Finding the Fallen

Chapter 22

Merik moved rapidly through the tunnel. As he neared the opposite end, he realized the night vision he had been mysteriously blessed with earlier was gone. Once past the blazing fires of the camp and the sparsely placed lanterns in the cave, it was very dark. He would never make it to the stream unaided.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry about that for long. As he exited the cave, a small flame flicked to life just to his right. The flame bobbed closer. Within a matter of seconds, a face emerged from the shadows, rimmed in the faint light of a lone candle. It was one of the residents. The man's name was Jason...or James...Merik couldn't remember. Either way, he couldn't be happier for the help.

He quickly explained Jade's condition, and with the aid of the man whose name started with a J (he at least knew that much), they made their way to the pool Kala had blessed earlier that morning. Merik stopped on the bank and leaned in close to listen for breath sounds. When he heard only one shallow, raspy breath where he should have heard several, he cursed and waded into the water, unconcerned about his clothing or boots. Jade was fading quickly...too quickly.

"Come on, Jade," he said, probably louder than he should have considering the circumstances. "Wake up, girl! It's not over yet; we need you. Come on, Jade! Snap out of it."

"J" followed him, supporting Jade's head as they stepped down into the deeper water. Her body fully immersed now, the pale Air Servant remained unresponsive. "Dammit, you're not doing this to us, Jade. Not now..." Merik whispered into her ear.

Closing his eyes, Merik lowered his forehead to hers, willing every ounce of his strength to pass to the woman lying limp in his arms. But he wasn't a healer, and he knew it was only wishful thinking. Considering Jade's injuries, there was only so much the pool could do without a healer to direct the process. "Come on, Jade," he said over and over in her ear as he held her tightly in the cool water.

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Logan glanced back towards the cave entrance for the fiftieth time just as Merik stepped through it. Firelight reflected in his friend's eyes. Unfortunately from this distance, Logan couldn't make out any of Merik's facial features. He had no idea whether the man was feeling confident or downtrodden. Was Jade alive or dead? He would have to wait to find out. For now, Logan needed to get the third group of residents out before they lost them as well.

Aaron had been defending the group while Logan tended to Jade. The man looked exhausted. As Logan prepared to move everybody out, Aaron panted, "Any idea why they're all still alive?" With a nod of his head, he indicated the people cowering behind him. "You and I both know those Servants could have finished these guys off already, regardless of whether or not I was here to defend them. Does this Tannish guy actually have a heart or what?"

"I don't know, man. And I really don't care. I just wanna find the asshole and take him out, heart or not."

"OK, I've got your back. Let's get these people out of here," Aaron said, backing away from Logan and encouraging the frightened group to move towards the cave entrance.

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Merik emerged from the tunnel without stopping. He was soaking wet, with the exception of his head, his bow and his shotgun, which he had dropped on the bank before entering the water. Jade had never regained consciousness; her last heartbeat still echoed in his ears. But he wouldn't let her death be in vain. It was time to find Tannish and end this. Cut the head off the snake...and the body dies.

Merik looked to his left and then right as he stepped fearlessly out into the open. He saw what he had seen before...Air Servants strategically positioned near the quarry walls where they had dropped down earlier when the battle ensued. Unlike their compatriots, these Servants were not shifting position, bouncing from one place to the next and attacking wildly. In fact, they appeared to be determined merely to stay put and let the struggle rage around them.