A Breath of Mars [Open Novella Contest]

09 | The Weeping [Part 2]

Aine pulled Daria by the shoulder strap of her pack to get her motivated. Daria stumbled along, eyes wide. "What are you doing? Aine? What's going on? Is someone hurt? Aine!" Daria grew disconcerted when Aine didn't answer immediately.

"It's the storm," Aine yelled behind her over the wind. When had it gotten so gusty? "Viva says that Mar's doesn't experience storms like Blue Earth does. Those cuts," Aine motioned to the recent cuts on Daria's body. "They're from the rain. The atmosphere is freezing it before it falls to the ground."

Daria sucked in a sharp breath. Frozen, stalactite rain was falling from the sky? She had never heard of such a thing.

Another slice of pain cut through her shoulder and she stumbled in surprise. Aine, who was still holding Daria's pack so they wouldn't get separated, stumbled also.

"You okay?" Aine said.

"Fine."

They moved on, following the silhouettes of her crew in the distance. The mountain was close enough for her to now scan for vegetation. Small medicinal plants or vines usually grew between the crevices of rock formations, yet Daria spotted nothing of the sort in front of her. Only a solid wall of sliver rock stood in her way.

She trusted them, trusted her crew to find them shelter up ahead. Daria knew they had when they suddenly changed direction, running parallel to the face of the mountain. Daria and Aine followed.

Daria swatted the mist as they reached the mouth of the dark concave. There stood her crew, huddled and hunched.

The cave was basking in darkness, the only light from the outside was the entrance. It was a small space, only just wide enough for all ten of them, and was shallow, only a small way into the mountain.

"Captain," Ravi said, relived when he saw her. Daria smiled warmly at his concern.

"I'm okay. Is anyone hurt?"

Ravi shook his head and looked around. "Not that I know of–"

"Where is Xen?"

It was Viva who spoke, concern for her colleague evident in her face. "Where is Xen?" Viva repeated, more urgent.

Daria rushed to the mouth of the concave after Viva. While Viva screamed his name over and over, Daria scanned the white landscape for the contour of a man.

Daria and Aine had been last to enter the cave. How could they have missed Xen? They should have passed him if he got separated from the group. Had they missed him in their haste to get to shelter? Daria's stomach lurched.

"There!" Seren pointed at a figure crawling through the snow desperately, ten or so meters out from their position. He was tucked around the corner of the mountain, slowly disappearing from their view. A trail of crimson blood followed in his wake, a wound on his leg bleeding relentlessly.

"We have to help him!" Viva made a move to go outside into the storm, but Pike held her back.

"You go out there dear and you're as dead as he is," Pike said.

Viva started shaking. "No. No! Daria, please." Viva pinned her with pleading eyes. "Please. You're the Captain. Please don't let my husband die. Please!"

Husband? Daria hadn't known Viva and Xen were married. They had showed no affection for each other – at least not in public – and didn't share the same last name, which, however, wasn't uncommon on the Hub. Daria knew that these were just excuses. Daria's attention had been spilt so many different ways these past weeks that she just hadn't been paying attention. The first rule of Captaincy; know your crew.

Daria walked back into the cave without a word, dumping her pack and shedding her coat. Considering her jacket did nothing to prevent the ice splinters, she didn't want it getting torn any more than it already had.

Daria walked passed her stunned crew, making it two steps into the snow before a hand caught her arm. Daria spun on Seren.

"What are you doing?" Daria demanded. Why did this guy think he controlled everybody? "Let go."

"Daria," Seren began. "Pike's right. As soon as you go out there, your dead."

"So, what? We watch a crewman die in front of our eyes while we sit back and do nothing? You might be that selfish, Seren, but I sure as hell am not!"

Daria made to pull from Seren's grip but her slim arms were nothing compared to his muscle. "Let. Me. Go." Daria said with each yank. "He doesn't need to die. I can get to him before the rain gets any worse. I'll help him back here to the cave. You can stitch up his wound with the supplies you brought and–"

Daria abruptly broke off when a shriek from Tallie was echoed by an even louder one from Viva. Daria snapped her head to Viva, who was being held up by Pike. She had never seen the man care for anyone but himself.

Viva, face shattered and pale, gazed out into the storm, mortified. Her eyes were fixated on Xen.

Daria relaxed in Seren's grip as she gazed through Xen's vacant eyes. Impaled through the centre of his chest was immense stalactite, the blood from his arteries spilling from the wound and pooling in the snow around his body. Daria opened her mouth, to scream, to yell, to say something, when Tallie walked up beside her.

"Oh, my–"

Daria pulled Tallie toward her, embracing her friend in a hug. Tallie didn't need to see this. She wasn't as thick skinned as the rest of her crew. She was innocent and fragile, just like Xen's life had been.

"Get back!" Zarel gripped the two girls' shoulders and pulled them toward him, further into the cave, a futile arm grasping for Seren's coat in the process. In front of her crew shattered an enormous shard of ice that had fell with high velocity. It shattered on the rocks by Viva and Pike's feet, the debris propelling dangerously through the air. Her crew withdrew further into the cave.

Daria settled on the floor with Tallie, Ravi and Aine. Seren and Zarel talked quietly in the corner. Pike and Kasen tried to console a distraught Viva. Her crew sat in remote silence, respectfully remembering the third friend they had lost in just as many weeks.

"Viva?" Seren grouched down in front of Viva, inspecting her. "What did we just witness? I didn't think storms could produce ice the size of men."

Viva, her face tear-streaked and crinkled, muttered, "They call it the weeping."