Icebound

Chapter 32

For one second, there was nothing. And then, the pain. A blinding flash of agony that snaked down her arm and exploded at her severed wrist, burning and smoldering with an uncontrollable fury.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to writhe on the ground in agony. But she couldn't. Her breathing came out in shallow gasps as she tried to stay conscious through it, tried to stop her blood from spilling out onto the ground.

Without looking, she took the hand- it wasn't hers anymore- and flung it at Seqineq. The woman looked startled by her actions, but Anyu could see the embers of resolve sparking in her eyes.

"Take it," Anyu managed to gasp out. With her right hand, she clasped her wrist tightly to her chest, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood. "Tamga."

Anyu saw the realization dawn in Seqineq's molten eyes. She looked at the hand with a hunger in her eyes, a revenge- they seemed to glow with it. Anyu didn't like it at all.

"Help her," Seqineq commanded. Her harsh words seemed to break the masked man's spell. In an instant, he shook off his shock and examined Anyu's wrist. She couldn't help the scream that escaped through her clenched teeth when he touched it. Pulses of pain crawled up her arm every moment, all emanating from her broken and bloody wrist. It felt like a crushing river was running under her skin, pulverizing her bones and muscles as it went.

The man used strips of cloth to bind her wrist tight, but even he was only half paying attention to his actions. He, like all of the other indwellers here, had their eyes trained on Seqineq and her triumphant smile as her fingers closed on Anyu's hand. Even Anyu couldn't look away. Seqineq was like the bright flame illuminating the darkness, and the rest of them were the insects helplessly drawn in.

"My brothers and sisters," Seqineq's voice boomed to the assembled indwellers, echoing in the wide chasm. Her voice was rough, powerful. "For eons we have lived in the yoke of exile, banished beneath the fires of Yahal. For lifetimes, we have endured this torture, never seeing our beloved sky. But now," She raised the severed hand high above her head. "Now a warrior of the Nenet has given us the key to our freedom!"

A chorus of cheers and roars rose up from the gathered crowd, the indwellers stamping their feet and howling towards the sky. It was an indescribable display of simultnaeous joy and rage, relief and vengeance, as the indwellers heard the news of their long awaited freedom. The sight was so overwhelming that Anyu couldn't be sure whether that or the blood loss was the cause of her dizziness.

When the cheering began to abate, Seqineq turned to Anyu and bowed. Anyu couldn't do more than nod her acknowledgement. She was sweating through her blood-soaked furs now, and shivers went down her spine.

"Igni." Seqineq nodded to the masked man. His shoulders stiffened in surprise once more, then squared in determination.

The masked man- Igni- removed one of the many necklaces strung about his neck. This one was smaller and less assuming than the others with only a single sharpened tooth strung on it. It was small, but Anyu didn't doubt that it was sharp enough to kill. He took the tooth into his palm and crushed it, sprinkling the white dust onto Anyu's wrist. The relief was instantaneous, a cold wave of numbness blessedly washing over the excruciating pain in her arm. Anyu sagged with relief.

Seqineq knelt before Anyu.

"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," She said gravely, head bowed.

It wasn't just me, she wanted to say. This was Kano and Tavra and Shesh's sacrifice too. But she was too dazed to reply.

Seqineq stood as the other indwellers gathered. There were so many of them, more than Anyu could count. They all stood before Seqineq expectantly, waiting for her command.