"Gauze!" The young woman with long brunette hair shouted as blood threatened to escape the wound of the middle-aged soldier who lay in front of her. She was blocking the flow of blood with her hand and was applying the amount of pressure needed, but the heart never listened to anyone. "I need gauze!"
"Here." A young red-haired boy ran towards her with the medical tools that she needed.
"Kol, check the other tents. See if anyone else needs my attention," she said frantically. The boy nodded in urgency and ran towards the opening of the tent. "And come back immediately!" She shouted before he was out of earshot.
"Help...." The man croaked in front of her. She knew that he had trouble breathing and needed to make an incision on his neck, but she needed something to hold the wound in its place first.
"I'm going to make a cut on your neck to help you breathe," she informed him. "Nothing to worry about at all." Telling the truth always helped the patients understand what they were going through and it gave them the belief to trust their doctors. "My name is Adaline. I'm the Chief Doctor in this regiment. Do you know your name?" She asked as she cleaned the wound with antiseptic.
"Rahman," he croaked.
"Okay, Rahman. I'm going to make the cut now. Do not hold your breath and be still. Just relax. Everything is going to be fine."
The incision allowed for the windpipe to get exposed to the air. Rahman gasped as he took his first proper breath in the twenty minutes since the patrol team came back. Adaline looked at the other soldiers and treated them the way that they needed. Once she was done, she walked out of the tent to meet the leader of that regiment, who was making his way to look at his fallen soldiers.
"This is an absolute fopdoodle, Colonel Genrich," she complained.
"Adaline, is everyone okay?"
The concern in his voice was genuine and that was the only reason that Adaline answered. "Everyone is fine. Good that they got here in time," she revealed. "Whose idea was it to send a group of immature boys to patrol the edge of the Shadow Fold?"
"Now now, Doctor," he started. "Just because you are working with us, do not forget your place," he said in a calm voice that pricked her more than anything. "You may be here because of your talent of saving people even in their deathbeds, but do not believe that we have forgotten that you are only here because of General Chernoff."
"Do not threaten me, Genrich. Or have you forgotten who was the one who saved your right arm?" She snapped back. "Whoever is making these stupid decisions, tell them to make some possibly sensible ones because next time, I won't be here for immediate attention."
"There won't be a next time," he snarled. "The King's Army is arriving tomorrow, or have you been too busy to remember that?" He asked. "Thank you for treating them. The army owes you more than you think," he said before walking into the tent to look at the soldiers.
"Men." Adaline rolled her eyes at how quickly their behaviour could change and how arrogant they really were.
She removed her doctor's white coat and folded it on her left arm, tucking it in so that it didn't fall out. The weather was supposed to be warm that day, but there was an uncertain chill that lingered in the air. Adaline was feeling cold and sleepy every time a breeze flew past her face and she knew that the dark circles under her eyes were darker that day.
She walked down the small hill and started towards the campsite of their base. The army had been there to monitor the activities of The Unsea for a while and to keep the locals away from travelling via the vast land that was engulfed by the Shadow Fold. Adaline was with them to make sure that no one got seriously injured, but the decision of sending someone towards the edge of the sea was the height of stupidity.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in almost twelve hours and that she needed to get some rest before she could talk to the General about her permanent position in the camp. The soldiers that passed nodded at her in a respectful manner. Everyone knew who she was and didn't mess with her. In a way, they feared her, but that was stupid really.
The King's Army was going to be recruiting soldiers from their regiment and everyone was preparing themselves for it. But why had the patrol team been sent to watch the sea then? She wondered about it but once she reached the Mess, her eyes fell upon the opening of the General's tent. She marched in that direction, that being more important than food that day.
"May I come in, sir?" She asked as she lingered near the entrance.
As she had suspected, General Chernoff was seated at his usual table and was looking over the maps of their side of Ravka, marking checkpoints at several places. "Ah, Adaline. Come in," he said as he removed his glasses and placed them as a weight on the maps.
"Men need to learn to respect the other genders." She scoffed.
"Whatever happened, you need to handle it on your own. You are not a teenager anymore," he reminded that her twenty-first birthday had just passed.
"A little courtesy never hurt anyone."
"Anyway." He folded his hands together. "I was going to call you anyway," he started. "The King's Army is going to come tomorrow."
"I'm well aware of that."
"I know that. But I need you to be on your best behaviour. The Grisha are going to be arriving in the grand way that they usually do. The tents that are needed for them to stay are going to be set up today. I don't want you to scowl at anyone. Please put on a smile, at least till the party leaves."
"And why am I being lectured on this?"
"Because you have a problem obeying orders." He smiled.
"I don't have a problem with subordination!" She pressed as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Prove me wrong then," he said as he joined his hands together such that the fingertips aligned with each other.
Adaline realised what he meant and rolled her eyes at herself. She was talking back to someone who was in charge. "I don't have a problem with authority," she stated once again.
"Whatever you have to do, do it without disturbing the Grisha. We cannot have a war start up between ourselves because one teenager couldn't keep her mouth shut."
"Ah ha! So you do admit that I'm a teenager then." She laughed at his bewildered expression.
"Please do not come in their path. Things will go back to normal in two weeks."
"With pleasure."
"Now get out."
She gave him a small salute before heading out of the tent. "Yes, sir."
"You're not a soldier!" He shouted right as she was heading out of earshot but then chuckled at her childishness.
General Chernoff prayed that Adaline would keep to herself and to her tent while the selection process happened. He hoped that she would listen to his advice. He had a feeling that things would go back to normal in a few weeks, but he proved himself wrong after what happened the next day.
******
A/N on 9th May, 2021:
Please do not sneak a peek at the ending or the last chapter because you'll only be spoiling the story for yourself.
Personally, I find it really insulting when someone does it. It means that you don't trust the writer or believe the story to have a good pace. You shouldn't trust me lol but just don't do this
with any book, not just mine