That Silas is conscious seems like a miracle, but as I sink into the curls of wood, I see why. My boots disappear, and by the time I touch a solid surface, the wood shavings are up to my waist. It reminds me of the kind you find in barn stalls for horse bedding.
“I’m down, I’m detaching from the line,” I say, already undoing the ropes.
“No, don’t unhook!” Orion orders.
“I have to. There’s debris everywhere, and I need to search for Silas without getting caught on things,” I say.
Orion raises more protests, but I ignore him. It would take too long to explain the strangeness of this situation.
I wade through the shavings, moving broken boards outof my way, heading for where I saw movement. I can smell Silas’s tart raspberry scent under the pine.
When I feel like I’m close, I start digging, careful not to jostle him.
I uncover his chest first, dark blue parka poking out of the debris. I pull more boards away, brushing the shavings off until I reveal his pale face.
His eyes are tightly closed, brows furrowed and mouth pinched.
I feel his pulse, and it’s fast but strong. I see only minor cuts and tears in his clothes.
I use my penlight to check his pupils, and they dilate normally. He barely reacts to my touch, even when I pull his eyelids open, but his face twitches.
I run my hands around his neck and the back of his head, finding nothing amiss. I don’t smell much blood either, just the small amount from the few cuts I see.
I put a cervical collar on him before I do anything more. Alphas are sturdy, but that was a long way down.
I push the broken boards off his legs, their clattering interrupting Orion’s stream of commands about reconnecting to the rope.
Maybe I should have stayed attached.
We’re in a large cavern, and I have no idea how stable this place is. My light disappears at the far edges of the room, or maybe those are tunnels sucking up the light.
No, my decision was the right one. The line would have gotten snagged and potentially damaged trying to find Silas in all of this.
I update Orion on his status.
He finally gives up on telling me to reattach and says, “Do you think you can rouse him before we pull you up? It will be easier if he’s conscious.”
“I think so, he’s responding to stimulus. I’m about to give him a healing vial, and if that doesn’t wake him up, I’ll try the stronger meds,” I say.
Orion agrees and leaves me to work in silence.
I unfold my padded medicine case and find the correct vial.
“Silas, can you hear me? I’m an emergency responder, and I’m going to give you some medicine. Once you’re awake, I’m going to help you back to your friends. Everything is fine, just stay calm,” I say, trying one more time to see if he’ll wake up on his own.
He frowns and tries to turn toward me, but the collar stops him. His eyes remain closed.
I pull his mouth open and press the glass against his lower lip. The gold liquid trickles in, the color briefly staining his teeth before it filters into his mouth. He reflexively swallows, emptying the vial.
I’ve barely pulled the glass away when he jolts upright.
Suddenly he’s looming over me, looking around wildly before zeroing in on me.
“Are you alright? Let’s get you out of here,” Silas says, grabbing my arm.
“I’m fine. You were the one who fell—don’t do that!” I say, grabbing his wrist as his fingers scrabble at the cervical collar, attempting to pull it off.
My meager weight pulling on his muscular arm doesn’t do much to deter him.
