The Rivening

Aftermath

Peter saw it all. On top of the ladder, peering around the tree, a full quiver hanging from his shoulder. As soon as his young archer fell, he flew down the ladder.

The three-note whistle blew but few heard it over the noise of the gunfire. Those near the whistle, lowered their weapons and ran to other clusters to tell them to stop and withdraw.

Peter found his archer in the undergrowth, gently closed her eyes, and wept. Lina crawled to him. Bullets continuing to rip through the foliage.

Lina spoke quietly, "Leave her. The wounded need our help."

One of the other archers had taken a bullet in the shoulder and broken his foot falling out of a tree. Peter and Lina pulled him farther away from the enclosure, got a stretcher, and helped carry him to the meadow.

The Dahrians had organized a field hospital worthy of any found on Earthside. But to Peter, it felt like a façade of orderliness as he took in the frightened and angry faces. This was like nothing any of them had ever experienced.

Tori was one of the Dahrians doing triage as the wounded arrived, directing stretchers to different areas of the meadow, depending on the injuries. She spoke calmly, but her face was a mask of pain.

She examined the archer's wounded shoulder noting that the bullet was still lodged and ran her hands over his broken foot. Then directed to take him to an area of tents.

After leaving the archer with the Dahrian medics, Lina told Peter, "I'll stay. They're removing bullets. This is new for us, but I know a little. Find Connie and let her know you're all right."

Peter gazed around, searching for Connie. He spotted her across the meadow, helping the wounded.

"How can I help?"

Connie jerked her head up, "Oh thank god, Peter. You're alive. Milo?"

"She's all right. I saw her carrying a stretcher."

She hugged him and pulled him close to whisper, "Are many dead?"

He nodded. "The distraction tactic failed." He stared bleakly around the meadow. "Is there anything I can do here. I...I'm not good for much."

"Something that would be a great help is taking water to the ones we've cleaned and bandaged."

"That's all?"

"Maybe hold their hand. Talk to them. You're good at that." She squeezed his hand, looked around, and whispered again. "This is horrible, Peter."

Connie directed him to the water station. He was in shock, as they all were. She resumed tending the wounded in her area. She badly wanted to know everything that had happened in the surge. Surely there would not be another attempt. But this fiasco meant the Dahrian's bargaining position would be even worse than before.

She thought about how weaker opponents had won battles in history by doing the unexpected. And that was their best hope. The unexpected.