Page 44 of Of Steel and Scale

She hesitated and glanced at the other soldier. He wrinkled his nose and said, “Maybe a quarter of a mile?”

A quarter of a mile should give us some scribe coverage... I frowned. “Why didn’t you scribe for help when the accident first happened? Was there no coverage there?”

“We would have, but Randel was carrying the scribe and quill in his pack, and it was shattered when he hit the rocks.”

“Which is probably the only reason he’s still alive,” the other soldier added. “The force of the impact should have broken his spine, but his pack took the brunt of it.”

“It would seem Vahree wasn’t yet ready for his soul,” Suzi added.

I wasn’t so sure of that, given Randel’s current state, but I simply nodded. “I’ll head there and make the call?—”

“Not alone, Captain,” Damon said. “It’s too dangerous, given we have no idea who or what made that barrier.”

I glanced at him, nodding imperceptibly at his use of my military title. It was appreciated, even if not necessary in his case. “What we can’t do is leave these soldiers without protection. Between you and Kele?—”

“You forget what I am,” he cut in again. “I can raise a protective barrier using the blood of the olms to enhance its strength. With Kele stationed here, you and I can head into that tunnel, make the call, and then investigate the barrier.”

I hesitated, if only briefly. It was a practical move under the circumstances. “How long will the protective barrier last? It’s going to take at least four hours for assistance to get here.”

And whether even that would be fast enough to save Randel was debatable.

“The blood of two olms should create a six-hour protection period. If we restrict the area needing coverage—using the wall behind Randel as the base—to a semi-circle around our survivors, it should give us an hour or so longer.”

“Do it.” I offered Suzi a hand. “Let’s get you two off that ledge and over to Kele. She’ll be able to treat those wounds you’re not mentioning.”

“She’s a trained medic?” the soldier asked.

“No, first aider.” Every company had at least two soldiers trained in field treatment; recon teams generally had one.

Suzi grimaced. “Harri was ours. Poor bastard was the first one hit.”

She took my hand and carefully eased herself off the edge. Though she didn’t say anything, fresh blood seeped past the fingers pressing against her right side. I suspected the tightness of her leathers was the only thing currently preventing her from bleeding to death.

The other soldier waved my offer of assistance away, eased down, and then limped over to the dead. “We can’t leave them here, Captain. Not like this. Aside from the fact they’ll only attract more olm, I can’t?—”

He stopped and shrugged, but there was fury and deep agony in his eyes and expression. One of the dead had meant something to him, that much was obvious.

But moving them would be next to impossible. Very little remained of their leathers or their flesh, and what did simply wouldn’t be enough to hold their bodies together.

“I’m sorry, soldier.” My voice was flat, though my heart ached for him. “But they’re already at Vahree’s gates, and care not for what happens to their flesh now. Our main priority now has to be the living.”

“Can you at least burn them? That would surely be a more fitting end for them than being torn apart any further.”

Suzi lightly touched his arm. “Their bodies are the only reason we’re alive now, Jace, and we both know it. If the captain ashes them, it will simply mean the olm will return their attention to us.” She glanced down at the bodies and then added softly, “Mills would understand our choices, believe me.”

Jace didn’t say anything for a long moment, then nodded and continued on toward Kele. As Suzi followed, I returned to the entry tunnel and collected our packs. After dropping them in the middle of the junction, I walked over to Damon. He was collecting the blood of the olm Kele had smashed against the ceiling in one of the empty vessels he’d brought along.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He glanced up, his eyes dancing with a power that gave his irises a bloody hue. He might not have called to the magic that ran through his veins as yet, but it was nevertheless there to be seen in his gaze.

“You can cut a semicircle into the stone around our group. We need to give them a physical indication of the barrier’s location, and your sword will do it easier than mine.”

I nodded, drew my sword, and walked back. Kele met me halfway and picked up her pack. “That soldier has lost a lot of blood and muscle,” she murmured. “Even if he does make it, he may never walk again.”

I touched her arm. “Do what you can to keep him going until the healers get here.”

She frowned. “I’m not staying?—”

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