The Worlds of the Sheaf

The Attack - Part 4

     "How is she?" asked Lirenna.

     Thomas was kneeling beside Tassley, one of her hands in his, his other gently stroking the silky blonde hair away from her face. The bleeding from her scalp had slowed, although there was still blood leaking around the double layer of cloth he'd tied around her head.

     He looked up, relieved to see that his wife had escaped unharmed. "I think she's starting to stir. I don't think she's suffered any permanent harm."

     "Where's Tim? Why isn't he here?"

     "He's looking after the moon trogs. Gods, I hope they're okay! I was a little sharp with him when he went to them first, but when I think how frail those little guys are..."

     Lirenna nodded, but she was looking around at the broken glass littering the floor and the spilled contents, some of which were emitting strange vapours. "She can't stay here. Can we get her to the infirmary?"

     Thomas nodded and carefully gathered her up in his arms. As he carried her gently towards the door, neither of them noticed a bottle that had rolled under the table, where it was leaking a pale yellow liquid into the spilled powders the two wizards had been mixing just before the attack. As Lirenna closed the door behind them, the powders began to dissolve into the liquid and the darkened room was dimly lit by an unearthly greenish light...

☆☆☆

     They arrived at the infirmary to find Timothy there, carefully laying a badly injured moon trog into one of the beds and speaking the words that activated the dormant low gravity spells around it to provide a more comfortable environment for the frail humanoid. Two soldiers were bringing two more moon trogs in, and soon all the available beds were filled, including the two in the isolation rooms where individuals suffering from unknown diseases could be quarantined to protect the rest of the crew.

     The cleric wiped a weary hand across his brow when he saw the wizards enter, and told the soldiers to arrange some blankets on the floor. "I don't think I can do any more healing today" he apologised. "Not unless it's really life or death. I'm just too tired. Gods, but it was bad out there! Four dead now, and we might still lose another couple." He helped Thomas lay Tassley carefully on the blankets. "What happened? Did something hit us?"

     Thomas could only shake his head. "Can we do anything?"

     "Yes, you're healers now. Take as many bandages as you can carry out to deck six and dress their injuries, carefully! You can break their bones without knowing you're doing it, those bones that aren't broken already."

     He bent to examine Tassley while Thomas and Lirenna hurried over to the cupboard and began filling their arms.

☆☆☆

     Those moon trogs who'd been the most seriously injured, and whom Timothy had healed, directed the two wizards to where the still injured moon trogs had been gathered. Most of them were now conscious, having recovered somewhat, and were cradling broken limbs as they stared about in numb shock, but it was those who were still unconscious, and unable to help control their own bleeding, that the the two wizards were most concerned about and they set about bandaging wounds as swiftly but gently as they could. Some of the casualties questioned them as to what had happened, but the two wizards had no answers and could only pray that whatever it was wouldn't happen again.

     "Something must have hit us," Thomas whispered to his wife, low enough that no-one else could hear, "but I don't understand how that could happen. They should have seen anything big enough to do this to us from thousands of miles away."