard as fear crept in on me. "How sick?"

"Like... blazing fever and coughing up blood sick. He ended up drinking some stagnant water we found out here. We tried to filter it, but we lost the flint so we couldn't boil it, and he's been coughing and puking ever since. Fever keeps climbing... Rory thinks if it's gets much higher he's gonna die, and I just... I don't know what to do right now."