Chapter 4

Recovery

Yeah, you don’t believe me, do you? I don’t really expect you to. Call it a fever dream, call it a near-death experience, whatever you like. Later on, we’ll see if you believe.

I woke up right where They told me I would. I did not, however, wake up in the condition they told me to expect.

…

Oh, oh yeah, that’s actually a valid question, but I don’t really have an answer. I have no idea why I remember. Maybe They were just messing with me, I’m not sure. I didn’t remember it immediately, but it came back to me over time.

Regardless, I woke up on the ground in a body of shattered bones, bruised muscles, and a pain that was indescribable. They saved me, that much is true, I did not die, but that fall still happened.

See, that’s what they don’t tell you in the stories of the gods’ chosen ones, in the Ballad of Darcy Hawf and whatnot; just because you can’t die doesn’t mean you can’t feel pain. Dying is a release, sometimes, and I would be lying if I said I haven’t wished I could die sometimes. Regardless, my body was broken, and I could feel every break.

It took cents for someone to find me. It was a Hunter, looking below the village in a radius around my tree. She thought I was dead, then, she noticed a twitch, and scooped me up. I tried to scream in pain, but couldn’t move my jaw, and she just kept telling me it would be all right. The second she noticed I was still alive, she switched from Hunter to Healer. Socially anyway. Gods bless her.

Despite her positive vibes, I could barely hear her over my pulse thundering through my ears. I was bleeding heavily, but I knew somewhere deep down, I couldn’t die. I wasn’t going to bleed out. Nontheless, she would punctuate her calming, careful words with calling for assistance. Eventually, I heard the bells going off and the help came.

I passed out.

When I awoke, Fylhoraeth was standing above me, snake in plain view, working with all her heart on my torso. I couldn’t crane my neck to see, so I just stared at her. Eventually, someone alerted the rest that I was awake, and she was the first one with a setting an open hand to my cheek and staring into my face. Her love was there, but it was accompanied by pain, by sorrow, and I could see on her skin the irritation and distortion of recent tears.

She knew what I did.

I tried to apologize, but all that came out was gurgling. Someone stuffed my face with herbs and I passed out within minutes.

Desses later, it turns out, I woke up. I was still mangled, but I was moving, slowly. Fylh stayed with me, making sure I woke up comfortably. My mom made food, tucked me in, and helped me to stand when I eventually could. Both had the good sense to keep Kil out of the room, but he snuck in occasionally. I lived.

A turn and a half later, I was walking on crutches, and I was making the rounds about town. Not taking any ladders, granted, but moving across bridges. Fylh was walking with me, helping me whenever I got too tired to continue. I waved to everyone, and they all told me how strong I was and all that stuff. I stopped at Huntmaster Sklypna’s tent, and stared determinedly in.

“Don’t you think about it,” Fylh said, getting in front of me. “Not after what happened.”

“What happened was my fault, love.”

“Yes, and you know better now, but the eagle—”

“Was also my fault. That’s actually what I was talking about. I was nervous. I didn’t commune with it right. I’m sure now.”

“Are you any more magic now than you were?” She snarked at me.

“You know what? Maybe I am.” I limped into the tent and Sklypna rose to meet me. She seemed genuinely surprised to see me.

“Tabanica! You’re on your feet!”

“With plenty of help from Fylh here.”

“Oh, she’s doing most of it on her own. I’m just here to make sure she doesn’t land on her face if she falls.”

“You’re a good friend to do so,” the Huntmaster smiled at her, then turned back to me. “Just popping in to say hello?”

“No. I’m here to retake the final trial.”

She laughed. She genuinely laughed at me before realizing I was serious. “M’rfae’s fletching, you must be joking.”

“I’m ready this time.”

“After what happened last time, you really want to do it again?”

“I’m ready, Huntmaster.”

She stared me down, sizing me up. Eventually, after a sweat-inducing eternity, she nodded.

The townsfolk gathered to see me off, and my mother hugged me, telling me that I had better not get rid of my other eye this time. I promised her I wouldn’t. She shared guayusa with me just minutes before, giving me the energy I would need for the encounter.

My friends waved me off, and Fylh hugged me. I told her I was sorry for putting her through so much, and she waved me off, saying something like ‘Don’t be silly.’ She blurted a couple positive things at me and shoved me in the direction of the Huntmaster, who caught me, righted me, and looked me in the eyes. “You ready?”

“Absolutely.”

The entire team of Hunters walked out, and I hobbled with them. They assisted me moving from branch to branch where necessary. The journey was long enough that my body felt like giving out a good three times. I sat on a knot while they made sure the rune was still together and in working order. This was an impromptu trial, as they were unprepared for my re-taking of it.

Once they were ready, I stood on my crutches and limped to the center. We all stood in the circle, the same way we did before, and they channeled their spells into the runes. I stood in the dead center, help up on my crutches, but balancing carefully regardless. When their chanting stopped, I drew the power and it flowed into my veins with ease. My blood glowed red with telekinetic power, and I looked to the skies.

Birds flew from tree to tree, a boar rustled between the trees a short distance away, and if my ears didn’t deceive me, a stag was a short cry from us. Two eagles flew above me and an owl stared me down from atop a tree, but my eye fell to one bird, one circling high above me, and I shot my magic to it. It instantly changed its course and started down.

“Tabanica,” the Huntmaster said cautiously, “I believe you misfired.”

“I got the one I want.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“As sure as I’ve ever been about anything.” I hobbled to a clear area, and my crutch hit a pothole. I careened forward, slamming into the ground and jarring every bone in my body. Pain shot through me and I cried out. They ran to me, but I waved a hand. My fist was still clenched. I still had the spell. I had this, I could do it.

I crawled to a knot and leaned against it, and as soon as I was sitting upright, the massive bird landed on it. A slick, shiny turkey vulture stared me down, its head bald and red, its feathers a sleek black with a kind of sheen. It whined through its nostrils comfortingly and nodded its head.

The magic pumped in my veins as I raised a hand to it, opening my palm and putting it to the vulture’s forehead, and suddenly there was a connection. We knew each other. He had lived a good number of turns, young, but getting on in his years nonetheless. He enjoyed rabbits and capybara, but nothing pleased him so much as a gator that had sat out for a few desses. He had a spot on the river he drank from every day, and his previous mate had died before she ever laid her eggs.

And he knew all of my secrets, my pains and sorrows, my loves and happiness. It floored me, or at least it would have if I wasn’t already sitting, but in no time at all, we were friends, and he nuzzled my hand. I scratched his head, and he whined, and I knew all was well. The Hunters stared in awe, in raw disbelief. Not only had the first Hunter to fail a taming in living memory just managed to succeed, but she’d chosen a turkey vulture at that.

Sklypna walked to me, astonished, and helped me to my feet. She rose my hand in the air and cheered, and the whole crowd roared with sound. My body shook with energy, and I smiled. I cried a little, smiling through the tears at my achievement. I’d done it. I was finally a Hunter.