Page 76 of Stalk the Sky

The medic and troll carrying Lt. Rothilion’s stretcher shoved their way through the chaos. Pip hurried to keep up, tripping over one of the stretchers on the ground and nearly stepping on the poor man’s hand.

As they stepped into sick bay, an elf halted them. “You need to wait—”

“This pilot has been severely wounded. He needs to be seen right away.” The medic nodded his head toward Lt. Rothilion.

The elf must have finally glanced at Lt. Rothilion for his eyes widened, and he motioned. “Yes, take him this way.” The elf led the way down the hall before darting into one of the large wards, calling, “Queen Melantha!”

Fieran’s aunt looked up from the troll she’d been healing. She nodded, said something to the troll, before she hurried in their direction.

Pip could tell when she was no longer needed. She dropped her shield and quietly drifted out of sick bay. As much as she wanted to stay to see if Lt. Rothilion would be all right, she would just be in the way.

She picked her way through the wounded, giving the injured men and women a tight smile. Wounded aeroplanes were much easier to deal with than hurt people.

Bypassing the lift, she headed for the stairs. She’d leave the lift for those carrying in the wounded from the harbor. Some of those who had been hurt on the airships and warships must also be coming in as well, considering the numbers packed in there.

On the first stair, she halted at the sight of a large figure huddled on the landing. His shoulders shook, a noise almost like a whimper coming from him.

Pip stepped closer before she recognized him. “Sontar?”

Fieran’s cousin started, his head shooting up. He froze, as if he was paralyzed with the need to both run and curl into as small a ball as possible.

“I’m Pip. I’m a friend of your cousin Fieran.” Pip eased slightly closer, not wanting to scare him. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” Sontar mumbled as he turned his face away from her once again, his shoulders hunching, his long white hair straggling around his head, as if he was trying to hide.

“You don’t look fine.” Pip eased into a seat near him but not crowding him. “Do you think it would help to talk about it?”

For a long moment, he remained silent. She couldn’t blame him. She was a stranger only loosely linked to him through Fieran.

But sometimes strangers made the best people to talk to.

Sontar let out a shuddering breath, his voice still a mumble that she could barely discern. “Blood and guts make me feel sick.”

“Me too.” Pip resisted a shudder, trying not to breathe too deeply. Even here in the stairwell, the stench of blood and gore filtered to them.

“Yeah, but I have healing magic.” Sontar clenched his fists, but that couldn’t hide his shaking fingers. “I’m supposed to be a healer. The first troll healer. Yet I can’t stand to be in there.”

“It’s a lot right now, even for a trained healer.” Pip bit off the words before she added that Sontar was young. He had only barely come into his magic. He was still just a kid, really.

“But I’m a troll.” Sontar’s fetal position loosened slightly. Perhaps talking was helping. His speech was growing stronger, less mumbled. “Trolls are supposed to have strong stomachs and face things like this with bravado.”

Pip nodded. “I understand. I’m half-dwarf.”

There wasn’t much room for someone more sensitive in traditional dwarven or troll culture.

“I should go back in there.” Sontar gave a shudder, that tremble starting in his fingers again.

“No, you don’t have to.” Pip focused on him, waiting until Sontar flicked his gaze to her briefly. “I’m sure your ma would agree. You aren’t ready or trained enough for something like this.”

“Ma told me to leave.” Sontar curled inward again, as if under weight of shame.

“Then your duty is to obey your mother.” Pip stood, gestured upward, and held out her hand. “Why don’t you come with me to the hangar? I know you don’t have enough training to use your magic without a trained healer present, but you can still help me look after the flyboys when they land. They will probably pull long hours yet, and they will need coffee, food, and rest when they land. That’s still a healer’s job.”

Sontar hesitated a moment before he took her hand. He was so large and she was so tiny, so she didn’t so much help him up as pretend to do so while he levered himself upright. Even when upright, he still stood hunched, as if trying to make himself look smaller.

Pip started up the stairs, headed back for the hangar. She needed to be ready when the rest of her flyboys landed.

This would be a long day for all of them.

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