THIRTY-EIGHT - Rhoswen

Tadghan arrives to attempt to save Silvan's life.

Rhoswen stood paralyzed in the middle of the street.  Everything had been going so well.  She wasn’t only looking into the dying face of Silvan, she was watching her own life slip away before her eyes.  His lifeless eyes stared up at her as if to say, “You’re dead too.”  Blood poured out of the gash on his neck and onto the ground.  The wound looked deep, and fresh.  This only just happened.  If I had been here sooner… if I hadn’t taken so long with Hoyt… I could have saved him.

Her screams must have gotten the attention of the surrounding homes, because people were slowly beginning to gather on the streets nearby.  There were low murmurs while people tried to figure out who had screamed, and why, until finally someone seemed to notice, even through the darkness, Rhoswen standing over Silvan’s lifeless body.

“Over there!” a woman’s voice called.  Rhoswen didn’t move, still in shock.  All she could see was the body… the blood… those lifeless eyes…

People began to crowd around.  Once they were close, they recognized the body.  This was no ordinary murder… this was a member of the King’s Guard.  The whispers grew louder.

“Who could have done this?”

“Why did they kill him?”

Rhoswen felt a tingle run down her spine.  She became acutely aware of the fact that everyone was staring at her and keeping their distance.  She looked up and locked eyes with a woman across from her.  “She was the only one here when I heard the scream,” the woman said, pointing directly at Rhoswen.

A man approached her and grabbed her arm.  “Who are you?  Nobody around here knows you.”

Rhoswen pulled away from him and backed up.  “I’m no one.  He was like this when I got here, I�"I came here to speak with him.”

“Bring her to the castle!”

“Lock her up!”

And now the whole crowd was shouting.  They closed in around her, approaching slowly.

“Please, I had nothing to do with it!  Why would I have screamed if I were the one who killed him?”  But no one was listening; her pleas were drowned out in the rabble of the Xantomians.

“She’s a traitor!  Stop her!”  The crowd closed in tightly, and now she couldn’t move.  I’m not even going to have to wait until I get back to the Outskirts before I get killed.  This couldn’t have gone any worse.  She tried to fight her way out, swinging her arms violently at the others, but now they were holding her arms and legs at her side, keeping her from moving at all.  She struggled as hard as she could, but she couldn’t move.  And now she was in the air, the crowd had lifted her up and was carrying her towards the castle.

“We’ll let Thaddeus deal with you until the King gets back!”

“Xanthus might never come back,” someone said, “and Thaddeus won’t know what to do.  I say we kill her.  Just to be safe.”  Rhoswen wasn’t sure who said it, but soon everyone was echoing the sentiment, crying out for her death.

“Please, no!” she screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You can’t kill a member of the King’s Guard and get away with it!”

“I didn’t!  He was dead when I got there!  Please, I didn’t do anything!”

“Can you prove it?”

“No, but you have to believe me!”  The crowd didn’t stop.  They carried her; she had no idea which direction they were going, but they appeared to be heading towards a barrel of oil.  “What are you going to do to me?!”

“We’re going to burn you,” a woman said.

Rhoswen’s heart sank.  She didn’t even have the energy to fight it.  This is it.  I thought I might at least have another few days, but I’m going to die right now in the middle of the city.

“Stop!” someone called out.  Rhoswen turned her head to see who had spoken.  The rest of the crowd followed suit.  “What’s happening here?”  She couldn’t get a clear view of his face, partly because she was trying to see him upside down, and also because his face was obscured in the darkness.

“She killed Silvan!” someone in the crowd said.

“That tiny woman you’re carrying?  You think she managed to kill a member of the King’s Guard?”

“She was the only person there when we found the body,” a woman said.  “It couldn’t have been anyone else.”

“Then apparently you either have too much confidence in that woman or not enough confidence in the men who guard this city.  Either way, I can tell you without a doubt that you’ve got the wrong person.”

Rhoswen felt a few hands let go of her, and the people who didn’t let go loosened their grips.  They weren’t saying anything, but they were at least questioning what they initially thought.

“How do you know?” someone asked.

“Because I saw what happened,” the stranger answered.  “I was coming this way and I saw a man slit Silvan’s throat.  He ran, and I gave chase, but he got away.  I came back to try to save Silvan and found the lot of you about to murder an innocent woman.”

“How do we know you didn’t kill him?”

“Firstly, because I wouldn’t have come back if I had.  Secondly, because I’m Tadghan, friend of the King’s Guard.  And lastly because he’s not dead yet!  We can save him.  But first you’ve got to put the girl down.”

Rhoswen felt herself being lowered to the ground.  Thank the Dome, it’s sent me someone to rescue me!  As soon as Rhoswen was on her feet, she ran to Tadghan without a second thought.  She threw her arms around him and wept.  He seemed hardly to notice.  Instead he pushed her off him and knelt down beside Silvan’s body.

“Who attacked Silvan?” someone asked.

Tadghan studied the body, trying to determine the best method of transport.  He spoke while he worked, “I didn’t see his face.  I need three of you to help me take him to the castle.  Now!”

Finally Rhoswen was over her initial panic enough to realize what that meant.  I still have a chance.  Silvan isn’t dead!  “Hurry!  We have to save him!” she said.  The fact that the woman they had been about to execute was giving them orders seemed to have an effect on them.  Three people immediately got down to help the man with Silvan’s body.

For a split second, Tadghan and Rhoswen’s eyes met, and it was as if he were trying to figure out who she was, but the moment passed.  “Come with us,” he said.

“I can’t,” she said, “the castle is�"”

“Do you want to save him or not?!” he asked.  “Let’s go!”

Tadghan tore off his shirt and wrapped it tightly around Silvan’s neck.  “He’s already lost a lot of blood.  We have to try to make sure he doesn’t lose any more or he won’t make it.”  He turned to Rhoswen.  “While we carry the body, is there any way you can hold this here?  Tightly?”

“I don’t know.  I’m not sure.”

“You can.  Trust me.  I need you to do this for me, and for Silvan.  You said we have to save him, this is what you need to do to make sure that happens.”

The group hoisted Silvan into the air.  His limbs flopped down toward the ground and Rhoswen struggled to keep his head from falling backwards, further tearing at the wound on his neck.  She lifted it back into place, holding it up with her right hand and applying pressure to the wound with her left.  This is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.  There is more at stake now than ever before.

The group made it to the front steps of the castle and climbed them towards the front door.  The group had to spin to make sure Silvan’s head was the first thing up the stairs.  Rhoswen was climbing them backwards.  I’m going to trip, and it will all be over.  But she didn’t trip, and they were inside the castle.

“We can do this,” Tadghan said.  “It isn’t much farther and we’ll be there.  This way!  We’re headed for the Healer’s Room.”

The next few minutes were a complete blur.  One minute, Rhoswen was holding her hands tightly against Silvan’s neck, trying to imagine that the blood oozing out over her fingers wasn’t actually a bad thing, and the next minute they were shuffling quickly down castle corridors, and she was left worrying that someon would find her and take her away before they ever got a chance to save Silvan’s life.  I have no idea where we’re going or how long it’s going to take to get there.  Silvan’s head is surprisingly heavy, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do this.

“We’re almost there!” Tadghan encouraged them.  “We just have to make it to the end of this hallway!”  Rhoswen turned around to check the distance.  She couldn’t see anything through the darkness and let out a panicked sigh.  “You’re doing a great job,” Tadghan said to her.  “I don’t know how I could have done this without you.”

She knew the words should have made her feel better, but they did the exact opposite.  What if she hadn’t found the body?  She wouldn’t have screamed, nobody would have come out, and when Tadghan returned he would have had to try to carry the body by himself.  Silvan would be dead, and then so would I.  She tried to shake the thought.  It doesn’t matter.  I was there, and things happened this way for a reason, even if I wish they hadn’t.

They reached the end of the hall and burst through the doors to the Healer’s room, but there was nobody inside.  Rhoswen started to hyperventilate.  “He’s going to die.  It’s too late, there’s no one here there’s nothing we can do what are we going to do?!”

“Don’t worry, there’s another room!  Willoughby’s probably back there.  Keep moving!”  The muscles in her arms were screaming.  It’s better than if I were carrying the rest of his body… his head probably weighs nothing in comparison.

The group headed towards the back of the room where, indeed, there was a second door leading into another open chamber.  There, on the table in the middle of the room, the Healer was working on a young girl.

“Willoughby, help us!” Tadghan cried.

The man spun around to see the group of people that had just barged in on his procedure.  “What’s going on here?  I’m in the middle of an operation!  You can’t just�"” and then he saw the body.  “Oh, s**t.  Put him on the table.  Woman, do not take pressure off the wound!”

He must be talking to me.  He doesn’t have to worry, I’m not going to let go until Silvan is alive again and talking.  The five of them placed Silvan on the stone table beside the young girl, his blood dripping down onto the floor, mixing with another puddle that had already poured out of the girl.  Rhoswen almost retched.

“How long has he been like this?” Willoughby asked.

“It only just happened,” Tadghan said.  The rest of them were too shocked and terrified to speak.  “As soon as it happened, we carried the body here.  It’s been maybe 10 minutes at most, but we put pressure on the wound as soon as we could.  This woman was invaluable.”

“Good.  Someone get me a torch and my needles from the table over there.”  One of the men scurried to the table to obey.  When he brought the tools back over, Willoughby took them and got to work immediately.

“Okay, when I tell you, pull the cloth away from his neck.”  He moved in close with his tools.  “Now!”  She pulled back the bandages to reveal the massive, disgusting gash in the side of Silvan’s neck.  Blood immediately pumped out and onto the table.  “Oh, this is worse than I thought.”

Rhoswen couldn’t look at the wound.  She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself somewhere else… anywhere else.  But Willoughby snapped his fingers in front of her.

“Look here,” he barked.  “Right here.  I need you to stay with me.  Hold this here and do not move.”

She held Silvan’s head in position and Willoughby grabbed the torch.  He pressed it hard up against Silvan’s neck.  The skin sizzled as the flame burned it, closing the wound.  The smell was overpowering, her nostrils flared, she thought she was going to pass out.  Her body began rocking back and forth.  The sound was the worst part�"it was like the sound of cooking Bareland Beas; complete with singeing and popping.  Finally, Willoughby pulled the torch away, handing it to the nearest person.

“Now take this, and hold it here,” Willoughby said to her.

She had to look.  How else would she know what she was holding?  Her gaze lowered and she saw Silvan’s skin, black and bubbling from the burns it had just been given.  She felt herself gag, but she hadn’t eaten in two days and nothing came up.  And now she was holding a piece of Silvan’s burnt flesh in her hand, trying to hold it as close as possible to another piece of Silvan’s flesh on the opposite side of the wound while Silvan stitched the two halves together with a sewing needle.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she thought aloud.

“Yes, you can!” Tadghan said to her.  “Don’t let go.  He needs you.”

Silvan began convulsing, and the rest of the group was tasked with holding his body still while Willoughby proceeded with the surgery.  “I need to be extremely precise.  If you let him move, that will be the end of him.”

The rest was a blur or needles, flames, sounds and smells.  After a very long, arduous thirty minutes, Willoughby said he was done.  Rhoswen immediately collapsed onto the floor.  I don’t even care what happens to me anymore.

“If you had brought him to me even a minute later, I might not have been able to do this,” Willoughby said.  “It wasn’t easy.  Now I just have to keep watch over him and make sure the wound doesn’t start to get infected.  In a few days I should know more.”

“There’s still a chance he’s going to die?” Rhoswen asked.  After all we did…

“Oh, yes.  This was one of the worst injuries I’ve ever seen.  I’ve done everything I can do, and now it’s just a matter of whether his body responds in time to save him.”

He needs to get better before Xanthus returns, or that’s it for me.  The hopelessness of the situation would have made her laugh if she weren’t so exhausted.  She would have been fine just falling asleep in that room and never waking up, but Tadghan was there with his hand outstretched.  “Come with me,” he said.  “I need to talk to you.”

I still don’t even know who this man is.  He showed up out of nowhere, saved my life, saved Silvan, and now he wants to talk to me?  “I really don’t have the energy,” she said.

“That doesn’t matter,” he said, pulled her to her feet, and led her out of the room.  Whatever it is, I don’t care.  I’m so tired.

“Listen,” he said, as soon as they were alone.  “I’m assuming you’re Rhoswen?”

Every ounce of exhaustion she had felt before was completely gone now.  “How… You know who I am?”

“I know a lot of things.  So I’m right?”

“Yes.  Rhoswen, that’s me.  How do you know that?”

“I’ve been conducting a little investigation into the adoption of two children from the Outskirts by King Xanthus yesterday.  I’ve been trying to find out why it happened and make sure the news wasn’t spreading.”

“Because it isn’t true.”

“Because it is true.  I thought maybe Esmarine had her facts wrong, but there’s clearly something big going on.”

“Esmarine?”

“Silvan’s daughter, it turns out.  That’s the girl who was on the table in the Healer’s Room when we got there.”

“Wait… what do you mean it’s true?  I thought�"someone told me Silvan was making the whole thing up.”

“Xanthus adopted two children from the Outskirts.  I don’t know why.  But now two of the people who knew about it are lying on a table in Willoughby’s office.  I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, or if someone else is trying to make sure nobody finds out about the children.  Either way… things are getting a little dangerous around here for anyone who knows.”

“So… Xanthus is going to keep adopting children?  And somebody is trying to keep it a secret?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t know what’s happening.  The facts are just that he adopted two of them, and then he left to lead the Hunt.  After asking around in the Outskirts, I learned pretty quickly that Silvan has been spreading the news that it’s going to continue.  I don’t know if he knows something or if he’s just trying to stir up trouble.  But everybody I talked to knew two names… Silvan and Rhoswen.  That’s what led me to you.”

“I’m sorry.  Silvan said… I believed him!  If I had known I wasn’t supposed to keep spreading the story I wouldn’t have!  I just�"there was finally a reason to be excited about something.  Something I could be happy about!”

“You might be right.  But this is a very dangerous time for you�"if someone is trying to kill everyone who knows about the adoptions, that could mean you’re next on the list.  We have to keep you safe until Silvan wakes up or until Xanthus returns to clear up this whole mess.”

“I’m so sorry.  I didn’t want any of this to happen.”

“Stop apologizing.  It isn’t your fault.  But I need you to come with me.”

“Okay.”