An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Mandell, pick him up! Kor, Ender, take out the archers. We'll push through Kalvahi. Once we're out on the streets we'll have a better chance at—"

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"This way! We'll lose them in the poorer district."

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"—will do, for now. We just need a few days to rest. We'll start up a watch rotation, and—"

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"—dislocated. I can fix it, but it'll hurt."

"It isn't killing me. It isn't a priority. You need to help Finn."

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"But you can take it out, can't you?"

"Yes, but you want me to do it safely, don't you? I thought you studied battlefield medicine."

"Jalor."

"All right, look. Deoran arrows are barbed, so that pulling them back out does even more damage than they did going in. I need to cut into the back of his shoulder and pull it out that way."

"But that'll—"

"I know. I know it's counterintuitive. But I need you to step back and let me do my job. Goddess willing, it isn't lodged in his bones. I should be able to do this relatively quickly. Mandell? Come hold him still."

"Jalor, I... do you think he'll feel it?"

"I don't know. But it wouldn't hurt to talk to him, just in case he can hear us. Maybe explain what's happening."

"Oh. All right... Finn? Finn, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry. We need to get this arrow out of your shoulder. It'll hurt. You heard Jalor... or maybe you didn't, but it needs to come out. I'll be right here the whole—"

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"I shouldn't have brought you. It was stupid. You could have stayed behind in West Draulin, and... I just couldn't leave you behind. I couldn't bear to be separated from you, after that whole year. I guess I thought that if you were with me, I could protect you. But I was wrong, Finn. You protected us. You saved us. But you didn't sign up for this. The men all knew what they tried out for my guard—well, no. I guess they didn't know the extent of it. Still, they've always been prepared to lay down their lives for me. I don't want you to ever have to make that kind of choice. I... I need you to wake up, Finn. I love you."

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"Well... hello, mate. It's Ender. Tannix is asleep, finally, but he said he'd only do it if we promised to talk to you. So... right. Dunno if you can hear us, but I reckon if you can, hearing us will be helpful. So... I owe you my life, mate. You probably got tired of hearing it back in that prison, but it's true. We couldn't have gotten out of there without you. But I wouldn't have even survived the prison ship without you feeding me. So thank you. Um... some good news is in order, then, aye? I can pretty much walk on my own. I mean... I'm slow. But it's something. Doesn't stop the others from fussing over me, but I guess it isn't so bad. You know, if I can survive getting gutted, I think you can survive this. You're one of us now, Finn. Our little brother. So you had better wake up soon."

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"—doing my best, but I'm not a real physician. I'm a cavalryman who dabbled in battlefield medicine because I got bored while Tandrix was at the Order. I was never planning on becoming an actual medic. You need someone who—wake up soon, then it'll be easier to tell how you're doi—poison, but I haven't told Tand—might be wrong."