The Two Sides of a Sword

Chapter Sixteen

Rocki screamed, first from fright, then from pain. It had been so closely attached to her leg that the explosion took a small chunk out of her flesh, leaving her thigh to bleed from the injury.

Lindka jerked backwards in fright with a cry, but she was uninjured, as was Kofi who shouted Rocki's name. She fell over, still screaming in pain as she clutched her leg above the wound, tears streaming down her face.

"She needs one of the Sheeri healers!" yelled Lindka, getting to her feet.

"No!" said Kofi. "That was her air tank—she won't be able to get enough air! I need to get her back to my ship." He scooped her up as best he could, stumbling to his feet. Rocki cried as he jolted her injured leg. "I have healing supplies in there, but she needs something to stop the blood." He follow Lindka as she rushed to get a cloth, then held Rocki tightly as the seer haphazardly tied the torniquet around her upper thigh to slow blood loss.

"How do I get out of here?" Kofi asked, running towards the cave exit. "We need to go back the way we came."

"This way!" Lindka took off into the tunnels with Kofi in pursuit.

Make it stop, make it stop! Rocki sobbed as they dashed through complete darkness. Her breaths were coming hard and fast, but she still felt like she was suffocating. Her body broke into sweats as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. Her screams gradually faded into rough sobs and whimpers as they bolted through the tunnels, Kofi blindly following Lindka. They passed through the Sheeri village, but all Rocki saw were blurs as waves of dizziness overtook her. Her leg was hot—too hot. It burned like a branding iron. She could feel blood getting all over herself and Kofi but was powerless to do anything.

"Hey—hey! Let me see those blue eyes," said Kofi, squeezing her a little.

Rocki jolted slightly. She hadn't realized she had almost passed out until he said something. "S-sorry." She shivered.

"Just stay awake and we won't have a problem," he said breathlessly.

"K-Kofi... I... I can't breathe." It wasn't a complete truth, but it felt like it was. She was having a hard time filling her lungs and what little air she could get didn't feel like it was doing anything.

"I know. We're almost to the ship. See? There's the end of the tunnel. Just hold on, Rocki."

She let her head loll to the side so she could see the grey light of the topside world. The wind was still rushing by, creating a whirring noise that grew louder as they ran closer. I just need to stay awake. Come on, Rocki, you're better than this. You can stay awake a little while longer.

"I've got her, thank you Lindka. Farewell until we meet again!" Kofi burst into the unrelenting wind as Lindka skidded to a stop still inside the tunnel.

"Be safe!" she cried.

Rocki turned her head in towards Kofi's chest, shuddering as the wind hit her wound. She could feel the blood on her leg, some of it drying in the wind, some of it still gushing out. Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake. I'm so tired, but I must stay awake.

What seemed like decades later, Kofi dashed into his ship, slamming the ramp button behind him as he rushed to put her in the room she had claimed. He laid her down gently on the bed, then disappeared for only a few moments. When he returned, he held a box, face set angrily as he knelt beside her.

"All of the air tanks have holes in them," he said, taking a long cloth out from the box. "This ship has a little Kliktalian air in it for emergencies, and it would probably last us until we get home, but your leg can't wait that long. We'll have to find a planet with breathable air and a healer." He began wrapping her leg as carefully as he could, but the pain was still immense. Rocki groaned as he raised her leg to loop the bandage around it. "Sorry. Can you breathe better now? Take some deep breaths for me."