The Star Within
The Star Within
Eva walked slowly up to the makeshift hospital, her feet weighed down with responsibility. The wounded and dying lay beyond the door, and it was her task to care for them.
She paused, gazing out toward the distant battlefield, where men and boys, her own husband included, were involved in the struggle for their freedom. Clanging metal, shouts, and crying drifted downhill to her ears on the sultry breeze. Conflict had been raging on that ground for nearly a week, turning out mutilated men like an efficient, deadly machine.
I hate this war. I hate it with all my heart. How many brave men and boys have we lost already?
Eva rubbed her stomach, trying to alleviate the sick feeling within. There was a chance her husband might never come back from that field. She could remember the day he left for the war so clearly, and the rising memory brought tears to her eyes.
“I love you, my Eva,” he had said, buckling on his sword. “I’ll miss you. I promise to write every chance I have.”
“I love you, too.” She buried her face in his shoulder. “You are so brave, Lukas. I am so proud of you. Promise you will return to me.”
He stroked her hair with a tender hand. “I love you.” His voice was choked up with emotion. "But there are no promises in war."
Eva stepped back and gazed upon him one last time. “I wish you the best of blessings.”
“Likewise.” He kissed her one last time, then put on his hat and shouldered his pack with an air of resignation. “Farewell, Eva.”
“Farewell.”
Lukas turned and walked out the door, his steps sending up clouds of dust. Then, just before he crested the hill, he turned back and waved. Eva had waved back with a bright, cheerful smile, but she’d collapsed in a sobbing heap once he’d vanished from sight.
Eva wiped the tears from her eyes, remembering that torturous parting. May he come back home safe.
She shook her head quickly, attempting to dispel her worried thoughts. Then, with a deep breath, she stepped into the hospital, blanching at the scent of blood and death that assaulted her nostrils. Rows and rows of beds and cots were arranged across the floor. Wounded soldiers were laid out on the beds like cuts of meat in a butcher’s shop. Large windows let in plenty of light, but they couldn’t counter the dark, hopeless feeling inside.
Eva slowly tied on an apron and tucked her hair up into a stiff white cap. Then, she bent over the washstand and scrubbed her hands and fingernails with a slimy soft soap. She had barely finished drying her hands when Lily, a young medic, rushed toward her. Her fair face was so pale that her freckles were barely visible. Tears brimmed in her bright blue eyes. “Eva, Private Evans-- my brother--is dying.”
“Dying? No, he can’t be!” Eva bit her lip. How can he be dying? He was sitting up and talking just fine only yesterday.
Lily’s eyes brimmed with tears. “You have to save him, Eva. You have to.” She clasped her hands together. “Please, Eva. I—I love him. I just can’t let him go.”
Eva put a hand on her shoulder. “All right, Lily. All right. Where is his bed again?”
“I’ll show you.” Lily hurried down the straight rows of beds, each containing a miserable, wounded man or boy. Their cries tore at Eva’s heart. Each one of them was someone’s father, brother, or son. I can’t save them all, she reminded herself. I can’t save them all. She let her eyes linger on the body of one boy suffering from an arrow to the stomach. But I can try.
Lily stopped by the bed of a young man who was so thin and pallid it was as though he’d already become a skeleton. His chest barely rose and fell with each breath that lingered within his failing body. He appeared to be on the very brink of death.
Infection, Eva thought grimly. It’s a tricky, evil thing.
“He’s very nearly gone, Eva.” Lily looked up with tears in her eyes. “You can save him, can’t you?”
Eva nodded.
Lily gestured wildly at the bed. “Hurry, then! There’s not much time!”
“Calm down, Lily. There’s time enough.” Eva pressed her hand to Private Evan’s chest and felt the weak thumping of his heart. She closed her eyes and sought deep within herself, searching for the spark that glowed inside.
There. She caught hold of that spark and channeled its energy, letting its vitality flow through her and into the body of the brave soul before her. She could feel the spark fading, dwindling. Just before it was gone, she lifted her hand, severing the connection.
Eva opened her eyes and studied the soldier’s face. Already it had lost its pallor. She felt his pulse, and nodded in satisfaction. It was far stronger now.
“He’ll be okay now, Lily,” she said gently. “He’s going to make it.”
Lily swiped at her eyes and threw her arms around Eva. “Thank you. Oh, thank you.”
Waves of dizziness began to crash over Eva’s mind. Oh, no. Here it comes. I gave too much. She sank to her knees. “Lily, I’m blacking out. I can’t…” The words died on her lips as a dark curtain dropped over her and smothered all her senses.
She woke to find herself lying in an empty cot near the back of the hospital. The room throbbed with anxious activity. How long have I been out? She swung her legs over the side and stood up. A wave of vertigo crashed over her, and she sank back down to the cot. No. I can’t black out again.
Lily’s face brightened when she saw her. “Eva! You’re awake!”
Eva smiled weakly. “Yes, I’m awake. What have I missed?”
“Not much. You were unconscious for maybe an hour.”
“An hour?”
Lily held up her hands. “Calm down. Nothing much has happened. My brother has nearly recovered and…” she broke off when a commotion was heard just outside the doors.
Three men burst inside bearing a fourth in their arms. Blood was gushing from a sword wound in his chest.
“Nurse Wilson! We need Nurse Wilson!”
Eva rushed toward them. “What’s wrong?” Her face paled when she recognized the man they carried. His thick dark hair and fine, prominent nose could only belong to one person. “Oh, no! No no no!”
“I’m so sorry,” one of the men said as they gently set Lukas in a spare bed. “It’s my own fault. He blocked an attack on my life, and in doing so nearly lost his own.”
She clenched her fists. Oh, Lukas. It’s so like you to play the hero. But can’t you think of me for a change? Eva knelt beside the bed and placed her hand on his bleeding chest.
At her touch, her husband’s eyes fluttered open. “Eva?” His voice was barely audible. “Eva, no. You can’t save me. I’m too…far…gone.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I have to try, Lukas. I have to try.”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Lukas, don’t be silly!”
He closed his hand over hers. “I love you, Eva. I’ll…miss…you.” His eyelids drooped and his breathing slowed.
Tortured sobs escaped her as she again rested her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. She could feel the shallow rise and fall of his waning breaths. The faint beat of his failing heart. I can’t let him die.
A torrent of vitality flooded through her arm and into Lukas’ dying body. The star within her rapidly lost its light. Eva could feel her own strength beginning to wane, but she kept pushing.
“Eva, no!” Her hand was abruptly shoved away. “You can’t do this!”
She opened her eyes. “Lukas…”
He wagged his head at her. “You’re fading. I can see it. You have to let me go.”
Eva leaned forward and kissed him. “I can’t let you go. I love you too much for that.”
Lukas stroked her face with a trembling hand. “You can’t save me, Eva. It will kill you.”
She replaced her hand on his chest. “I know.”
“You can’t…” his voice cut off and he sank back into a coma.
Eva could feel her husband strengthening, even as her own life drained away. Waves of sleepiness crashed over her mind, tempting her to succumb to the inevitable. No. I can’t. Not yet.
With a final effort, she forced the last of her vitality into Lukas. She opened her eyes, but there was no light to see. She was slipping, sliding into darkness.
“Eva, no!” His words came to her as if through water. Distant, but distinct.
Goodbye, Lukas. I love you.
And then she was gone.
About the Author: Ever since A. N. Chadbourne learned to read, books have been her best friends. When she discovered that she didn’t just have to read stories, but could write them as well, she began a writing saga that has endured throughout the years. Her current projects are a full-length novel titled Dust Beneath the Stars, and a novella called Evander: Throne of Viara. She plans to publish both when the time is right. You can sign up for her email list to receive writing updates, book recommendations, and other bookish content.
Comments
Post a Comment