Eladea: A Hopeless Age

Chapter 18: Renate

Chapter 18: Renate 

Hi :3 

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I walk, almost in a trance, towards the physician's tent. A villager had come running, telling me the physician wanted me. It's about Sage. It can't be, right? We still have over a month left until… it happens. Liam still has time. Sage still has time. This can't be the end. 

Though my walking is still a little wobbly, the past few days I've learned to be able to do it on my own. I don't think I'll ever get used to it though. It feels as if my tail is still there, yet when I stand on my hind legs or when I look down at it, it isn't. My balance is all off. I tried climbing a tree yesterday. I felt like a moron, clinging to the branch like I did. My stump is still bandaged, but it doesn't hurt unless pressure is put on it. It's healing. Whether I want it to or not is still unclear to me. 

I finally come up to the large white make-shift shelter. My heart jumps into my throat. I take a deep breath, straightening my back and squaring my shoulders. I walk forward into the room. 

The same four cots line either side. There's eight in total. Except this time, only three are occupied, one by Sage, and the other two from burn victims. The other five… Well, most of them healed enough to leave the tent. Most. 

I walk towards the back wall where Sage lies. She hasn't moved at all since the last time I saw her. But she looks different. Her skin is paler, sweat drips down her forehead, her beautiful brown hair clings to her scalp in clumps. She's lost weight. Too much weight. Her eyes look as if they've sunken into her skull, her cheeks are slightly more hollow. She takes up less space in the cot. 

I focus on her stomach, desperately searching for a sign of life. Ever so agonizingly slowly, her chest rises. It falls quickly, and she doesn't take another breath for so long I think for a split second that I just witnessed her last breath. But just like before, she breathes in again. I let out an audible sigh, all the previous anxiety leaving me. I spot the physician leaving her other patients to come see me. 

"Hello." I greet, turning to her. She nods in return. 

"I called you here because her condition has gotten worse. Last night she seemed as bad as predicted. But this morning when I woke up…she's not doing well at all. The poison is progressing faster than I thought." The old, but strong woman says. 

"So, what does that mean for Sage?" I ask, the anxiety returning.

"By my calculations with the new progression of the poison, I don't think she has much longer. Worst case scenario, a week. Best case, three, maybe a bit more." Her shoulders fall and her gaze finds its way to floor. The world spins around me, making my already bad balance even worse. 

"You're telling me she may only have a few days left?" I choke on my words, almost unable to get them out. 

"If she stops fighting, yes." She says it so softly it's almost inaudible. But I hear it. I hear it. 

I thank her and make my way out of the tent. Then I walk. I just walk. I walk until I find myself in the woods, so far from the camp I can only see it by the columns of smoke coming from the fires the people had built. It was here, among the trees and the birds and the open air, where I let my anger out. 

The frustration comes from nowhere, materializing as soon as I realize I should be feeling it. It burns white hot in my chest, building until it demands to be let out. I clench my fists, desperate to keep it in. But even the people with the most self control can't keep in this level of pure rage. Finally, I allow it to burst out of me. I open my mouth and let out a guttural, raw, fury-filled scream. I scream, falling onto all fours, until my breath leaves me. I squeeze my eyes shut, flattening my ears against my head.