Metal and Flesh (The Rohvim, Book 1)

19.2 Brave

   He looked down. Rupert's left arm lay several feet away. Blood streamed from his head and chest. His eyes were halfway open, but unmoving. One of Betha's hands rested on his head, and the other held a rag over the most grievous wound on his chest. Aeden collapsed next to them, and, after holding his hand, hovering, over Rupert's pale head for a moment, placed it next to Betha's. He entered.

   He looked around. A forest surrounded the hill he stood on, and he recognized it as the hill where Rupert had given him his lesson on rohva dueling. Looking about himself, he saw Betha nearby, a whirlwind of motion at Rupert's wall. He approached and looked at it. Nearly every light flashed, blaring red. What do we do? he said.

   Betha didn't slow down, but answered, I don't know. Try to stop the bleeding with the blood controls. He looked wildly around, found the right sections, and started cranking dials and knobs, looking at the indicators above them. One light turned orange. They worked furiously, some lights turning to orange, some back to red, one eventually got to yellow. 

   Rupert appeared beside them, very agitated, and he convulsed, clutching his throat. Rupert! Aeden called, looking up from his work. Tears streamed from Rupert's face, a look of supreme fear overcoming him. He shook his head, again and again, clenching and unclenching a fist while using his other hand to alternately hold his mouth or his throat. He trembled. Aeden rushed to him, calling his name again, but Rupert did not reply, except by continuing to shake his head. Aeden grabbed him by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. His fearful eyes. Rupert blinked rapidly. Aeden placed his finger on Rupert's forehead. He didn't know how his friend had strengthened him before with the same act, but he concentrated on Rupert, pouring into him all the goodwill and strength and love and peace that he possessed.

   Rupert breathed in deeply, and released his throat. He trembled, but less now. He stood before Aeden, and nodded once, smiled a small smile, and briefly touched Aeden's hand which was still placed on his shoulder. Then he straightened his posture and turned, walking slowly away. He faded, gradually disappearing as he descended the hill into the shadows.

   Shortly, the master healer, Lady Ellen, Gregory, and Edwin appeared. They strode over to the wall. The master healer threw Aeden aside, yelling, Out of my way! The four joined Betha, and the five, as a blaze of quickened lightning, worked the controls of Rupert's body. Aeden watched, and then, not content to watch another loved one pass out of his reach, he forced himself to look away, and walked down the wall to his left.

   He saw motion on the section next to him and looked up, hoping to see his friend again, but instead saw the wall of memories. In one, he saw himself, smiling and talking into the screen, his arm extended to Rupert's shoulder. In the next he saw the assembly in the council chambers that sent the company on its quest. He continued walking, seeing Rupert's life play out before him in snippets and silent episodes. As he approached the end, he saw Rupert's childhood. He saw his mother and father, who looked very poorly dressed, working hard in a field. He saw brothers and sisters, gathered around the table, eating a small meal of cooked grain and eggs.

   He saw another boy, richly dressed, playing with Rupert in the street. This boy, a nobleman's child from the looks of him, appeared in many of the memories from this point on. The two went everywhere together, whenever Rupert was not hard at work. He saw pranks. He saw laughter. He saw girls. Rupert, now an early teenager, walked with the friend down the street, calling out to a group of girls in front of them.

   In the next, he watched, disturbed, as Rupert was beaten down by another group of boys and fell behind a thatched brick building, bleeding and crying. Aeden stopped at this one. He leaned forward and whispered, "You poor kid..." He touched the glass screen where Rupert still sobbed in pain. A flood of emotion washed over Aeden. Pain and doubt and hurt and loneliness overwhelmed him.

   He pulled his hand away and the feelings subsided, but the pity remained. Aeden replaced his hand and the overwhelming feelings returned, cutting him to the core. He watched as the noble friend passed by, looking at the pitiful sight of his friend and continued on, conversing with his other noble friends. Loneliness and an urgent desire for compassion and belonging surged out of the screen and into his chest.

   The scene changed: he observed the same friend looking on, unconcerned as Rupert and his family are turned out of their home by servants of the nobleman who owned their house. Aeden felt the rage building inside him at the other noble boy. He looked at the image of Rupert and realized the feelings were his own. Rupert's own face betrayed no hatred, only sadness, and cold feelings of humiliation and fear emanated from the screen through his hand.

   Eventually, images of the noble boy ceased, and the society replaced him. He saw Betha, and Darla, and Frederick, and several others he recognized from the grove outside of Ramath. The cold, hopeless feelings subsided, replaced by happier ones, but still dominated by trepidation and apprehension and fear. He turned away.

   Frederick appeared next to him. Come on out, Aeden. There's nothing you can do here. Aeden nodded silently, and looked out at the flickering landscape spread before him. Below the hill, a golden field caught the slanted rays of the setting sun. The scene flickered more, some parts of the view replaced by darkness. He left.

   Opening his eyes, he saw most of the company still huddled around the bloody boy. One by one, they opened their eyes, and looked down. Betha, last of all, opened her eyes and wept. Her tears streamed down and splashed on Rupert's head, mixing with the blood which still oozed thick. Aeden, thinking of the legends from the Chronicles of fair maidens reviving their lost loves with their tears, hoped beyond his strength of similar divine grace for his friend.

   He called out in his mind, pleading, Great Creator. Have mercy on this, thy son. The figure in the spreading pool quickened his breaths. Betha began to hum softly, gently cradling the bleeding head, the seraphic sound floating down to rest upon the fluttering body. Frederick leaned his head on Darla's shoulder, gazing red-eyed down at his friend. Stuart collapsed. Aeden withdrew his hand from the white head and placed it on the boy's bloody shoulder.

   Rupert took one last shallow breath and lay still.