Linus Toria

Chapter 13

Mathieu was cautious. The dwarves had switched their stance from „Let's kill them" to „Please help us" at an unnatural fast pace. He didn't believe anybody capable of dismissing their desire for vengance that quickly. Maybe they just wanted to make the most of it and kill his team after they helped them.

Gaspard stood next to him and they were facing the dwarves together. His scout found the situation fishy as well while he was talking with the younger dwarf: „I doubt many travellers ever came by here. How could you bait enough of them to keep the manticore happy?"

„You'd be surprised how popular the route through the desert actually is. It's in fact the only route where you won't have to worry about bandits as they find the desert to bothersome", the dwarf explained disturbingly cheerful.

Mathieu wanted to retort something but was distracted by Gaspard turning towards the junction. As a sour looking Lina appeared, the walls started shaking. „Was that an explosion? And where's Etienne?", Mathieu barked a little too harshly.

A calming hand was placed on his left shoulder and he spun around to see Manon standing there. At the same time as she asked „What happened?", he scolded, „Shouldn't you be resting?"

Elodie looked towards Lina and saw that Etienne wasn't with her. She inquired in a clipped tone: „Where is he and what has he done now?"

Lina gave them a guarded stare: „Let's go. I'll explain on the way"

Mathieu saw something like guilt flash through her eyes and felt his stomach sink. Had she caused this explosion? And why did she leave Etienne behind? Did she hurt him somehow? Was it his own fault?

Yes, he told himself, if Etienne got hurt by this incident it was his fault as the leader because he left him alone with a newcomer whom he had judged incorrectly. It was the first time that his instincts had let him down by not considering her a threat. But he could start now.

Following her through the second corridor which they hadn't wanted to enter at all earlier, Mathieu made sure to keep his distance from Lina. Seeing his attitude his team didn't dare get closer to the girl as well. While Gaspard looked ready to argue, Mathieu told him via eye contact to wait for a more suitable time.

The dwarves, still unable to enter the corridor that led to the magic array, shouted after them. Mathieu paid them no mind. His teammate was more important.

While Mathieu wasn't superstitious he felt like he had been cursed with bad luck. Within half a year three of his teammates had gone missing. While Gaspard got back unharmed, he still had no idea where Ciel had disappeared to. And now Etienne's status was unclear.

Mathieu decided to ignore his guilty subconsciousness that told him he had failed his team. He ordered Lina: „Explain"

„Etienne and I discussed the methods to dissolve a magic array and had a little quarrel concerning his aptitude. I told him I would go get Elodie to help out and when I reached the junction this explosion surprised me as well. I suspect he tried to solve our magical problem on his own and failed", the girl explained emotionlessly.

He wanted to scream at her that it was her fault and that she shouldn't have left his friend alone. But he knew that he was being a bit unreasonable and held his tongue. Instead he echoed: „Concerning his aptitude? Etienne has fought and survived in the war together with me. How could he be inept?"

„I wouldn't really describe him as inept", Lina corrected carefully and Mathieu was pleased with her answer only to feel his anger well up again as she continued, „more like school-smart, out of touch with reality and too dependent on you. Insufficient training and parctise as a result of you patronising him"

„It's completely normal for my team to rely on me!"

„Not to this extent! Without you, most of them wouldn't survive another day!"

„Nonsense! They -"

„Lina, are we there yet?", Gaspard interrupted softly.

„Just a little further and we should be there"

As she said this a burnt smell filled the air and they saw an open door. The threshold was drenched in blood. A lot of blood. Cold sweat started coating Mathieu's back. Somebody cursed behind him. It sounded like Elodie. She usually didn't.

Leaping towards the door his team peered inside the room. The walls were covered by even more red which had started dropping to the ground. Next to the door laid a crumpled figure clutching his midriff. Etienne. His breaths came out short and larboured but he was still alive. Barely. Elodie hurried to his side and started examining him.

„He has multipile organ ruptures and is suffering from inner bleeding as well as several broken bones. He needs surgery", Elodie stated and turned to Mathieu, „Don't worry. He'll survive. We've had worse"

Mathieu sighed: „I know. How can we help you?"

Elodie was already unpacking her medical equipment from her backpack: „I need one person to hold the clamps and another to drain the blood from where I work. Preferably Manon and Lina. It'd also be cool if leader could donate blood. Etienne's going to need a transfusion. Gaspard, could you help with that?"

„Sure", came the reply and they all scrambled to to do their tasks without hindering Elodie.

13 cruelly long hours later Elodie finally declared her patient as stable and allowed them to take a rest. During the surgery Mathieu had tried his best to help somehow after donating blood. He took turns with Gaspard in holding a flashlight on the area their medic was working on to improve her sight and later started cleaning the blood from the walls.

Since the room was pretty neat now, nobody bothered to find a better place for napping. Their noses had long gotten used to the coppery smell and they had no problems drifting into an exhausted dreamless sleep.