Duty Calls

Chapter 17

Aramis’ POV

We’ve been walking along the cliffs for quite a while now, but still haven’t found a sign of our friends. My hope is fading but I suddenly see something ahead. There are two shapes right at the edge of the cliffs. Could this possibly be them? I don’t even dare to cling to that little new spark of hope…

“There!” My half shouted word startles the other two a little, but I don’t care. I sprint towards the figures. When I reach them I can hardly believe it.
“It’s them!” I shout.

Porthos and Julien close up to me immediately. Porthos kneels down beside Athos, while I kneel next to D’Artagnan. First of all I check his pulse and am relieved, when I feel it. Much weaker than normal, but there. God, his face is really pale and there are dark rings under his closed eyes. He looks exhausted even in his unconscious state. There’s a cut on his forehead, which has already stopped bleeding. His clothes are wet and they are soaked in blood around his left shoulder. I take a better look at it and realize that he’s been wounded. This must be where he’s been shot when he sacrificed himself for us.

“Athos, wake up!”

Porthos is slightly shaking him. I am glad, when I see him move. Then I turn to D’Artagnan again. I carefully grab his right shoulder, since his left one is injured. Then I squeeze it firmly.

“D’Artagnan! Come on, boy, you need to wake up!” I tell him.

“Porthos… Aramis… you’re here…” Athos mumbles from beside me and out of the corner of my eye I can see him slowly sitting up.

“D’Artagnan! Come on, buddy, don’t give up!” I try again, desperate to bring my youngest friend back.

Finally his eyes start moving under his closed lids. It has been so scaring to see him lying on the ground, completely unmoving. I had already feared we’ve lost him forever. Then his eyes flutter open and his pupils are moving around. I can tell that he’s trying to focus, but at first he’s failing. He blinks several times before he finally seems to be looking at me and not right through me anymore. He blinks one more time. Then he moves his lips and speaks in a barely audible, hoarse and unbelievingly voice.

“Aramis?”

“Yes, it’s me. Can you sit up? I need to take a look at that shoulder of yours.”

He nods slowly and I help him to carefully sit up. Then I examine his shoulder. It seems to be not as bad as I’d feared. The bullet went straight through his lower shoulder and didn’t remain in the wound. Besides his ability to move his shoulder properly shouldn’t be endangered since the injury was located in that area. I am also happy to see that it isn’t even infected. Probably they’ve been in the sea for quite a while and the salty water might have washed the dirt away. He’s been incredibly lucky!

“Okay, you were really lucky, the wound is far from being as bad as it could have been.” I tell him.

Then I turn to Athos. He isn’t injured apart from a little cut at the side of his head and being a little sore.

“We should get back to camp.” Julien speaks up.

Wow, I’ve nearly forgotten about him. But he’s right. Porthos helps Athos to stand up. So I turn to D’Artagnan once again. I put his right arm around my shoulders and pull him up. While pulling him up I can feel how weakened he is. He really needs to get patched up and a good night’s sleep.
We make our way back to camp and I am supporting D’Artagnan’s weight. I am glad to see that he doesn’t seem to be getting worse despite this new effort. In fact he actually even seems to be getting a little better. I guess hope can have healing powers.

“Buckingham! He had a peace treaty. We need to find him.” He suddenly says. Athos looks at him and sighs.

“D’Artagnan, the ship has been destroyed, remember? He’s gone and so is that treaty.”

But my young friend doesn’t seem to be convinced.

“Well, we got out of there, right? So maybe he did, too. Besides, I have a feeling that there’s more to this…”

Finally we reach the camp and I send D’Artagnan and Athos to a tent were someone would take care of their wounds. Then I face Julien.

“Julien, it isn’t normal that a ship is just attacked like that. I mean, you didn’t even meet up with us first. You had no idea what was going on. Who gave the order to fire?”

Julien thinks for a second before he answers.

“Jussac. Jussac gave the order, he gives all the orders. Well and he gets his orders from –“

“The Cardinal!” Porthos interrupts him, “He must have known that there’s a treaty!”