The Reconnaissance Clock

CHAPTER 6 THE BURDEN OF PRIRMENHA

At last, the group struggled to the gates of Ceuron. The faction was just beyond the horizon so the group decided to take a break and eat the rest of the food that they had just in case they didn't get another chance. Morso sat Prirmenha down and she wheezed in pain. They ate and drank and then proceeded to the faction. Transhumants were surrounding the gates of the faction so there was no way to avoid the mutants. "They will wonder about how you got hurt Prirmenha" said Flel, "They probably already know so lying our way out of this won't do us any good". Everyone nodded. "We will simply tell them we were attacked by a bear and that Kasinic has come to do business" Morso said. "Yes, that's not a bad idea, but my business is illegal." Kasinic said. Prirmenha's eyes were barely open and she looked like she was about to pass out. "Stay awake" screamed Morso as he shook her head. The group pondered on what to say to the mutants. "I could say that we are from Turon and looking to get some tobacco. That is believable. It's the only place to get it around here. We will act unaware of what happened at the Godhand. They will let us through" Kasinic said. It seemed to be a good idea and the group proceeded to the gate. Ceuron was a small city, no towers peered above the stone walls, only the walls were visible. Flel had studied about the city but had never ventured this far away from home. He was excited to see the inside of it, even despite the circumstances. The Ceuron flags atop either side of the gate which consisted of a bear with a crown of thorns on his head. Fitting of the circumstances Flel thought. The party approached the gate. Flel let Kasinic speak, "I am here to buy tobacco and take it back to Turon to sell it there." He said to a nearly eleven-foot-tall mutant with hooves instead of feet. "We are all out of it here. The Northerners are no longer allowed to grow it ungoverned and their farms are being re-established in the new way at the moment. All of our tobacco has been bought out." Kasinic nervously found more words to say, "Then we need a place to stay tonight so that we can get my wife to a medic. She was attacked by a bear not far from here and is in a great deal of pain. We have no supplies on us and would greatly like to find a shop and an inn." "Then enter, I cannot guarantee a room though. It seems as though we have been overcrowded lately with travelers. There is a hospital of sorts right past the gate where your friend can be tended to, the bears have been rampant around here lately..." The transhumant said. It became aware to Flel that not all of the transhumants might even be aware of what is going on, and they have some human in them as well. It appeared, at least, that some of the mutants were not aware of what they had done in particular which seemed to give the group a sense of ease.

The gates were opened and Flel led them into what looked less like a faction encampment and more like a city. Morso was still carrying Prirmenha and Kasinic was happily familiar with the territory. Flel instantly saw the hospital on the right and the crew followed him in. Exhausted, Morso nearly dropped Prirmenha down to the floor but he was able to slow himself enough to place her there gently. Medics ran towards her with a stretcher and asked questions to Morso about what happened. "A bear attacked her and we tried to treat the wound ourselves but it's become infected. There was nothing we could do while we were traveling. She has been awake mostly but she is beginning to fade in and out." The medics put her on a stretcher and took her away through some double doors. The waiting room had pictures of Earth before the freezing and propaganda that the mutants had placed there. There was one picture of a town with houses and a road that encircled it, there were children playing on the road and a horse pulling a carriage.

Flel felt guilty about what happened to Prirmenha. Deep down he loved her and that made him scared. He did not need to be thinking about this at the time and quickly realized that he needed to do something productive to get out of his head. Kasinic was sitting next to him in the waiting room and was already looking paranoid. Flel joined Morso and began to look into the manuscript more and decided that they probably had seen enough for now and Kasinic turned on the radio and was listening to it with headphones in whilst figuring the controls to change frequencies. About an hour later, Prirmenha wheels through the double doors into the waiting room. Flel darted towards her and realized that they had removed her leg. He said nothing, he just hugged her. "I am glad you are okay, we will be on our way soon enough" he said to her with a smile.