Everglade: The Underaged

Chapter 19

Ailwin dodged the figure barely in time. The figure whirled around and focused on Luke. It went for him. Luke realized as he struggled away leaning on Eclipse, that it was an Underaged under mind control. He wrestled with the idea of freeing them, but decided against it as a second one jumped out of the shadows. Luke hauled himself onto Eclipse's back.

Fly! He told her. She took off into the sky. Luke looked down at the Underaged on the forest floor. He watched his friends slip away while he had them distracted. Ailwin was dragging Forwin. He gasped as pain flared through his wound. He put a hand over it. He felt the blood as it seeped between his fingers. The stitches didn't work. He looked at it. The stitches had ripped out, leaving miniature gashes in his skin around the knife wound that was already there. The thread had cut his skin. He didn't have anything to press against it and it was too unsafe to land.

I might bleed out. Luke thought. I might die. He kept his hand over the wound. They flew for several more minutes before landing with his friends. Luke was unable to dismount properly, he fell off when he tried because he was so light headed and dizzy. He remained on the ground while Ailwin examined the wound in his stomach. Ailwin pressed a cloth against it.

"He's lost a lot of blood. I don't think it's wise to try to stitch it again." he said. He worked the stitches out of the other side of the wound. Luke cried out in pain as every stitch came out. As soon as the last stitch came out, pus exploded from the wound. Luke screamed. Ailwin wiped the pus away and pressed on the wound to get the rest out. Luke screamed again. He kicked his legs. Korman pinned them to the ground. Isabella pinned his arms. Estrilda shoved something into his mouth to muffle his screams. Ailwin pressed harder. Luke screamed again and tried to arch his back. The last of the pus came out. Everyone let go of him. He laid on the ground, panting. Ailwin left and came back with a wet cloth. He used it to clean the wound.

"Has it gone septic?" Korman asked.

"Yes." Ailwin answered. "And so fast... We need to get him to a healer."

"I'm fine!" Luke tried to stand, but got dizzy and fell. Pain went through his wound. He cried out. Korman helped him get into a sitting position. Ailwin carefully bandaged his wound. Korman helped him get on Eclipse. Luke grabbed some of Eclipse's feathers in his hands. He leaned forward into Eclipse's neck. She followed the others slowly, careful of him. He heard noises behind them, but he was too weak to look.

"They found us again!" Althalos yelled. Eclipse took to the air again. Luke was just barely able to stay on. He looked down at his friends. They were battling the Underaged. He looked around for Fionntan and Forwin. He found them in the air a ways ahead of them. Fionntan looked at him.

Now's your chance to help my partner. I give strength to you. After he said those words, Luke felt strength return to his limbs. He pushed himself upright.

What do I need to do? He asked himself. The answer came to him. He reached out with his mind to Forwin's. He carefully entered. Forwins mind was dormant, thanks to Ailwin. Luke found the mental cavern that Ailwin had forced Forwin's mind into and delved into it cautiously. He was assaulted.