Sea and Sky

Chapter 7: Cut Love

Sea and Sky
Chapter 7: Cut Love

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The explosion had happened before she'd even had enough time to scream. One moment she was bidding farewell to Kilic and the next she was on her back, thrown into the base of a tree. Katara's ears rang and her vision was blurred with smoke and tears as she crawled on her hands and knees.

What had hit them hadn't even been the full force of the explosion, but rather the aftershock of what tore through the village. Between wafts of smoke and flame, Katara could see the village had been turned into an inferno just over the crest of the hill. As she crawled along the gravel path, her hands searched for any sign of Kilic.

"Kilic!" Her voice was a panicked shriek as she wiped a thin trickle of blood from her face. A few measures away, Katara could hear Kilic groan in pain.

With all the strength she had, Katara rolled Kilic onto his back. Wincing in pain, she pushed at his shoulders as if to awaken him. "Kilic! Please, are you okay?"

Letting out another groan, Kilic rolled over onto his side as he moved to sit up. He winced in pain as he felt his right arm. Dangling ever so slightly, the appendage had come out of it's socket. Steeling himself, Kilic was silent as he tried to jam his should back together.

"Could you help me...?" His voice was faint. Katara winced as she took hold of his shoulder and shoved violently. She could only imagine the pain and sting that radiated within him.

Katara's whole body sang with pain and adrenaline. Her heart pounded in her chest and her head buzzed as she tried to gather her thoughts. It was several moments before her mind was lucid enough to fully understand what had happened, not only to her and Kilic, but the village also. Panic spread over her as she stumbled to her feet, panic in her voice as she spoke.

"The village!" Her voice was a loud shriek as she sprinted towards the flame-engulfed village.

Standing a few measures from the edge of the village, she drew her hands over her head and summoned water from any source that would come to her. Pulling water from every living plant, pond, and puddle near her, she sent the liquid rushing towards the village. Within a few moments the village was no longer engulfed in flames, and had seemed to exist.

Her mind was numb as she stumbled through the smoldering rubble of the homes and shops that had existed moments before. People scrambled and ran around her, paying her no attention as they moved to rescue their own loved ones and extinguish smaller fires.

"Someone! Please!" A cry rang out through the air. Next to the pub that she and Kilic had visited the previous day, the barkeeper sobbed desperately as she dug at the rubble of what was once her home and business. Katara's breath caught in her chest as she darted to the woman's side. Panicked, the woman continued to shriek as she hefted large pieces of stone.

"My son! He's buried!"

As she helped the woman dig through the rubble and debris, the sound of a small child's cries emanated from what was left of the building. Holding in her own tears, Katara dug through the sediment as quickly as her body would allow. As they pulled back the rocks, the women were met with the battered and mangled body of the the barkeeper's son.

"Kiros!" The woman's anguished cries flooded over Katara as they continued to dig.

Next to her, Kilic joined them in moving the stones and rubble. Within a few moments, they had freed the child. Gently, Kilic lifted the small boy into his arms. A grim look on his face, he gingerly laid the boy onto a soft patch of grass as Katara began to assess his wounds.

"Cho, are you alright?" Kilic asked the barkeeper as if to distract her while Katara worked to heal the boy.

Cho let out a choked sob as she covered her mouth with her hand, hot tears spilling down her bloodied face. "My son... please..."