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Inside, metal brackets held the stretchers with the wounded against the walls, stacked three high. An elven healer was walking up and down the car, checking on each of the patients, while the Escarlish soldiers carrying Farrendel attached his stretcher to the brackets on the bottom bunk near the front of the car.
Jalissa slumped against the wall, her knees drawn to her chest, her eyes staring off into space.
The female elven healer smiled and bobbed her head to Jalissa and Essie. “Amirah. You will wish to brace yourself and hang on tightly.”
Essie sat on the cold floor of the train beside the head of Farrendel’s cot. His eyes were closed, his breathing deep and even as he slept. Leather straps ran over his chest and legs, holding him in place. Even though he was deeply asleep, thanks to the elven magic he’d been dosed with, Essie rested a hand on his shoulder. With the other, she gripped the pole of his stretcher.
With a start, Jalissa gripped the metal support holding Farrendel’s stretcher, still not looking at Essie.
Within a few more minutes, the train car’s door was shut and locked, plunging them into a darkness lit only by two elven lanterns swinging from the center bar running the length of the train car.
With a squeal of the metal wheels on the tracks, the train shuddered into motion. The elven healer gripped one of the metal supports, her knuckles turning white.
Essie tightened her own grip. The tight look on the healer’s face wasn’t a good sign.
As the train gathered speed, it leaned precariously, still shuddering. Was this thing about to fly off the mountain? Or fall apart?
The train screeched into a turn. The whole car tipped so dangerously that Essie slid on the floor and only her death-grip on Farrendel’s cot kept her from smashing into the opposite wall. Cries filled the car, and Essie wasn’t sure if she had shrieked or if the scream had gotten stuck in her head.
Behind her, Jalissa gave a soft shriek, her soft slippers scraping against the floor as she tried to keep herself from sliding across the floor.
Essie had to let go of Farrendel’s shoulder to hold on with both hands. “I understand why Farrendel freaked out about getting back on this train. I would have too, if I’d realized how terrifying this would be.”
Jalissa grimaced and hugged the metal support. “I think I would have preferred to sleep like Farrendel. At least then I would not have known when the train goes flying off the tracks.”
“I want to wake up in Tarenhiel, not wake up dead.” Essie gave a squeal as the train lurched around another severe turn, lifting her fully from the floor.
Jalissa just gave her a look. At least she had been willing to talk to Essie, and some of the shattered look left her eyes.
Essie winced. She was probably less funny than she thought she was. Risking letting go with one hand, Essie patted Farrendel’s shoulder. “You would have laughed, wouldn’t you?”
Farrendel, of course, remained asleep.
It was a long, arduousday, but finally the train rumbled to a stop at the end of the line near the Gulmorth River. It was fully dark, the stars shining clear overhead, as Essie and Jalissa staggered across one of the wooden bridges spanning the river.
As they set foot on the other side, Essie breathed a sigh of relief. They were back in Tarenhiel. Back in the safety of the peaceful forests and the sprawling camp at the border where Leyleira, Farrendel’s grandmother, oversaw the transfer of wounded back to Tarenhiel and Escarland and the shipment of supplies into Kostaria.
Within moments of their arrival, Leyleira had mobilized an army of both elven and human stretcher-bearers from the support personnel at the camp. With a nod to Essie, Leyleira saw to it that Farrendel, who was still unconscious, was transported to the royal train. Only the tight line of Leyleira’s mouth betrayed how affected she was by seeing the state that Farrendel was in.
Jalissa also disappeared into the royal train after only a quick greeting with Leyleira, as if she was just as eager to leave Kostaria behind.
“Essie?”
Essie turned from watching as the stretcher-bearers disappeared into the royal train to find Illyna, one of her and Farrendel’s elf friends, hurrying out of a tent. Illyna gripped Essie’s shoulder with her one hand, the stump of her other arm resting against Essie’s shoulder. “Are you all right? Did you rescue Farrendel? Where is he?”
“Yes, he is...” Essie glanced over her shoulder at the royal train. How much should she tell Illyna? She wasn’t sure she could bring herself to say,he looks mostly dead.“He’s resting.”
Illyna’s eyes saddened, her mouth pressing into a taut line. Perhaps Essie didn’t have to explain more than that. Illyna released Essie and stepped back. “Now that the war is over, this camp is being dismantled. I believe I will be sent home to Estyra tomorrow or the next day, whenever the next train has room. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.”
“I will.” Essie ducked her head and hurried away before Illyna saw too much of the truth in Essie’s eyes.
When Essie entered Farrendel’s private train car, her muscles relaxed at the familiar, comfortable space encircling her. For the first time in over two weeks, she could relax. Farrendel was safe. She was safe. And they were going home.
Farrendel lay on his side of the bed, and Essie took the time to spread the blanket over him. How long would he remain asleep? At least it was a restful sleep. He needed it.
As tired as she was, a hot shower called more than the soft bed. While Essie washed away the dirt of a week of fighting across the frozen mountains of Kostaria, the train eased into a gently rocking motion as it headed for Estyra.
When she finished her shower, dressed in a clean shirt and trousers, and stepped from the train car’s small water closet, she found Farrendel awake and sitting cross-legged on his side of the bed, staring out the window. Essie climbed onto the bed and rubbed his back. “You’re awake.”
