Scars

Finn sat at the kitchen table in shock, staring at Roland's coat on the table in front of her. Riley sat across from her, his arm around his younger sister, who had clung to him from the moment she saw his wound. Dr. and Mrs. Sherman had been wordless. Though it was rare for a soldier to die in the service of Klain, they both instantly knew what the coat's delivery meant.

The soldier who knew the man's family best was usually the one assigned the grim task of informing them and bringing them the garment as a symbol of service. Riley abhorred the fact that the errand fell to him, but orders were absolute.

Victoria had been sent to play outside. They saw no need to put on her the grief of an adoptive brother she'd never met.

The silence drew out, and finally Mayra tearfully broke it. "How?" The word squeaked out through her lips. Riley hugged her shoulders, not sure if the question was rhetorical or not, but eventually it needed to be said.

"We were caught off guard, having swimming lessons in a pond. Turns out, I am far from talented at it. When the wolves attacked, I froze. They were beginning to dive into the water and attack us while we were helpless. Roland helped get me to shore, and we both got swords to fight off the vicious curs."

Riley swallowed, "As you can see, I didn't make it through unscathed. Roland was surrounded by three and couldn't fight them all off. I tried to get to him, but... They dragged him off into the woods."

Dr. Sherman finally moved, looking up through his slightly bushy eyebrows at Riley. He swallowed, then asked. "Did you... where is his body?"

Riley shook his head, "I couldn't find it. The wolves disappeared and so did he. I followed the trail of blood to its end and searched for hours, but they were gone."

The old man closed his eyes in concentration. "Is there any chance at all he survived?" He hated to ask this in front of the women, but it needed to be said out loud.

Riley took a deep breath and glanced at everyone around him. "I... don't think there is. His wounds were severe, and there was so much blood. The last sight I caught of him his body was completely limp as the wolves dragged him away with their teeth. Even if they didn't finish the job and left him for some reason, I can't see how he could regain consciousness, let alone treat himself. Without treatment... "

The doctor nodded solemnly, accepting Riley's evaluation. Mrs. Sherman sobbed and left the room abruptly. Her husband sedately stood and followed her, leaving the three young adults alone at the table.

"He saved my life," Riley said softly. "I'll... never forget him. I couldn't repay it in kind." He startled slightly in his quiet contemplation, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Finn," He waited a moment for her to stir enough to look at him. "I'm sorry. I don't know if this is right or wrong to do to you, but I found letters for you with his things. Even if you don't want them now, I felt it right to tell you."

Finn's eyes were overflowing with a fresh rush of tears. She stubbornly refused to give in to the seductive temptation to push it all aside again. Roland hadn't been here yesterday, or the day before. She could pretend in her mind that he was still just away. Ignore unnecessary feelings. Just let life move on as it had been going recently. The soft pull of the old habit was difficult to resist, but she knew now, or thought she knew, that moving through the mourning would be better than ignoring it.

"I would like them. Thank you Riley." Her decision was made, even as her voice broke. It would be incredibly painful to read them. She hoped she could withstand it all. One step at a time.

Riley handed her the stack of sealed letters. Finn held them for a moment and then put them aside lest her tears smudge the ink beyond the point of being legible.

"Do you need anything? For your wound, I mean?" She turned her attention away from herself and back onto caring for someone else.

"No, the field medic treated it as well as he could. It will heal eventually."

Finn blinked, "Let me make you some tea." She stood and went to get some water from the kettle that stayed simmering at the back of the stove

"New coping mechanism?" Riley asked Mayra. Finn's behavior wasn't exactly what he'd predicted. On the ride there he had tried to prepare himself for a variety of reactions, but Finn making him tea wasn't amongst the scenarios he'd concocted.

Mayra's eyes cleared for a moment, "Um, she has a new recipe."

Riley stared. "And she wants me to try it right now?"

Mayra shrugged, "You're the first."

"Mayra. Please. Stop playing and tell me what's going on. The first what?" His sister was being unusually opaque and, although he had missed her deeply, he was already becoming frustrated by it.

Finn was carefully stirring a cup as she blew on it. She looked to be concentrating far too hard and... counting stirs? She apparently finished counting as her brow relaxed slightly and she set the cup down in front of Riley.

He eyed her warily. "What's going on?"

Finn blinked at him, "I would like you to try my new tea, please. It's special... hopefully. I made it myself."

"It's hopefully special?" He asked. Had both the girls lost their minds while he was away?

Both of them turned pleading eyes on him, and he couldn't refuse. He picked up the cup and sniffed it carefully. Nothing too out of the ordinary that he could detect. He blew on it and took a tentative sip.

"It's not bad, Finn. Thank you." He smiled at her. She looked disappointed. Did he not compliment it enough? Was she not convinced he liked it? He took a deeper drink of it, hoping to make her believe that he enjoyed it. In truth, it was mediocre, but anything to make her happy.

"Ack!" He winced suddenly. Drinking must have pulled at the cut closest to his mouth. There was a sharp pain there. He hoped he hadn't loosened the scab and restarted the bleeding. He set down the cup and gingerly put his fingers on his cheek. They came away clean, and he sighed.

The girls were staring at him again. "What is it?" He put his hand to his face again, thinking he must have missed the spot where it was bleeding. Pressing his palm gently to his cheek, he felt... no scabs. He blinked in confusion and rubbed his face. There were slightly raised lines where the cuts had been, but no scabs or blood, and no pain.

"What did you do, Finn?" Riley asked in earnest. A faint smile graced her lips.

"It looks like you might still have scars, but now we know it works." Finn said.

"What works? What is this new recipe and where did you get it?" Riley demanded.

"Jimmy," Finn looked a little ashamed at not telling him sooner.

____________________

Riley stayed with the Shermans overnight, but was due to report back at a rendezvous point with Commander Grayson and the rest. Four others had come to Klain with him, to inform the families of the four other soldiers who had died in the fight with the wolves, along with one to give a full report to the General. They were to meet at the gate at dawn and ride out together, for safety. The wolf attack had caught them so by surprise that extra precautions were to be taken from this time onward.

This would be a dark day for Klain. Losing a soldier was rare enough, but five in one day amongst the young recruits would be devastating to the people. Riley didn't want to be around when the emotions reverberated through the city. Anger, fear, grief, and other unpleasant sensations could produce unpredictable results. Not to mention, there were likely to be political ramifications. Riley would much rather be back with the soldiers hunting down the wolves and the enemy who commanded them.

Dr. Sherman watched the young man ride away, an ache in his chest, and similar thoughts in his mind. He wanted to take time to grieve his apprentice, to weep and comfort his wife and withdraw from the world for a while. However, that was not what was needed. He had to be at the Council meeting this morning. The waves of political discord would hit new highs as the news spread through Klain, and as the adoptive father of one of the fallen, he held some small power to stabilize the people.

His resistance to chaos might help deter others from panic, and it was his duty as a citizen to defend the city in whatever way he could, whether from the tides of war or of internal strife. With a sigh, he headed back inside, gave his wife a kiss and the girls hugs, and walked slowly toward the City Hall.

He sorted his thoughts as he walked. There was yet some small spark of hope in him that Roland had survived, against his better judgment. For now he set that hope aside to concentrate on the present. He should have asked Riley the names of the other fallen so that he could offer comfort to their families and gauge the precariousness of the city's upheaval. If he could confirm that they would present a unified front of unwavering support for The General's leadership, it would be a boon to the city's morale in the face of tragedy.

But grief made people react in different ways. No matter how loyal a citizen might be, railing against The General and blaming him personally for this tragedy was a distinct possibility. Dr. Sherman firmly believed the man was the best person for the job of defending Klain, and a loss of confidence in him would weaken their war-readiness at the worst time. And yet, the families should be allowed to grieve openly in whatever way they needed to. Interference with their mourning would be gross and distasteful. The man sighed, hoping that, against the odds, things could turn out for the best in spite of the adversity and loss facing the city.

As he arrived at the Hall, a crowd had already gathered. There had been more spectators lately after the shocking raid of the emergency stores, but not like this. Their faces wore expressions ranging from sorrow to outrage to fear bordering on panic.

Moving amongst them, Dr. Sherman hoped to find some allies for the cause of calm. Bravery in the face of loss was going to be important for the city to maintain itself for the coming war. Isn't that what their entire culture was built on?