210) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 42 -- As mortality opens one's eyes

She was moving. She smelled horse. And hay. She heard the clatter of hooves. A creaking wagon. Every jostle felt like being stabbed. She opened her eyes.

A robed figure loomed above her face, making strange noises. She realized after a moment that they were praying. With great effort, she shifted her eyes sideways, and saw Lenny, also watching. Lenny smiled weakly; she smiled back and tried to sit up, but nothing happened. She couldn’t tell if her body wouldn’t move, or if she was restrained somehow. Everything started to look…strange somehow…darker…. 

Strong hands pushed her shoulders down into the hay and a deep voice soothed, “Not now. Not yet. Just rest.” 

Blurriness. Chanting voices. Hands. Wet cloths on her forehead. She faded in and out. The chanting became singing. 

When she opened her eyes again, it like diving into a cold pond, the sheer shock of existential awareness. The world! It was still here! It took a moment to focus, in the gloom. She hadn’t tried to move yet, but she could see enough of the small room, dimly lit from a triangular window in the ceiling. The walls were bare. 

It occurred to her momentarily, that she may be dead.

But she was hungry. So far as she knew, the dead don’t tend to feel hungry.  

What if that’s not actually true? What if the dead just get hungrier and hungrier? 

Involuntarily, she emitted a single heavy sigh, tears coming immediately to her eyes.

I am so grateful, to be awake, having weird thoughts. Hi Kohra…going through something like this…it makes you realize…I mean, I really love you. I…I really love being alive.

She tried to turn her head to the side, and this time, her body responded, giving her a view of the rest of the room. It was triangular, with four beds, one on each wall, and hers, in the middle. The others were empty.  

* * * * *

For the next day and a half, she slipped in and out of wakefulness, although it was never clear whether she knew the others were there. But Devona, Dominic, and Juanita stayed faithfully by her side, in rotating shifts so at least one of them would be there the moment she came back into awareness. They had been encouraged to stay, provided they didn’t interrupt the prayers or other rituals. Their presence would help, they were assured. After all, “Love is the Healer” was the inscription written over the entrance to the Sanctuary. 

When she did finally open her eyes, Juanita was the first face she saw. The smile was instantaneous; Kohra had never seen anything so beautiful. 

“Nope,” she managed to whisper. “I see an angel. I must be dead.” Juanita laughed, and Kohra felt her own face work into a smile. 

She couldn’t tell what the Inn-keeper — her friend — was saying, but it was full of love and tears, and it was good. Just hearing her voice was enough for right now.

She looked down at her body, but couldn’t see anything beneath the white sheets. It felt very…non-existent.  

“Thirsty….” 

Juanita helped raise her head a couple of inches, tipping cool water into her mouth from a ladle. “Like Kylryvyn,” Kohra murmured, but Juanita didn’t respond. 

She squinted up, looking at the woman more carefully. Juanita’s hair was matted, and the dark circles under her eyes would rival the shadow-markings of the Whiteling gladiators. 

How is everybody? Are they ok?

Juanita didn’t respond. It seemed she was distracted by dipping a cloth in a bowl of water at that moment. Kohra tried again, louder. Is everybody ok? Did we all make it?

Juanita still didn’t respond. It was as if she hadn’t heard her at all.

Did I say that, or think it? 

“Juanita!” It came out raw, somewhere between a croak and a shout as she forced out the name. 

Juanita jumped and bent closer, putting a hand on her forehead. “Are you ok?” 

“Sorry,” she murmured, accepting another sip of water. “You didn’t say anything.” She paused, breathing, gathering her strength to say more. “Thought I was going crazy.”

Juanita tried, without success, to hide her worried frown, her eyes instantly brimming with tears. “You didn’t say anything, love. But you’ve been through a lot. Don’t worry, just rest. You’ve come a long way the past two days.”

“Did every—”

“Shhh, shhhh.” Her voice was soft, as she placed another cool cloth on Kohra’s forehead.“Everyone made it.” She shook her head, tracing her fingers along Kohra’s hairline, brushing tendrils of her hair, tenderly. “Somehow. It’s a miracle.” She repeated, somewhat absently, “Some kind of miracle.” Kohra felt, for a moment, almost like her daughter.

Then Juanita cracked a smile. “I’ll bet you anything that from now on, Gorb will never stop talking about ‘Follow d’Light!’ (in her best slurry Klliik accent). She laughed, shaking her head. Kohra managed to smile a little, feeling her face move for the first time. 

“They, I mean Devona, and the Healers mainly, found Gorb in the damn things’ nest! Barely hanging onto life, it was like he’d gone into some sort of suspended state, like he’d just shut down his entire body completely.”

“Like hibernating?” Kohra asked, already feeling better enough to want to be helpful.

Juanita laughed again, her laugh skipping through the room, like early morning birdsong welcoming her to a new day. “He does look rather like a bear….”

Her eyes brightened as she saw life coming back into Kohra’s. “And Melkorn the Mighty! Oh my, but he’s going to be a legend in this town now. Klardynne’ll probably have to make him a Field Captain.” She shook her head. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face; oh gods. Klardynne, I mean.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice as though to mock the sharing of information — “He’s not super-fond of Melkorn, or so the rumour is….”

Kohra’s eyes were starting to close. Juanita lowered her voice even further, softening it like she was about to sing a lullaby. “You just wait, Kohra; when you’re well enough, this town is going to have the biggest party you ever did see.”

Kohra moaned sleepily. She couldn’t imagine feeling well enough to celebrate anything, ever. 

* * * * *

When she awoke, it was dinner-time, and she was surprisingly ravenous. Juanita was still there, dozing on Dominic’s shoulder. 

“We’ve sure got a story for your dad,” she whispered. Dominic bolted upright, startling Juanita awake, and moments later, they were hugging, laughing, and marveling at the sheer fact that they were all there together. And astonishingly, Kohra’s seemed almost fully healed! She didn’t even need help standing up. After a moment of feeling slightly woozy, she had another drink of water, and was ready to leave. A bit wobbly, but ready to leave.

Arms linked together, beaming like three newly-weds, they walked out together, triumphantly, into the main hallway of the Temple. Kohra could barely believe her body was moving at all, but in truth, she felt amazing! Strong. Balanced. Everything felt so alive! The dusty streets of Annuvin glowed gold like Paradise, every stone and tree radiating the sheer miracle of being. Each breath felt like a new gift of Life. Which indeed, each was. 

Kohra wanted to go and thank the Healers. She didn’t even know who they were! But Juanita shook her head, smiling. “You’ll never find them. Their whole philosophy is about selflessness, so they always disappear after their healing is finished and before their patient wakes up. You can thank their Goddesses though.” Inclining her head toward the three statues at the base of the steps, she noted, “There’s a drop-box over there for making donations.”

Kohra had nothing with her to give at the time, but promised to herself that she would come back later. They had saved her life, no doubt about it. When Juanita had helped her get dressed, Kohra had looked down at her body, at the angry scars splitting her chest all the way from her neck to her waistline, and they clearly told the story.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Kohra felt different from before, like everything was a little too bright, too quiet, too…something, and it was all about to come apart any second. Her body was “zinging,” like there was an emergency she had to attend to immediately, except she didn’t know what it was. 

Dominic put a hand on her elbow, steadying her for a moment, then letting go again. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. She sure appreciated him though, his steadfastness. You could always count on Dominic.

“Did you use it?” Juanita asked, fingers tracing the collar of Kohra’s cloak for a moment. She shook her head, hands reaching up to undo the clasp so she could give it back. 

Juanita shook her head in return, placing her hands over Kohra’s. “It’s yours. Besides, I get the feeling you’re going to need it more than I will.”

Kohra was long past the point of not knowing how to accept the woman’s kindness. She knew Juanita wouldn’t have it any other way. So she just nodded, unfolding the cloak to hold it up. 

The material was perfectly unmarred, as though it had just now been taken from Juanita’s closet. 

“How did…? Why isn’t it, you know, sliced up?”  Then more quietly, added, “Like me.”

Juanita put an arm around her for a moment. “Who knows? Magic?” She smiled. “Like you.”

Kohra snugged the collar more tightly around her neck, nestling into the fabric’s embrace. It felt comforting, like “blankie” at home, her tattered childhood friend, more holes now than blanket. 

It seemed a lifetime ago. 

Back at the Inn, they found the others in the dining room, picking at their meals. Kohra momentarily wondered who was cooking during Juanita’s vigil in the Temple. Then she heard laughter and baudy banter, and smiled. Several of Juanita’s regulars had evidently stepped in and taken over. 

What a place Annuvin is! And what a person, to have friends like that. 

It was a confusion of gentle hugs, quiet laughter and subdued congratulations. 

Reilly and Devona embraced her simultaneously, Dev hugging her upper body and Reilly grabbing onto her legs and squeezing for all she was worth. Lenny stood behind them, smirking, and gave her a high five. “Master Blasters!” 

Kohra laughed, wincing only a little. She felt hollow. But she was trying. “Yeah!”

Then Melkorn picked her right up like she was a kitten, cradling her in his huge arms. They couldn’t tell what each other was saying through the laughter and tears, but it didn’t matter; the sentiment was clear. Kohra hugged him as tightly as she could, as they each cried harder than the other.

And then there was Gorb, his old jovial self, drunk as a skunk and roaring on about “d’Light.”

“How did you…?” she started to ask, but stopped. It just seemed impossible that he was alive.

He grinned through his froth-soaked beard. “D’Light, Kohrrra! D’Light prrrotected me. No udder way t’explain it!” 

It was a good reunion for battered heroes, hilarious and heartfelt, laughter claiming victory over tears.

They were all asleep before dusk had even begun to dim the sky.