Cataindar

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

 

Luisa followed Finn into the corridor and then by the sound of his movements and laboured breathing in the dark. Luisa imagined ratains running at her out the pitch-black and shivered.

“Finn have you slept?”

“A little…. we have had to be on guard. It is almost over; there has been no sign of the Ratains yet, though we have smelt plenty of their stench above. I believe they have passed. Tomorrow, we will track them to the edge of our perimeter, if there is no sign of them, the contravention will be lifted.  I will rest soon… it is not far now.”

Eventually they reached a door.  Finn pushed against it with his shoulder. 

The room was lit by a number of candles and was completely white, stained with splatters of blood on the ground.  Thorne was in a cot, shivering, fur clumped together, a pool of dried blood underneath her.  Dr. Carnduff was sitting in a chair with a candle burning next to him, a thick book by his side, his white apron stained pink over his blue tunic.

He stood and bowed as they entered. He addressed Luisa,

“Princess, Thorne is as strong as she is brave, she has been asking for you.”

Luisa looked over the catain. The large wound across her abdomen had been sewn up with thick thread, and stinking pus oozed from it.  She was shivering, with a terrible fever.  Her large cat eyes swivelled and focused on Luisa and for a second nothing seemed real.  Thorne looked like a giant puppet.  Luisa felt faint. Thorne’s mouth opened, it seemed dry, thick with whiteness.

“I’m so sorry, princess,” She croaked.

Luisa reached out and took Thorne’s paw in her hand, it felt so light. 

“Thorne, don’t be upset, you were out protecting all of us, you don’t have to be sorry… you have to focus on getting better.”

Thorne weakly squeezed Luisa’s hand in appreciation. 

“He, believes in you.  Finn believes in you.  He told me… how you climbed the Ratain…” she licked her dry lips, “Used your dewin to do it, Princess, we need you.”

“I’m here Thorne.” Luisa felt so helpless, she squeezed Thorne’s paw.

Thorne smiled and closed her large eyes.

Finn took Luisa by the shoulders,

“Just a short visit, we best let her rest Princess.”

Luisa carefully replaced Thorne’s paw back on the cot. 

Thoughts swam in her mind, and an idea took root, there was something she could do.

She looked up at Finn,

“I know how to help her.”

--

 There you go my friends! Updating from the lake of Ketepwa in Saskatchewan.  It has been raining non-stop - the perfect weather for sitting down and getting some work done.

And work I have as... I have finally finished *my* edit of Cataindar! Yes!

Corrected the final spelling mistake I* spotted all the way ahead on page 353.

*Likely I have missed a few hundred apostrophes and recklessly exchanged a few homophones – and I still have a little rewriting of earlier chapters to do, as well as most importantly, seeing how all the future chapters fare on wattpad -  (I can’t thank my amazing readers and friends enough! All those amazing people that have been helping this project along,) but still!

I’ve finished my edit.

I’m a big fan of celebrating victories (no matter how small) so am going to go outside in the wind and rain and enjoy a pretty large cigar right now.  Ah! I am a very happy chap at this minute. 

I'm going to crack this beer and enjoy a cigar. Pics on my twitter @TEJJohnson

Next for Cataindar is a manuscript review (offered at an excellent rate by the Saskatchewan Writer’s Guild) and a professional edit. I’ll look forward to some feedback; then let the queries begin.

Enough from me - thank you all for reading; I just can't wait to share with you the next chapter tomorrow – yes! It is a big one - finally some answers!!