“Jo!” he shouted, fear clawing at his throat. “Jo! Answer me! Tis safe now!”
Nothing.
It was only her tracks that he saw. The other two had fallen back, so he knew she was either in these woods or something sinister had happened. That thought struck more fear in him than the attack.
“Jo!”
He ran to a spot where his foot almost slid downwards. He struck his sword into the ground for balance. Righting himself, a dreadful thought occurred to him. Then he saw the inimitable trail of a sliding body.
“JO!” he screamed, looking down. She must’ve fallen. If he went down directly, he would be trapped with her. “I’M COMING FOR YE, YE HEAR ME?!”
Crickets chirped back his answer. Duncan thundered back to the camp. Exhaustion had started to claw at him, but powered by a need to save her life, he bellowed, “someone get me a long rope. Ye! Flynn, now!”
While Flynn and others fled in the direction of the make-shift stable, Duncan took a sharp knife. He was handed a bunch of long rope. “Come with me,” he told them. Craig and Bryce were busy rounding up the wounded.
Accompanied by the men, Duncan rode to the slope. He gave their questions monosyllabic answers . Once they arrived, he wound the rope around his waist, then to a tree in the distance.
“Hold this, and don’t let go until I emerge.”
He jumped down, feeling the burn of the rope cutting into his skin. Wildly, he searched for her on his way.
Further down, his eyes lit up as a breath of relief poured from him. He found her body curled in on herself.
“Jo,” he called.
There was no movement. Duncan’s heart stopped and restarted with a violent beat.
“Nay, nay!!”
By her head, there was a thin trail of liquid. Gasping, Duncan placed his finger on her neck, feeling for her pulse.
Relief roared through him. It was weak, but there was a sign of life. Without wasting further time, he carried her with one arm, and started the slow ascent.
Halfway up, Jo stirred and then quietened again. It took an eternity to get back up.
Then, he placed her on the horse after ridding himself of the rope and rode back to the camp, straight for the healer’s tent. Duncan went crazy calling for the man who was attending to the other warriors. He was on the verge of ordering him to obey with sword. But the healer finished checking on the warrior to whom he was attending, and then approached an anxious Duncan.
Although the healer had called him to help, his years learning how to tend wounds flew out the window when this woman was concerned. He feared that he would miss a vital sign and make it worse. He feared that the weak pulse was the last line, that she would die because he’d been late a second time. Duncan’s chest squeezed tight, like there was a giant seated on it. He paced the length of the healer’s tent, sneaking glances.
The older man was bent over her, feeling her pulse. Jo’s chest rose and fell, too slowly. When Duncan looked again, the older man was gone. He flew to her side, smoothed her hair and held her hand. It felt so cold in his. Her lashes fluttered but they did not open.
He would have thought she was trying to run. Yet, he’d clearly seen those men run after her. She’d been running for her life. Duncan had imprinted their faces in his heart. If he ever ran intothem, they’d be dead. In the distance, he saw a pyre had been erected.
This was the most difficult part. Warriors who’d almost made it home had lost their lives. From here, he could not tell how many.
The healer returned. He was holding a jar of herbs. He motioned for Duncan to give him some space.
“Or help her sit up. Dinnae aggravate her wound. I will treat it after she has taken this. It should bring some energy back to her.”
Duncan sat at the edge, using his body to support her. Crudely, the man closed her nose.
“Is that right? She will suffocate!” Duncan panicked.
The healer paid him no mind. A bit later, Jo’s mouth shot open as she gasped for air. He poured the thick liquid down her throat. As she gulped and sputtered, Duncan rubbed his hand on her back.
“Ye should be by the pyre.” The healer said. “Biddin’ yer men goodbye.”
He refused to entertain the thought of not helping her. He would go to the men and rush to her as soon as the ceremony was complete.
