Outcasts of Aquila (Aquila's Originals 2)

Chapter 11: New Arrivals, Part 1

17th Harvest

LIFE AT AQUILA settled back to its old routine. More skyships arrived, bringing new students from across the Overworld, to be welcomed, shown around and sorted into their future flights. The Half-Year feast was held in the great hall, with Dean Myran joining them and making a speech about new school years and fresh opportunities. Then it was back to work.

"We really have to find a better way of moving you around," Vhen groaned as he, Orla and Zett struggled to lift Taryn down the many stairs to breakfast on their first official day back. They were getting fairly practised at the manoeuvre now, but that didn't make the chair any lighter or easier to lift.

"As soon as you think of something, I'm all ears," Taryn said through gritted teeth, her knuckles white against the side of the chair. Clearly she was enjoying it as much as the rest of them. Orla eyed her worriedly, but knew better than to fuss. Taryn didn't accept fussing at the best of times, and the pain of moving around was making her extra snappy. Orla reminded herself to drop by the infirmary at some point to see what relief she could wheedle out of the healers. Morri might be absent, but thankfully his storeroom was still well stocked.

"Nice of Caelo to stick around and help," Vhen grumbled as they reached the beautifully flat corridor and began strolling along, stretching out their aches and pains as best they could. "Of all the days she chooses not to oversleep, it had to be this one."

"She's always had a talent for never being around when she's needed," Taryn agreed grumpily.

Zett pulled a face, but much to Orla's surprise didn't try to defend his best friend. Perhaps even his deep loyalty had reached its limits. Moving Taryn around needed every extra pair of hands they could get and even Caelo's haphazard help was sorely missed.

"Do I hear my name being used in vain again?" a familiar voice chuckled from the shadows as Caelo sauntered out of a side passage, looking irritatingly fresh and full of bounce. "I thought my ears were burning."

"Hard to tell with that hair," Taryn muttered, earning herself another chuckle.

"Flatterer."

"Where have you been?" Zett asked, part curiosity, part accusation.

"Fetching help." Lieutenant Dhori emerged from the shadows behind Caelo. "Although if you'll take my advice, you'll return to the infirmary, Taryn. That swelling doesn't look good."

Orla snapped her head around, eyeing the tips of Taryn's toes where they poked out beyond the edge of her heavy bandages. They did look rather puffy, and was it bruising that made them look so dark or something more sinister?

"They're fine," Taryn snapped, twitching a blanket across her foot and scowling at her friends. "I'm fine."

Not trusting her opinion in the slightest, Orla turned anxiously to their lieutenant. "Is it really bad, sir? Are we risking causing more damage?"

"I am fine!" Taryn insisted.

Dhori ignored her and smiled at Orla. "It's nothing too terrible yet, but I would guess it's very painful."

"Never knew you were a healer," Taryn grumbled.

Dhori's smile turned rueful. "I may not be a healer, student, but even I can see that banging up and down all these stairs every day will not improve things. Where on the Overworld did you find that chair? It looks like something from the last century."

When the others turned to Caelo, she threw up her hands. "What? It was the first thing I could find. I was looking for speed over comfort at the time. I was stealing her away, after all. I could hardly ask someone for a better one."

"You found it by the infirmary front door, didn't you?" Dhori asked, smirking. "Where they have a few antiques on display."

Caelo narrowed her eyes at him. "As if you could have done better."

The lieutenant looked positively smug. "Not only could I have, I will. Head on down to breakfast, you lot. I'll meet you there with something a lot more comfortable."

"Oh, gods, please yes," Taryn groaned. "Something with a cushion, if you can manage it."

"Lighter too," Zett begged.

Vhen snorted. "That would take a miracle - ow!" He'd strayed too close to Taryn's side, earning himself a smack on the leg.

Dhori winked. "Fortunately for you, I specialise in miracles." He sauntered away, leaving Caelo spluttering behind him.

"Miracles?" she growled. "Miracles! I'll give you miracles. I'm the one that broke Taryn out of that prison. And where's my thanks? Where's my gratitude? No, it's all complain, complain, complain. It's too heavy, it's too uncomfortable, whine, whinge, wail. I'm never around when you need me. Ha! Miracles? Some thanks would be a good start!"

When she stormed off towards the dining hall, the others glanced at Zett, expecting him to rush after her.

The Havian lad sighed and took the handles of Taryn's chair instead. "It might be best to let her cool down first."

Vhen chuckled. "That's one miracle I don't think our lieutenant will be performing today."

"Some tasks even the gods cannot master," Taryn opined with mock piety.

Vhen wrinkled his nose. "Then what is the point of the gods?" he said. "In all seriousness, if there are things that even they can't do, what -?"

"No." Orla held up her hand, in no mood to listen to Vhen's atheist views. While she liked him a lot most of the time, they didn't agree on everything, and Vhen's biggest flaw lay in his opinionated stance on many things, particularly religion.

"Not before breakfast," Taryn agreed quickly, since Vhen usually took any opposition to his views as a serious attack that needed to be countered and immediately overcome. "Even you can't fight about theology on an empty stomach, Vhen."

When he opened his mouth, likely to demonstrate that he most certainly could, Zett cut him off. "Whether the gods can or can't do something is not a question any of us are qualified to answer," he said quietly. "But there are plenty of things They won't do, nor should They. If the gods fixed all our problems for us, how would we ever learn anything? Making choices and living through the consequences are how we all grow. If the gods fixed everything for us, we would always be as children and that surely is no good way to exist. Besides, some thing's are simply forces of nature. Caelo is one of them."

Vhen held up his finger, and his stomach snarled in an unmistakable manner. While the others laughed, the Sutheralli deflated and gave his belly a rueful pat as they reached the door to the main hall. "It seems you're right, Taryn, even I can't argue about theology before breakfast."

A clatter in the corridor had them all spinning around as Caelo came racing towards them, haphazardly steering another wheeled chair.

"Ha!" She skidded to a halt. "Who's performing miracles now?"

Orla exchanged a glance with Taryn and looked at the new chair. It was definitely lighter, but mostly because it was on the verge of falling apart. It was doubtful whether it would support a baby, let alone Taryn.

"Force of nature," Zett said sagely and wheeled Taryn into the clamour of the main hall before Vhen could say anything or Caelo could attempt to make Taryn move. Chuckling, Orla hurried after them, hoping Dhori would return soon with a few extra miracles up his sleeve.