Savage Horizons by CJ Birch

Author:CJ Birch [Birch, CJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781635552492
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2018-07-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“They set traps, Captain.” Yakovich grits her teeth. “They’re hunting us down.” Sweat pools at her brow, dirt and blood streak her face, but beneath I can see the ashen pallor. We need to find a way to get her back to the ship as soon as possible before she goes into shock.

We’ve laid her down on a patch of bright green moss—after checking it was, in fact, moss—at the top of an incline. I don’t know how she’s managed to make it this far, or how she’s even conscious at this point. Her leg is bad. I’m no medic, but I know enough to recognize a compound fracture. Part of the bone is sticking out near her ankle. And there’s a shirt—Hartley’s since he’s not wearing one—tied around the wound. I could smack him, but it’s obvious he has no medical training whatsoever.

I untie the shirt and pass it back to him. I examine the damage like I know what I’m doing when all I want to do is puke at the sight of bone piercing skin.

Everyone’s hovering over me, watching, like any second I’m going to become magic and fix her leg. Even though I know it’s only in my head, their breathing becomes claustrophobic. I need to get them out of the way.

“Hartley, I need you to go find me two long thin branches, and some vine, if you can, to lash the sticks to her leg. How much water do you guys have?” Hartley shakes his head. “Do you still have your water canister from your pack?” Hartley unclips a one liter bottle from his belt and passes it to me. “That’s it?” They both nod. “Okay, Ash, I want you to help me set her leg, then I want you to go see if you can find some water.” Everyone’s standing there, motionless. “Hartley, I’m going to need those branches sooner rather than later.”

“On it, Captain. I’ll go find you the straightest sticks you’ve ever seen.” He dashes into the underbrush, streaks of sunlight dancing off his pale, scrawny back.

“Where do you need me?” Ash looks up at me from across Yakovich, even if her concern isn’t in her voice, it’s all over her face.

I point to Yakovich’s thigh. “I need you to hold the top of her leg while I apply traction. We need to get it aligned before we splint it.”

Ash repositions herself next to Yakovich. “Hey,” she says as she crouches next to her. “Quinn, this is going to hurt like a bitch, but I promise you’ll feel much better when we’re done, okay?” Ash wipes some dirt from her cheek before turning back to me.

“Quinn, I want you to count to ten, okay? It’ll all be over in ten.” I wait until she nods. When she’s not looking, I hold up three fingers for Ash to see. She nods and we both grab Yakovich’s leg. Her ankle is tacky with blood and it takes me a moment to find a firm grip.

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