Seleste deLaney - [Badlands 02] (13 page)

A minute later, Ever yelled, “Henri! Stop.”

“No. No more of your authoritarian...bullshit.” The curse felt so good rolling off her tongue that she didn’t notice herself trip or hear the footsteps rushing up behind her. The weight of Ever’s body slammed into hers, forcing them both to the ground in a tumble. Just as they hit, she heard a muffled
boom
in the distance.

That
wasn’t
so
horrible
.

The thought had barely entered her brain before Ever was dragging her to her feet. “Run!”

Only then did she hear the low rumble and look toward the side of the mountain at the wall of rock hurtling toward them. “We’ll never make it.”

Ever shoved her. “Not if you do not move.”

Henri’s legs and lungs burned by the time the first pebbles began to rain on them. Panicked, she glanced up at the rockslide. “Ever...”

“There. Keep going.” Ever pointed at an opening in the hillside a few hundred yards ahead of them.

Henri knew in her heart they wouldn’t make it; she’d seen how close the rocks were. With the choice of run or die, she pushed on, every bit of energy she had left pumping her legs as the rumbling turned into the crashing and groaning of trees snapping under the barrage.

Ever grabbed her by the arm and flung her bodily the last few yards into the cave, diving in herself as a boulder hit the ground outside the opening.

Scrapes and scratches and aching muscles plagued her, but Henri let out a deep breath, happy to just be alive. Whatever the stupidity earlier, she still had time to figure out her life. “We made it.”

The entrance was blocked by rocks of every size. Ever pushed herself partway up, her voice tight with a tremor Henri had never heard before. “Yes.”

The sound, so unlike the warrior she knew, sent an icy chill coursing through Henri’s veins. “Ever, we
did
make it, didn’t we?”

“We’re alive.” She rolled over, bracing her back against the cave wall. “For now.”

Henri ducked under a low-hanging rock and made her way to the warrior woman’s hazy form. Debris blocked most of the cave opening, but thin slivers of light shone through cracks between the rocks. Enough to make out shapes but not see clearly. She found Ever’s pack and dug through it, searching by touch for the fire-sticks she knew Laurette forced all her troops to carry. “What happened?”

Just as Ever responded through gritted teeth, Henri found the torch and scraped it on the ground. “A boulder hit as I entered.”

In the sudden flare of light, off-white bone punched the air. It had speared through Ever’s fitted pants, the end of the femur jagged and bloody. More blood stained the tan breeches. Henrietta swallowed hard, thinking of all her medical supplies on the
Dark
Hawk
—the ones she had neglected to grab when she rushed from the infirmary to escape Carson and his kiss. The ship was probably close, but not close enough to matter. With what she had on hand, she might be able to keep Ever from bleeding to death, but she couldn’t do anything to mend the break or even stabilize it enough for them to make it the rest of the way up the mountain.

And knowing that, she also had to accept the fact they might well die in the cave, and no one would ever find them.

Chapter Thirteen

“Capo? There’s an encampment ahead.” Marco rubbed a hand over his eyes. Tiredness was clearly setting in. Marco would never complain, but he had fewer implants than most of Gambini’s soldiers, and the others had more chance to rest in the back.

As much as he disliked the idea of stopping when they were this close, Gambini said, “Then it looks as if the Badlands has provided us the perfect location to sleep for the night.”

Marco drew the transport to a stop and disengaged the engine.

“Men? It seems we get to have a bit of fun. The only one we need alive is Mason’s daughter. If she’s here, she lives. Otherwise—” he motioned toward the small circle of tents ahead where women were already rushing forth, weapons drawn, “—take care of them.”

Amid yelling and exhilarated hoots, his soldiers leaped, guns blazing as they dove into the mass of women. Gambini stepped nimbly from the transport, his feet swishing through the tall prairie grass as he strode into the camp. Soon he came upon the first body.

Bullet
to
the
brain
.
Nice
.
Clean
.
Quick
.

The next wasn’t so lucky. A close range shot to the gut. In other circumstances, she could have yelled for help. Here it didn’t matter.

Messy
,
boys
.
Too
messy
.

That’s what practice was for though. They’d learn.

The next woman he came upon made him smile with pride. Sure, this one could scream as well, but the beauty of it made up for the risk. Both kneecaps had been shot out, the mass of tendons in her wrists sliced so her weapons were useless. Blood slowly soaked into the ground as she spat the curses of the dying at him.

Gambini would have to compliment her killer. She would die slowly and in pain.

At the central fire, his men stood in a circle, their wounds oozing blood.

“Good work. Now, get yourselves patched up.”

None of the men moved from their places, though a few removed caps and held them solemnly. As Gambini neared, he saw the body kneeling in their midst. Marco. He held his hands in front of his face, the young man’s one and only implant cupped inside them as blood and other, less natural fluids leaked from the hole where an eye had once been.

“What happened?”

Marco looked up at him with his one good eye. “She got me with a knife before I could finish with her wrists. I did her up good for you, Capo, but she got me.”

Gambini glanced around. One of his youngest soldiers lay at the edge of the circle of tents and didn’t stir. Unnerved, Gambini twitched. None of the women had survived the massacre by his people but, artful as he was, Marco had let one get the upper hand. He stepped closer to the boy. “It was beautiful work.”

“Thank you, Capo.”

Nodding benevolently, Gambini swept his gun from its holster, placed the barrel in Marco’s empty eye socket and pulled the trigger. The women of the Badlands had cost him two men. That would never do.

* * *

“We have to try to set your leg.” Henri stared at the offending bone as if saying the words would put it right again.

“Do what you must.”

“It’s going to hurt.”

“You say that as if it does not hurt now,” Ever said through clenched teeth. “I am accustomed to pain, Henrietta, but I am also accustomed to the use of my legs. Whatever you need to do to repair it, you might as well start.”

The simple fact that Ever remained conscious made Henri forget for a moment how much agony the warrior woman had to be in. “Without proper facilities and supplies, it’s also dang—”

“Shut up and do it. I know leaving it open has dangers as well.”

Henri squeezed her eyes shut. There was no good answer. Without medical supplies of any sort, there was no safe path. Squaring her shoulders, she blew out a slow breath to calm her nerves. “I know screaming is unlike you, but just in case, I’m going to remove your weapon belt so you have something to bite down on. I need to be able to concentrate.”

The feeble light peeking between the rocks had begun to wane, and already the fire-stick was burning down. Ever’s face, damp with sweat, gleamed in its glow and gave her a maniacal air. “You are delaying the inevitable.”

And losing light. After removing the weapons, Henri handed Ever the belt. “Keep your back against the wall and try to hold still.”

After positioning herself, Ever folded the belt, slid it between her teeth and nodded.

Henri wished she felt as calm, but one glance at the swelling in Ever’s leg told her she didn’t have time to waste on mental preparation. She crouched near Ever’s foot, took hold of her leg just above the knee and pulled. Ever moaned past the leather in her mouth, but without someone to hold her steady, all Henrietta managed was to pull her away from the wall.

Sitting back on her heels, Henri scrubbed at her face. This would never work. Someone had to brace her body and leg from the opposite direction.

Ever yanked the belt free, panting. “What are you waiting for? Do it again.”

“There’s no point. I can’t get the proper leverage.” Henri stared at the injury, trying to find a solution. She blinked and shifted her gaze to her patient’s face.
If
it
was
anyone
else
,
I
would
never
consider
it
,
but
Ever
doesn’t
feel
pain
quite
like
the
rest
of
us
. It was worth a try. Henri crawled to Ever and stuffed the leather between her teeth again, then placed her hands on the warrior’s leg. “You need to pull on your thigh. Keep it as stable and tight to your body as you can.”

Brow furrowed, Ever nodded and gripped her muscles. Judging by the sweat pouring down her face, she would pass out soon enough. She’d lasted far longer than any normal person. Hopefully, she’d stay conscious long enough for this. Henri worked one foot behind Ever’s hands and used it to pin the other woman’s body against the wall of the cave. Fingers trembling, she gripped the leg again and pulled.

Even biting on the belt, Ever’s scream echoed in the cave, bouncing from one surface to another until a symphony of pain surrounded them. Still, she held her leg steady. Blinking back tears of frustration, Henri kept pulling.

Please
.
Please
just
go
back
into
place
.

Then, with a jerk, the bone did just that. Henri didn’t even have time to breathe before thick, hot fluid spurted from the wound. Without thinking, she yanked the belt from Ever’s mouth and wrapped it around her leg, cinching it tight.

Ever’s head lolled to the side and she blinked slowly. “Thank you, Doctor.” Then her eyes drifted shut and didn’t open again.

Henri collapsed to the floor of the cave and held her head as more tears fell. At least Ever wouldn’t see her break down. By morning, she’d have to regain her composure enough to mention the torn artery. And that removing the tourniquet would cost Ever her life. Too bad leaving it on could cost her the leg.

Backing to the wall, Henri wrapped an arm around her, pillowing the other woman’s head on her shoulder. A sob wracked her body as she thought of all the pain she’d brought on the Badlands. It was no wonder Ever loathed her; she was starting to hate herself.

In the confines of the cave, night came and went with little more than the shifting of light through the cracks in the rock. Ever woke when Henrietta moved away. “It is quite cold this morning.”

While not summer hot, the cave was far from chilly. The heat radiating from Ever, however, did little to warm Henrietta. Infection had already set in somewhere. If she didn’t get Ever to the fortress soon...

How
are
you
going
to
do
that
?
The
entrance
is
blocked
.
The
horses
are
gone
.
And
,
even
if
you
could
carry
her
,
there
are
more
traps
between
here
and
the
top
of
the
mountain
.

No. She had to try. The family had suffered too much death because of her already. “I’ll light a fire-stick for you.”

The stick would do little to help Ever, but it wouldn’t hurt at this point either. With that done, Henri turned to the rocks blocking the entrance. If they could see daylight, the layer of stone couldn’t be that thick. She flexed her hands into fists. The prospect of what she was considering frightened her as she felt the softness of her skin and the filthy bandage around her hand, but the rocks wouldn’t disappear simply because she wished it.

Knowing if she thought too long she’d give in to the despair, she climbed as high as she dared and shoved against a rock the size of a child’s head. It rolled free, but Henri jumped out of the way as gravel rained down through the hole. Her heart pounded as she waited for something to fall in place and cover the opening she’d made.

Instead the flow of pebbles stopped, the hole allowing in a stream of sunlight so bright Henri turned her head away from its glare. Grinning with pride, she looked toward Ever. The smile dropped from her face.

Beneath the tear in Ever’s breeches, cyanosis had set in, the skin already tinged with blue. Henrietta didn’t have time to celebrate her tiny success. She had to widen the hole and get Ever out. Losing the limb had already passed from possible to likely.

She scrambled back to the stones and set to work, ignoring the pain as her fingernails tore and sharp edges of rock sliced into her skin. In a few hours, she stopped long enough for a drink of water from one of the canteens. Standing back, she surveyed her work. The hole gaped wide enough that she could crawl free, but dragging Ever out was another matter entirely. Even if Henri could lift her, the attempt would do more damage to her wound.

And she wouldn’t think about what would happen if the tourniquet came free. She could still feel Ever’s blood in her hair and see its stain sprayed across the front of her corset.

What
did
I
hope
to
accomplish
by
opening
the
way
?
I
can’t
get
her
to
the
fortress
and
medical
supplies
.
The
only
thing
I
managed
to
do
was
give
myself
a
path
to
abandon
her
.

If she asked Ever, she knew the woman would tell her to go to Laurette and do what she could to save the Badlands. Queen and country above all else. But that would mean leaving her to die in the cave...alone.

That was one thing Henrietta couldn’t do. Somehow she’d figure out a way to...

A scream ripped through the air that sounded alien but somehow all too human at the same time.

“What was that?” She backed away from the hole, slipping on the pebbles beneath her feet.

Ever snorted, but the laughter turned to a cough. “That, as your people are so fond of saying, is the cavalry, and I for one never thought I would be so happy to see her sorry face.”

Her? The scream, or whatever it was, had sounded like a woman, but why would Ever seem pleased at the sound? Henri moved toward the gap in the rocks just as an animal leaped into the cave. Golden brown fur rippled over sinuous muscles, a deep scar marring the skin over one shoulder. Just below one rounded ear, metal rivets shone in the sunlight as an ocular twisted and focused on them.

Henri’s heart stopped.
My
father’s
design
,
the
one
we
found
in
the
crate
. Her gorge rose, even as the animal hissed at her. Could the thing smell her father on her? Did she stink of him?

Ever coughed again. “Cyclops, do not be difficult.”

“You know this animal?”

“I hate this animal, and she thinks little better of me. She does, however, worship my sister. I can only assume Laurette sent her after me for some reason.”

That was all well and good, but how could the creature help them? “Can we send her back to Laurette with a message to bring help? People to carry you out of here?”

Shivering even as the cave grew warmer, Ever chuckled. “Whatever else the creature can do, it cannot speak. She can lead you back to the fortress though.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving you here.”

Ever fixed her glassy-eyed gaze on Henrietta, the fever shining through her eyes like fire. “Let us not pretend with each other. I am sick. I cannot walk. I can either die here with you by my side or you can follow the demon-cat, send back medicine and troops and possibly save my life as well as warn my sister since we are assuredly too late to intercept the lawyer now.”

“The
Dark
Hawk
should be there any time. They can warn her. They’ll send help.”

“Laurette sent help. It is why the demon-cat is here.” When Henri didn’t respond, Ever reached behind her. In an instant, one of her guns wavered in her hand, pointing at Henri more often than not. “Protecting my sister is not up for negotiation. The cat will lead you back to the fortress. She is smart enough to avoid the traps. Follow her as closely as you can.”