Strettar accosted them as soon as they entered the ring demarcated by the machinery around the fire before the lazaret. The elder rushed towards them.

-”Mizter Trawinz…” - the tanai frowned a little, noticing this the hoomin quickly corrected himse;lf – „Anh. Magni zeemz to be much worze. Pleaze, can you take a look at him?”

-” Yes. Of course, let us go to him right now.”

They moved towards the bedroll on which the warrior was lying and as they did so, an apparition of Birdekk materialized on the left of Anh’s peripheral vision. The eldest of kin pretended to follow along for the short trek towards the wounded and succeeded really well for the most part. Even if the only ones to see this effort were others of kin, from their perspective, Birdekk was floating beside Strettar.

-* He was the majorly wounded, was he not?* - said the kin

-* I believe so.* - replied Anh

-* I just want to make sure, after all, that happened… not long ago*- there was an audible unease in Birdekk’s voice -* we need to assume the worst and prepare for it*

Anh didn’t answer.

-* Did you really need to mention that?*- said an irritated Tow.

-* No. I didn’t, but that would be avoiding responsibility*- frowned Birdekk.

-* Can you two not argue over this?*- came the voice of Greoo -*Let’s concentrate on helping this poor sap instead of weaving grim scenarios about how this is going to go.*

-*Fine*- Birdekk dispersed from view before they reached the rudimentary doss of furs where Magni, among four other wounded, was laying. When they got to him, Anh gasped a little. The man looked terrible. Despite being covered by two thick furs, he was shivering and his sickly pale skin glistened with sweat. He was half awake and when he noticed Strettar, he uttered to him.

-" Myn tiid rint út, myn âldste."

Strettar kneeled near him and laid his right palm on his forehead.

-" Ha hope broer. Wy hawwe help"

Anh assumed a cross-legged pose by the man’s right side, then took the furs off. Immediately he was greeted by a nauseous odour of disease. Tanai sighed in resignation.

-” I am going to need water and cloth. Lots of it.”

-” I will get it for you” – replied the elder, then got up and headed towards the door.

-" Wa bisto?"– uttered Magni to the tanai.

-" In freon."- somewhat clumsily replied Anh.

-” Do you think he is going to live through this?” - asked Brandt, who despite following the tanai since they left the offices, strategically kept himself somewhat to the side of the recuperating men.

-*Way to add pressure to the situation*- commented Tow

-” It is hard enough, mister Zerster.”- said Anh in poorly masked anger - ”There is no need to make it even more of an ordeal.”

Brandt gazed into the far corner of the room for a split moment.

-” I’m sorry.”- he said with sincere care in his voice -” Can I help you with anything?”

-” No. I don’t think so.”

-” Then I’m going to attend the ceremonies Hanne is preparing.”

-* Way to abandon us*- scoffed Greoo

-* He can’t help. So, whatever.*- coldly commented Thernohh

-” I’ll get you some food.” - added hoomin halfway to the gate of the hall

-* Maybe not entirely?*

-* Let’s concentrate on whatever we can do in terms of vitahexergy, instead of bickering* - commanded Anh. After getting a reluctant agreement, the kin concentrated and soon after they were deep within a mist of sour, toxic smell they first experienced when they were attending to Magni before. Brandt marched out of the room almost at the same moment and nearly bumped into a limping Olaff, who was dragging a goatskin sloshing with water and a roll of torn linen.

Anh could not tell whether his actions did anything. Once he was given the supplies he asked for, he warmed the water with a simple pyrohex and spent a quanter meticulously washing and examining Magni’s wounds.

-* It is an uneducated guess, but those seem to heal fine*- Tow commented at one moment, although without much conviction -*considering the circumstances*

-* You are right, the uneducated guess here as well, this does not bode well*- added Anh

-* I think, we ought to skip the burial of those other fallen wildmen and keep an eye on this one*- tentatively said Birdekk.

-* For one. I agree with you.*- replied Tow.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

-* Yes. We will stay.*- announced Anh, to an approval from Greoo and a slight scoff of Thernohh.

Once he was done and sure of doing thorough work, Anh remade the dressing, as good as he could, at least. The patient seemed to be either sleeping or unconscious. The tanai covered him with furs and checked the man’s pulse and breath.

-* Shallow, quick breath. The heart is racing.*- impassionately said Tow -* put a hand on his forehead. We’ll check if he has a fever*.

Anh did so without uttering a word.

-* ...like a furnace*- Tow continued as before -*I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. But I don’t think he is going to survive the night.*

-* There is still hope*- weakly uttered Greoo -* Can’t we do something more?*

-* We’re not a sanhexer and the little vita we know is for stopping minor bleeding at best.*

-* It worked so far...*

-* Don’t be silly Greoo*- softly said Anh –*I concur with Tow. This man needs a skilled, seasoned sanhexer or a miracle.*

-* We ought to inform Strettar*- said Birdekk

-"Olaf… Krij Strettar."- Anh immediately addressed the wildman who up to this moment sat nearby. Upon hearing the tanai, hoomin stood up and left in a stride.

-* So. We wait for the inevitable or a miracle.*

-* We ought to check on him every quanter or so.*

As they worked, neither Anh nor any of kin noticed that they gathered the attention of the remaining wounded of Hanne’s men. Both of them were lying to Magni’s left. One propped himself on his elbows. The other was the man who was wounded to the neck. He somehow managed to sit uneasily cross-legged.

Anh sent them a timid smile and they replied in the same manner. The tanai then assumed his favorite, relaxed pose and began to float. Every once in a while checking upon the sick man and waiting for the elder of the wildmen to arrive. Meanwhile, through the wide open gate of the building, they could witness the evening turning slowly into a night and busied themselves with a discussion about the duration it would take for Strettar to arrive.

The elder came a little over a candle after Anh called for him. He came along with Olaff and seemed a little preoccupied.

-” Mizter Anh. We are about to begin the ceremony for our fallen brotherz. Iz there a problem?”

-” This man is not going to live the night.” - bluntly replied the tanai – “I’ve done what I can. Arneg and Divinul now haggle for his daemon.”

Strettar was taken aback. His grasp over his staff became firmer and he swayed a little. Then quickly uttered a few words to Olaff who immediately limped out of the room.

-” Iz there no hope?”

-* Why is he asking silly questions?*- angerily said Thernohh -*No, there isn’t. This here man is a future corpse, and a close one at that.*

-* I certainly am glad he cannot hear you!*- Greoo quickly responded -*You are rude and inconsiderate.*

-” I’m afraid so” – replied Anh with sadness -” Unless a miracle happens, I don’t think he is going to be with us tomorrow.”

Strettar fell silent for a drip, he just swayed his head back a forth

-” I need to mazter the ceremony.” - he finally said -” I called for Hanne to keep Magni company, if theze are indeed in hiz final momentz.”

The war chief came almost the same moment as Strettar spoke and immediately gave the elder a gaze with an unsaid, but obvious question in it. The elder pointed first at Magni and then at Anh. What tanai understood boiled to telling the chief as to what was happening.

-” Hanne will remain with you, to lead Magni to hiz final breath.”

-” I will remain here.” - quickly added Anh – “Tell Brandt, if you may.”

-” Yez. I will. Now I need to tend to my dutiez. I will return once we’re done.” - Strettar said something equally courteous to Hanne and exited the room.

Hanne sat beside the doss, took a concerned look at his comrade, and then was equally grateful at the tanai. He smiled weakly and then sat relaxed with half-opened eyes.

They remained near the unconscious man for quite a long time. The night had already taken over and a slight chill intruded into the hall they were in. The only light remaining was a weak orange glow of the central campfire entering through the wide doors of the hall. Through a thick wall, they didn’t even notice the Strettar-led ceremony taking place. There were only them and four other wounded, of whom most were sleeping. Every little while Anh would check on Magni but there was no real change for the better or the worse. After at least a candle the ceremony must have ended because at the periphery of his vision, the tanai noted the commotion over the central place. Soon after Olaff returned, limping back, and sat at the legs of the sickly warrior. After him came Strettar and Brandt. The Nord found himself a metal bench by a wall, on which he hopped and sat comfortably, away from the campfire’s glow and sight of everyone.

In the meantime someone threw some extra logs into the fire, making it bigger and stronger, which bathed the lazaret in a somewhat stronger light, that cast long shadows over the few figures gathered around Magni. As drips, triskols, and quanters passed more wildmen joined, but most followed the example of Brandt and remained at the edge of the glow. Tanai didn’t count how many men were inside, but it must have been most of the group.

There was an ominous silence in the hall, interrupted only by the rustling of Anh’s robes, as he, periodically, checked upon his patient.

-*I think we ought to check up on our patient again*- commanded Birdekk, as he has done so five times previously. Anh nodded to the variunity, then placed his palm on the man’s forehead. It seemed that nothing had changed, the fever was still there. Then he touched the man’s neck, looking for a pulse.

There didn’t seem to be any.

-* Hold it a little longer, we want to be sure*- grimly said Birdekk, although it was unnecessary. Realizing what just happened flooded them with a confused mix of relief and sadness.

-” It has happened” – Anh said. Without even needing to translate Hanne nodded, clasped his fingers together, and began to murmur what the tanai took as a prayer. When he was done, he ceremonially put his right hand on the deceased man’s face and quietly prayed, apparently, some more. Once he was finished, he stood up and turned toward the fire.

-"Us broer is by ús foarâlden kaam" – he said solemnly while staring into the distance -“Ik hie hope dat it net sa komme soe, mar dat binne wendingen fan it lot. Wy allegearre wisten wat ús plichten oan ús stammen manlju en froulju meie ynhâlde. Wy hawwe fûn dit plak, en it hast ferslein ús. Moarn sille wy in fyfde fan ús bruorren begroeven dy't hjir har libben joegen.

As wendingen fan it needlot kinne ferneatigje, kinne se ek foarsjen, lykas se ús Thin Man brochten, dy't it libben fan fjouwer fan ús en Zerster, dy't ús yn 'e striid liede, rêde. Dit is in dreech momint foar ús, mar it is ek ús grutste oerwinning.

Hanne paused for a moment to catch a breath.

-"De lêste dagen hawwe ik en Streattar nûmer Fjouwer in deal ûnderhannele, ien dy't ús sterker sil meitsje. Wylst wy Zerster en Slanke Man tastean om dizze grouwel fan ús lannen ôf te nimmen, sil Zerster hûndert lange earms leverje tegearre mei genôch gewearpulver en ballen foar ús saak. Wy sille ek troch him swurden, krúsbôgen en harnas en smid ark keapje."

Hanne took another pause.

-"Dit plak naam fiif fan ús. Wylst wy fertrietje, sille wy treast nimme yn it witten dat har offer net fergetten en fergriemd wurde sil. Dit lân, is ús lân. Wy wurde net weromset."

The war chief again knelt beside his fallen comrade and he began to murmur something inaudibly. A moment later Gustaf joined him, followed by Olaff.

-* I think we should leave *- solemnly said Greoo -*I insist, we leave. For their… and our own’s sake.*