Chapter 76: The Fog Island [16].

"Cedric, we’re here! Are you okay?!"

The blond boy raised his bloodied face, and as he saw them, his eyes lit up. However, he quickly shook his head and focused.

"I found her here like that; her wounds are terrible," he said. "She is unconscious, but alive. We need to get out of here quick and treat her."

Aiden did not hesitate and immediately hoisted her onto his back; he was the only one in decent shape and still had some strength left. Aldrus and Cedric linked arms and gripped Alice’s ragged cloak from behind so no one would get lost.

"Higher, Aiden. Find any high ground and take us there. We trust you," Aldrus said.

Aiden nodded and began leading the way. Aldrus was too tired to reflect; he could barely stay awake. The only thing he thought of was moving forward one step at a time. Alice’s pulse was slow but steady. He and Cedric felt her twitch in pain every few steps and heard Aiden’s breathing grow louder. As for Cedric, his gaze lacked purpose, his face was covered in blood, and his clothes were just as tattered as everyone else’s.

In such a deplorable state, they walked for an hour, or at least that was how it felt to Aldrus. There was no reliable way to tell how far they had traveled. Eventually, Aiden’s voice startled them out of their half-sleep, telling them he had found a place to stay.

Luck had been on their side. They arrived at the entrance of a forest of tall trees and dense foliage where they could hide and spend the night. Aiden gestured for them to let go, then proceeded to lower Alice to the ground. She was still unconscious and her complexion was no better than before. The main priority they silently agreed on was her immediate treatment.

Aldrus, for his part, felt a little better. Despite the distance he had walked while already worn out, not having to run for his own life or anyone else’s was a big relief. He sat on the ground beside Alice and began to peel away her bloody bandages. Aiden soon joined him while Cedric began putting a crude shelter together.

"That’s..."

"Terrible, yes. Hand me your clothes, please," said Aiden, taking a closer look at Alice’s shoulder.

"Can’t be the cloak, though," Aldrus reminded him.

Sorry, Cedric, the boy lamented to himself, stripping to the waist. He gave Aiden the hide coat that Cedric had sewn for him back at the Paradise, and Aiden then let the rain wash the mud off it, wrung it out, and ripped it into strips.

"Aren’t you cold, Aldrus?"

Aldrus shook his head.

"No. In fact, now that I’ve taken it off, I’m warmer. You guys should do it too and let the clothes dry inside the shelter once Cedric’s done. If we get sick here, it’d be our demise."

"Right. But for now, just help me with this; I’ll change her bandages," Aiden said.

Aldrus stared at him curiously, then asked, "I couldn’t help noticing: you guys sure know your way around this stuff. I only learned first aid at the academy, but you’re all much better at it than me."

"It’s common for nobles to be taught several things. You can tell she treated her shoulder in time by herself; she was well trained."

Aldrus glanced at Alice’s wound again, and he could not help wondering what her relationship with her family was like. She had vaguely mentioned them in the past, but it was none of his business to dig deeper. He would wait until she trusted him enough to open up about it.

"Okay, I’m going to need you to hold her. It will hurt," Aiden said.

"Wait, weren’t you just going to swap her bandages?"

"I was, but the injury is deep, and I’d like to stop the bleeding now even if I have to be a little more aggressive. She has lost a lot a significant amount."

Aldrus tensed up when he remembered the trail of blood that they had followed.

Was that all hers...? Damn it. What happened to you, Alice?

"Alright, do it fast. I’ll hold her."

Aiden nodded. He took a piece of cloth and wiped gently around the wound. Once it was clean, he took a second piece, rolled it into a small ball and pressed it deep into her shoulder.

"Ughhhhhhh!! W-Wha—?!"

"Wait, Alice! Hold on, it’s us! You’re okay, you’re fine!"

"A-Aldrus? N-No! Get off me!"

"Calm down! It’s okay, you’re safe now! Hey, you’re safe! Alice!"

The girl jolted awake without warning, and as if she had seen a ghost, she started struggling and writhing in pain. She took Aiden by surprise, making him press the bandage too hard by mistake.

"N-Noo!"

"Damn it! What’s wrong with you?! Alice, it’s me! Calm... Down!!"

Just as Aiden finished what he was doing, Aldrus scooped her up and held her firmly, trying to bring her back to her senses. Aiden jumped to his feet and used that moment to wrap her shoulder with the long end of the cloth; he silently apologized to her, for he was about to cause her pain one final time.

"Ghhhh Ahhhhgg!!"

Aiden pulled both ends tightly and tied a knot, sending a sharp, draining jolt through the girl. She was so cold and pale; treating her wound like that must have been painful enough to make her faint, but she fought it off and, though her strength gave out, clung to Aldrus to keep from falling.

Hahh... Shit...

Hearing the commotion, Cedric approached them while Aldrus laid her back on the ground. Aiden cleared the area of debris and made sure nothing touched her shoulder by accident; an infection was a death sentence, after all.

"What’s going on?! Did she wake up?!" Cedric asked, out of breath.

"She’s alright; I packed her wound. Must’ve hurt like hell, but the bleeding stopped," Aiden explained.

"Fuck me... Alright, then. I’m almost done gathering timber, but I’ll need at least one of you to help me build if you want to be sleeping by evening."

"You take care of her, Den. I’ll help him," Aldrus said.

"...Okay."

With that, Aldrus left, and a few minutes later, Alice seemed to have recovered somewhat.

"...Aiden," she said.

"Yes? Are you feeling better? I’m sorry for being so rough..."

"No. It’s okay. I’m sorry for freaking out."

Aiden smiled at her, relieved.

"Just wait a little longer, Alice. We’ll get you a nice place. Those two are working hard."

Alice chuckled softly.

"Yes... I bet they are."