"Haku!" Nausicaä shrieked despairingly as she and the river spirit continued falling to earth. Behind her the haedori frantically exerted all its might and pulled Bou the mouse out of the sack, trying to fly him to safety, but the draft coming from the Princess' body made the pair swirl out of control, sucking them down to their doom with her.
Or maybe not. With one last surge of strength Haku recovered himself enough to scrape into a violent landing on the hillside. Silver scales and brown dirt flew everywhere, and his serpentine body slammed into a large boulder and stopped, coiling up like a slack rope and sending Nausicaä, Bou and the fly-bird soaring through the air, rag dolls discarded by a playful dog.
Nausicaä was knocked out as she bounced twice on the rough, pebbly hillside, before coming to rest some feet in front of a shallow depression containing some Dorok grenadiers and a solitary Torumekian cavalier, now dismounted because his bird-horse had been shot out from under him in the opening minutes of the battle. Knowing who she was by reason of her far-ranging fame and her distinctive clothes, and seeing what had happened to her, the grenadiers hurled a pair of smoke rounds around the princess to hide her from the enemy's sight, while the cavalier risked his neck by darting out into the open, armor and all, and dragging her to safety.
------oOo------
Setoru's Corvette circled the edges of the battlefield like an ungainly crow, its nervous crew warily keeping an eye out for anti-aircraft fire. In the back, one of its passengers stiffened in his seat.
"Selm," he said quietly. "She's here."
The man from the Forest twisted to look behind him at the dark-haired boy, dressed in the simple brown robes and leather cap. "Yes, I sensed her too."
"I must go to her. Will you come with me?" The boy's face went impassive for a moment, and Selm knew he was sending a mental message to someone.
"I will follow in due course. Do what you must."
------oOo------
The muffled chatter of the upper machine-gun mount caused Setoru's copilot to turn around and smack Asbel's calf with his sheathed shortsword. "You idiot!" he shouted. "Who gave you permission to fire?"
"I was just trying to - " came the irate response.
"Shut up!" the man in the flying suit ordered. "You do that again, and I'll use this to pin you by the crotch to your seat." He lifted his weapon threateningly.
"All right, all right." Asbel let go of the triggers of his guns. He had been trying to clear a jam in the feeder belt, and had not been aiming at anything or anyone. He wasn't stupid.
The Corvette dipped its nose, and the copilot arched an eyebrow. "Setoru, what's the matter? Where are you going? Hell, where are we going?"
"I've... I've got to land on the hill where the Regent is," replied the pilot in a quiet voice. For the first time the copilot noticed his pale face and the sweat on his forehead. "Someone wants to get off."
------oOo------
Nausicaä was seated in the small, shallow hole, despondently cradling a bloodied Haku--once again in human form--in her arms. The cavalryman who had brought her in had fetched him afterwards, and now he and his fellows were once again firing back at the enemy, forgetting the newly-arrived strangers for the moment.
"What am I going to do?" she keened. "I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you. Neither will Chihiro."
Haku reached up and grasped Nausicaä's shoulder. "Don't worry," he coughed. "I'll be alright. It's just a flesh wound." He struggled to get up, but the Princess held him down.
"No, lie still. Let me at least patch you up before you move." Nausicaä picked up the medical kit one of the grenadiers had tossed to her, took some equipment from it, and gingerly parted the tear in Haku's robes. The bullet had gone across the meaty part of his chest and upper right arm. The furrow was deep but clean, and, though bloody, did not seem immediately life-threatening; Nausicaä was glad of that as she removed her gloves and sterilized her hands as best as she could with the antiseptics in the kit. Then she took out a needle and began threading it.
"I'm sorry, Haku, but I have to do this to reduce the bleeding. It will hurt."
Haku winced as Nausicaä started sewing his wound shut. "You know," he gasped, "if I die here I just get sent back to the Spirit World. But that would also mean I can never return to this world, and I wouldn't want that." He attempted a smile that came out looking like a clown's rictus. "Hahah. Ow. I hope I won't be late for Miss Ogino's wedding." He sniffed once. "Tell me, Nausicaä, is it just me, or does this world of yours stink?"
"What?" Nausicaä raised her head and suddenly covered her mouth and nose. "The miasma from the Forest of Corruption! But we're miles and miles away from it! How'd it get here?" Without further ado she reached down into her belt pouch and drew out her mask, warning the soldiers around her of the new threat as she did so.
------oOo------
The battle slowed down everywhere as the combatants gradually became aware of the latest development. Everyone who could put on their masks; those who couldn't either stayed and braved the miasma, knowing they were flirting with death--prolonged or instant, they knew not--even as they did so, or disengaged and fled upwind. In retrospect the arrival of the deadly gas was heaven-sent for the beleaguered Torumekian-Dorok party, since they were far better equipped for combat in such an environment. They were also lucky that the effluvium from the Forest made many of the warriors attacking them abandon the fight entirely and head for safer ground with their families and possessions.
------oOo------
But a great many were left, as Kurotowa could appreciate by the small pile of human flotsam in front of him. Swords, axes, guns, shell casings, and various accoutrements of war littered the ground around the bodies, an evil offering to whatever gods were looking down on them and enjoying the chaos and drama. He was standing near a knot of worried men. The dust and miasma had given them a respite from the fighting, although the occasional boom and crackle of gunfire could still be heard in the distance.
"How is she?" he turned and called, raising his voice to compensate for the mask he wore.
"She's full of piss and vinegar," replied one infantryman from a little village on the Dorok coast, a heavy accent in his voice. It had been fortunate for everyone involved in the task force that both sides settled on Dorok speech as a sort of lingua franca. "The White Witch is as tough as they come, isn't she?"
"You bet she is - " Kurotowa started to say when he was interrupted by a lookout with a spyglass.
"'Ware all! Corvette on approach from the southwest!"
"What? Good!" Kurotowa strode over to the knot of men and pushed his way into them.
"Highness, I'm having you brought up to the flagship for treatment," he announced.
"No, you aren't," Kushana spat back as she sat on the ground splay-legged, stolidly enduring a medic's bandaging of her wounded upper left arm. The baleful light in her eyes reminded everyone why she was worthy of being called the 'Viper's Daughter.' "I'm fine. Sending me up for such a piddling little wound is nonsense, Kurotowa."
"Several piddling wounds, your Highness," her aide corrected, reminding her of the ringing in her ears, the fat bandage that covered her scalp and the dull throbbing in her head, the patch of gauze on her upper back, the bandage on her left thigh... She had tried to toss away a grenade thrown at her and been caught in the explosion.
"You can't make me - "
Kurotowa's eyes narrowed. Honestly, the woman was as stubborn as a beast of burden at times. "Yes, I can." He turned to the two men of Kushana's Guard, standing there in their battered silver uniforms, flanking her. "What is your primary duty?"
"Eh?" one of them voiced. "To see to the safety of the Queen-Regent at all times."
Kurotowa nodded. "You two will board that Corvette along with her," he instructed in tones that clearly told everyone he was not to be taken lightly at that point, "and you will ensure that she gets on board the flagship and receives medical treatment. You will not let her countermand my orders, and you will not let her out of your sight. If anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible. Clear?"
"As a day on a mountain, sir," replied the other.
Kurotowa whirled around and started to walk away, intending to resume his vigil with the soldiers in the trenches.
"Kurotowa," a voice called after him. When he didn't respond it became louder. "Kurotowa!"
He stopped and looked back. "Yes, Highness?"
Kushana looked up at him from her unseemly sitting position. The glowering light in her eyes was replaced by one of gentle humor, and he knew she was smiling under her mask. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. Thank you."
The aide bowed. "I'm only doing my duty," he answered and walked away. A small smile appeared briefly on his face, then was erased before anyone else could discover it.
------oOo------
After patching Haku up Nausicaä scuttled round the hill, to where she had last seen the two-winged Torumekian plane descending. She instinctively knew she would find Kushana--or at least someone who could direct her to her--there. She left the river spirit in the care of the little band of soldiers, intending to come back for him later. On the way to the landing site she spied a strange shape buzzing its way through the air in her general direction.
"Bou! Are you alright?"
The wind-rider stretched out her palm and let the haedori and the mouse land on it. Bou-mouse nodded and gestured at her bloodstained clothes, looking apprehensively back the way she had come and making several squeaks and soft 'Chu!' noises.
"Haku's okay. He's been shot, but I think he'll be alright. I left him to rest." She examined the two. "Don't you find it hard to breathe right now?"
Bou-mouse looked up at her quizzically and shook his head.
"Well, that's a relief. I don't think they make masks to fit your faces." Deep inside Nausicaä was intrigued. Why wasn't the miasma affecting them? If she could learn that secret, the people of her world would no longer have to fear the Forest and its deadly exhalation...
Setting aside her intense curiosity for the moment, she carefully placed the two on her shoulder and continued on to the landing site.
------oOo------
"Let me walk!" Kushana snapped at the men holding her as they paused at the Corvette's side entrance. "I'm not that injured! Enochil, can't we fit everyone into this thing?"
The loadmaster, who was waiting just inside the craft, shook his head. He was dressed in the tan uniform of the Corvette crew. "No, milady. We just can't fit the entire landing party. There are too many men."
Now that's a unique complaint, thought the fourth child of the Vai Emperor. We're lucky we even have half of the landing party still alive. "Not even if we dump the Corvette's weapons?"
Wise old eyes looked out from behind protective goggles. "No, that would take too long."
Kushana paused, and her countenance became grim and determined. "Then I'm not leaving."
"Highness, you are bleeding and half-stunned," said Lord Gazo, removing his helmet so he could better face his commander. Kushana knew it was a trick of his, practiced many times in the royal court, to gain time and control of the situation, and to focus everyone's attention on his striking features. She had to admit he was a handsome man, though, with his platinum-blond hair, finely-chiseled nose, and perfect teeth. As handsome as a smiling adder in a roomful of ophidians. "And, if I may be frank, you are worse than useless now. You should go and get healed. I'm sure Alderman Kurotowa can handle things here."
"No," Kushana returned. "I've been separated once before from my troops, and I've sworn since then to share their fortune, be it ill or good." The hardness left her eyes. "Bring the critically injured to the Corvette. Let me be." She would've much preferred to have loyal General Senei with her on this trip instead of Lord Gazo, whom she suspected of harboring his own agenda, but she needed his astute eye on the Pit of Vipers while she was away. There was no threat of a coup de etat when she left, but still, one didn't remain in power long without planning for all sorts of contingencies...
Kurotowa sidled up to her and said in as soft a voice as he could, "Kushana... please. King Vu would haunt me for the rest of my days if anything - "
"I won't leave," the Regent said, distinctly enunciating each word, as if by doing so she could hammer her wishes into her aide's surprisingly message-resistant brain. When Kurotowa remained silent, she said out loud, "Alright, spread the word. Whoever needs to be evacuated or wants out can board the Corvette. However, I got us into this mess, and I'm going to get us out of it, one way or the other. She can wait a few minutes, can't she?" the Torumekian leader asked, addressing Enochil. As if to punctuate her question, a shell burst somewhere nearby with a roar that set hearts palpitating. Enochil nodded.
"I want out."
Everyone looked past Kushana to see Luwa Chikuku Kulubaluka standing in the doorway.
"I want out," he repeated. "Because Nausicaä is here, and I must see her, if we are to stop this fighting once and for all." He nimbly jumped down to the ground.
"What?" exclaimed Kurotowa, giving voice to the amazement that rippled through the little group of people. "That little... umm, I mean, her? Here? How do you know this? Where is she?"
"Here I am!" answered a familiar voice. Someone came in from out of the flying dust, and the murmurs and shouts started.
"Nausicaä! The Blue-Clad One has returned! It is she!"
Some of the soldiers pressed forward, crowding her, hoping to greet her, but she held her hands up. "What's going on, Kushana?"
For a very long moment the Regent just stood there staring at the Princess of the Valley of Wind. Then she hobbled forward and convulsively gripped Nausicaä's forearm.
"It is you! And you're real, you're flesh and blood!"
"Yes, I'm back. And do I have tales to tell! But I guess they'll have to wait." The wind-rider took Kushana's hand in her own and pumped it once. "It is good to see you again, Kushana."
"Likewise."
"Nausicaä!" cried Chikuku, stepping forward and embracing her. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"And I you, Chikuku," she replied, caressing his head. She raised her head to wipe her eyes of their brimming tears, and found Selm and Charuka standing in the Corvette's doorway, looking down at her. Their smiling eyes told her all she needed to know.
There was a commotion somewhere in the Corvette, and Selm and Charuka parted to give way to an ebullient Asbel, who promptly ran down the steps and launched himself at Nausicaä.
"You came back!" he shouted in happiness as he hugged her to him. "You silly girl, chasing that dream of yours!" He squeezed the breath out of her and Chikuku both. "I thought I'd done an unforgivable thing, releasing you and Mehve over the sea like that!"
"I'm happy to see you too, Asbel," Nausicaä laughed, pushing herself away from him and looking him in the eyes. "And I have so many things to tell you!"
Kurotowa brought them all back down to earth by clearing his throat and saying, "I hate to be the stick-in-the-mud, ladies and gentlemen, but we're not safe yet."
"You're right," agreed Kushana. "We'll have to save our greetings for later. Come, Nausicaä. I need to talk to you. See to things, will you, Kurotowa?"
"Yes, Highness." Kurotowa watched Nausicaä, supporting Kushana as she limped along, walk away into the haze, accompanied by Chikuku, Selm, Charuka and Asbel. He motioned to Lord Gazo.
"Having that girl end up here," he said, "is like pushing a dove into a cage full of snakes." Then he moved to supervise the loading of the wounded into the Corvette.
"Yes," the commander concurred. "I know full well what you mean." He donned his helmet and called for his subordinates. They had been idle long enough.
------oOo------
"And that's what's been happening," Kushana concluded her story as they all sat in a small hole dug by an artillery blast. "I'd just as soon leave these people to finish each other off, but you know how it is..." Her shrug was at once wordless and eloquent.
"Well, with your permission, I'd like to try something, but I'll need Chikuku's help," commented Nausicaä, delicately petting Bou-mouse and the haedori, whom she had just introduced to the group. To her surprise Selm had shown great interest in the pair. "And I have a friend who might prove useful, but I'll have to go back for him. I left him down the other side of the hill."
Kushana nodded and they all got to their feet. "You know," she admitted quietly, "perhaps Kurotowa was right in wanting me out of the way. My presence seems to fuel the hatred of these people all the more - " She tried placing her weight on her wounded leg, and was rewarded with a a shaft of pain lancing up it. She stumbled.
Nausicaä watched as the person nearest Kushana--Asbel--seemed to hesitate for a split-second, then catch the Queen-Regent. He draped one of her arms around his shoulders and pulled her upright.
Kushana did not look at the person helping her. Instead, her gaze was firmly fixed on the ground.
"Prince of Pejitei..." Her voice was small and hesitant.
"Don't bother, Kushana," Asbel said flatly, beginning to trudge back with her to the Corvette. "I still hold you and your ilk responsible for what happened to my people. And you're still the one who caused my sister's death."
"Asbel, if only I could, I would bring Rastel back to life - " The Torumekian transport's crash-landing in the Valley of Wind had been no fault of Kushana's, but if her people hadn't invaded Pejitei to secure the God Soldier eventually named Ohma by Nausicaä, Asbel's twin would still be alive...
"Shut up! Nothing will ever, ever bring her back! She's dead and you killed her!" Asbel closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered. Those who were thought-sensitive could feel his rage washing over them like giant waves battering a rocky beach. "I should've just let you fall, Kushana," he said hoarsely. "I should've just brought my boot down on your face, or left you squirming on the ground like the worm you are. But when I think of my sister whom you murdered, I just can't do it. I just can't, because I hear her asking, 'Why, brother? Hasn't everyone suffered enough? Do not the cups of wrath already overflow?'" Asbel paused and turned his head to face hers. "We all have our own demons, Kushana. I'll let yours punish you in the meantime. Rastel is at peace now, whereas your mother is still alive and still in her dreamworld. She still doesn't know who you are."
At the mention of her mother the Empress Kushana's eyes flared for an instant. Then she sagged like a hisokukari stalk suddenly emptied of water, letting Asbel carry all her weight. They began to tilt precariously, and Charuka, old as he was, went and helped support her. Falteringly, they started to walk again, and after a couple of seconds Nausicaä spied a single tear dropping from Kushana's eye. She waited for the Queen-Regent to start weeping--she knew she herself would have, if Asbel's words were directed at her--but she never did.
One tear. That was all the mourning the woman with the walls of nitrided steel around her wounded heart would allow herself. One tear.
(Posted Thu, 07 Jul 2005 00:35)
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