Trial by the Gods by D.T. Read
Author:D.T. Read [Read, D.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2024-05-14T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Twenty-Three
The shock of it paralyzed me for a few heartbeats. Tiny lights like sparks swirling above a fire pit zipped across my vision while I sat, gasping.
Before the shattered sensation had time to subside to sharp throbs, the clatter of my team scrambling down the wall above me penetrated my pained daze. With my breath rasping through clenched teeth, I managed to roll clear of their mud-packed boots. My first two teammates paused when they touched the ground, but we were halfway around a timed run-and-climb-under-fire course. I waved them on.
Alerted by the beep in his earphones due to the sim hit Iâd taken first, Lansu arrived and dropped to his heels beside me, his datapad in his hand, and a glitter in his eye. âYour fifteen minutes start now, sir, but youâd better get out of the way first. Iâll wake you when your timeâs up.â
âNot a sim,â I said between gritted teeth. âLeft knee hit a rock. Think it broke something.â
His eyebrows drew together. Without another word, he jammed his datapad into a thigh pocket, shifted behind me to get a good hold on my rucksack, and dragged me a few arm-lengths onto long grasses flattened by the pelting rain. âYouâll need to lie down when we get this off you, sir,â he said while he helped me shed the rucksack. âThen Iâll have to cut the leg of your sensor suit to examine your knee.â
I complied, still drawing pain-quickened breaths through my teeth, and closed my eyes because of the raindrops splattering my faceplate. I couldnât prevent a couple of hissed intakes of breath when Lansu cut my trouser leg along the side seam and probed my throbbing kneecap with skillful fingers.
âItâs a fractured patella,â he said through my earphones. âI can feel the displaced fragments under your skin. Itâs already starting to swell.â
I opened my eyes to meet his. âJust the bone this time, no ligaments or tendons?â
Puzzlement creased his brow, visible behind his faceplate. âYes, sir, itâs a simple fracture. Why?â
I released a shaky but relieved breath and said, âAbout a year ago, my patellar tendon got torn when I had to eject from my damaged fighter. The flight doc said it wouldâve been better to break my kneecap than dislocate it because soft-tissue injuries take longer to heal.â
Lansu arched an eyebrow and shifted away to dig into his healerâs pack. âThatâs true, sir, but itâll still need recovery and rehab time.â He placed something heavy and floppy over my knee, like a miniature bag of maize, except icy cold.
Before I could ask how much time, he continued, âTheyâll do a scan once you get to the mainland hospital, to see if it needs surgery. Iâll add you to the medevac roster when I finish up here.â
âMedevac me now?â My heart seemed to stop in my chest. âCanât you wrap it up tight enough so I can finish Demon Phase tomorrow?â
âOnly if you want it to permanently eliminate you from training, sir,â he said in all seriousness.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Sita - Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) by Amish(53747)
The Crystal Crypt by Dick Philip K(36389)
Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut(14721)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14433)
Ready Player One by Cline Ernest(13926)
The Last by Hanna Jameson(9774)
Year One by Nora Roberts(9274)
Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey(8919)
The remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro(8349)
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro(8262)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8216)
Dark Space: The Second Trilogy (Books 4-6) (Dark Space Trilogies Book 2) by Jasper T. Scott(7884)
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood(7414)
The Circle by Dave Eggers(6814)
Frank Herbert's Dune Saga Collection: Books 1 - 6 by Frank Herbert(6670)
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood(6450)
Legacy by Ellery Kane(6371)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6156)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(5791)
