Xiantha (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 3)

Chapter 17

WHEN GRACE WOKE up she was in a magmite-walled room with a high ceiling, and she couldn't think where she was or even who she was. Then she heard some stifled comments to her left, and turned her head. Six, Diva, Ledin and her mother were all seated alongside the bed she was lying on, although she could see them only hazily, and there seemed to be a heap of white bandages around her nose.

"Wha—?"

"By Lumina, Grace!" Six almost shouted. "Do you know what a shock you have given us? Did you HAVE to let yourself get captured as if you were a Cesan mule? Couldn't you have taken a bit more care?"

The others stared at Six, who looked taken aback, clearly just as surprised as they were at his outburst. Diva gave him the look, and that seemed to take care of the matter, for he slumped back into his seat and looked embarrassed, muttering a vague apology.

"I-I fell," Grace remembered, wrinkling her brows at the effort, and wishing that she didn't hurt so much all over her body. "Why am I alive?"

Diva smiled. "Because the visitor took it upon himself to break your fall," she told her. "And because your canth knew where you were, and our canths were able to transmit what we were feeling. It's a long story, don't worry about it now. The important thing is that you are here, and on the way to recovery."

Six stepped meaningfully on Diva's toe, and Grace caught the movement, and the quick intake of breath on Diva's part. "What? What is wrong?"

"You just can't be quiet, can you, no-name?" Diva gave a sigh, then fell silent.

"Well, tell me!"

Ledin smiled. "Nothing very important," he said. "It could have been a lot worse, believe me. You are going to lose a few fingers."

Grace opened her eyes wide. "Nothing very important!" she repeated dumbly. "How many fingers?"

"Three," said Ledin, and then obviously struggled with himself. "—And a half."

Grace looked quietly into Ledin's gaze, and then looked to either side of her. Her hands were propped up on pillows, and covered by cloths impregnated with some sort of cream. She signaled to Six to lift one of the cloths slightly. Underneath two of the fingers were black down to the hand, one other to the first knuckle, and all the others, together with the rest of the hand swollen and covered in great blisters. She bit her lip, and nodded for him to replace the cloth.

"It doesn't make any difference," Ledin said. "They were just fingers. You can still do everything you used to. You might need a bit of time to adapt, that's all. If you will insist on free-falling about twenty miles, you have to expect some damage, Grace."

Grace looked again at him. "It hurts?" she questioned, trying to keep her voice steady, trying to be brave.

He nodded reassuringly. "I know, they will give you something for that."

"My nose hurts, and my ears, and my feet, and most all of me."

"Yes. You have severe frostbite. They tell us it will be very painful. It is worst on your hands, then your nose, your ears, and to a lesser extent, on your feet. The rest of your body will get some blisters, but they say that should clear up completely within a month."

"And does this big white bandage on my nose mean they will have to amputate that too?"

Cimma leant forward. "They are trying to save that. Don't worry. You will probably look just like you used to."

"It doesn't matter what you look like," said Six.

"Easy to see you're a man," said Diva without thinking, and then put her hand over her mouth. "I . . . err . . . that is, I mean you will look just fine, don't worry about it."