Chương 35: Chapter 33 - Limited Options

Several hours later a small fire burned in the cougar den while a stack of branches lay drying nearby. Feng Xi had hung their waxed canvas tarp to provide more shelter from the wind and the camp could be considered almost cozy if one ignored the piles of bones strewn about elsewhere in the den.

On another few branches, Feng Xi had hung everyone's clothing to dry while she'd bundled everyone into their thankfully dry blankets. She had nearly broken into tears when she saw the mass of bruises on Ao Wen's body where she had slammed into the boulder. Seeing how Ao Wen had responded to being touched in a few places, Feng Xi was convinced that several ribs were at least cracked, if not broken. "How much force does it take to crack the bones of someone with a dragon bloodline as strong as Ao Wen's?" Feng muttered. She didn't have any idea but she was certain it must have hurt terribly.

Once she had done the things she could do immediately, Feng Xi allowed herself to sleep, at least until dawn. Hopefully, when she woke, the others would have woken up as well and they could all plan together.

Hours later when Feng Xi woke after a restless several hours of poor sleep, the storm had finally reached the stage of raining down lightning. Thunder rumbled frequently and the dark skies flickered with flashes of light followed by even louder booms that shook the earth. "Wen?" Feng Xi asked. "Jin?"

"Xi," Ao Wen's voice sounded out between peels of thunder. "Thank you," she said, gesturing to her left arm that had been straightened and lashed to a pair of bones collected from one of the many piles lying about the den. The splint was crude but the combination of the brace and the numbing paste applied to the wound made it significantly easier to endure the pain, at least, as long as she kept still.

"Why are you keeping your eyes closed Wen," Feng Xi asked, noticing Ao Wen looking vaguely in her direction with her eyelids tightly shut.

"If I open my right eye the world spins and I see a red haze over the right side of my vision. Since there's nothing to do but listen to the rain and thunder, I figured it's easier to just keep my eyes closed," Ao Wen explained. "How's Jin?"

Feng Xi got up from where she'd been sleeping by the fire and checked on the young master but found nothing had changed. His breathing was shallow but thankfully not labored. The most concerning thing Feng Xi noticed was that his features were completely slack, his eyes unmoving behind their lids. "I'm worried," she finally said. "It isn't like when you were unconscious for so long. He's… he's very still."

Ao Wen took a deep breath and opened one eye to glance at Feng Xi and Tang Jin before closing her eye and laying back down. "Xi," she said softly. "If we don't get him home safely, it's our fault. My fault," she said heavily.

"Ours," Feng Xi said, accepting the burden of responsibility. "I'm the eldest and the most senior. I know a lot of it was your plan," she added, acknowledging the weight that Ao Wen bore in the mess they were currently in but refusing to let her bear it alone. "We'll get him home. We'll get all three of us home, with our trophy, and we'll throw the biggest banquet ever to celebrate. Jin won't dare to miss it," she finished, giving Tang Jin a worried look.

"I can't walk in a straight line," Ao Wen said flatly, puncturing the positive atmosphere Feng Xi had been trying to build. "You can't help me and carry him at the same time. We're all stuck here till the storm passes. Even if I recover enough to walk, I can barely fight. With two burdens, it'll take at least three days to get out of the forest, maybe four days if the storm has washed out trails or flooded anywhere," Ao Wen continued, painting a much grimmer picture. "If you go alone after the storm ends your odds are probably better than if we tried together but it's still two days each way, plus however long it takes to get help. My parents are mortal and can't help this deep in the forest and your parents aren't in great shape to come to the rescue either. The whole time you're getting help, Jin and I are pretty helpless. Did I miss anything?"

"We're short on food, but we can stretch for a few days if we have to," Feng Xi said, adding to their list of woes. "Your injuries might get better, I know body cultivators like you and Jin heal faster than even a second-stage artist like me, but your arm might get worse if it isn't treated and I have no idea about Jin's injury. He stopped bleeding but…" Feng Xi trailed off leaving the rest unsaid.

Silence stretched between them for several minutes before Ao Wen spoke again. "Xi, I love you," she said firmly.

"I know," Feng Xi said, placing a hand over her heart. "Wen, I love you too," she said. She no longer doubted that. "I don't understand it yet," she continued. "But thinking that I might lose you, it breaks my heart. Whatever we do after this, I want to do it with you, every step of the way," she said, coming to sit next to Ao Wen and holding her uninjured hand firmly.

Ao Wen smiled faintly. These words, how much had she longed to hear them? The circumstances were terrible but the words gave her the courage to continue, saying the things that had to be said. "I'm glad," she said with a soft smile before she made herself press on. "Xi, always remember, Ao Wen loves you."

"I know, you… wait! What are you saying?" Feng Xi asked with a sinking feeling nestling into the pit of her stomach.

"Alchemy," Ao Wen said gently. "One of my words is Alchemy. There are doctors who aren't alchemists but no alchemists who aren't doctors. Right now, Jin needs a doctor… and so do I. I just have to remember being one," she said with a smile like it was an easy thing to just remember.

"If you get more of those memories back… you might lose yourself," Feng Xi said, moisture collecting at the corners of her eyes as she understood why she'd said it that way. "Ao Wen might not make it back."

"If I get lost," Ao Wen said, holding back her own feelings so she could focus on what needed to be done. "Make sure whoever comes back takes care of you and Jin. I'm sure she'd love you just…"

"Don't you dare finish that!" Feng Xi said, throwing herself at Ao Wen and hugging her tightly. "You come back to me Ao Wen! You. Come. Back," she whispered, burying her face in Ao Wen's chest.

For a time, they just lay there, holding each other, listening to the rain and each other's heartbeat. Neither of them really knew what to say right now. Eventually, Feng Xi pulled herself back and looked at Ao Wen softly. "How do I help? I hate feeling like you have to be the only one to face this. If I can make it easier for you, just tell me how."

"I don't know," Ao Wen said, trying to think of anything. "I should probably eat something," she finally said, focusing purely on the practical. "I've only been awake for a few days and I'm already going to sleep again, but being hungry would just be rougher on my body. If I can be faster this time I will, but alchemy…"

"Alchemy takes time to learn," Feng Xi said, her voice heavy with emotion. "Even if you studied Alchemy like you studied the saber, it would probably take years wouldn't it?"

"That's why I'm so scared of it," Ao Wen said honestly. "I'm going to miss you. I missed you last time and that was just a few months. This…"

"Just don't forget me," Feng Xi said, setting out a simple cold meal and peppering hot tea. "Your arm is broken," she mentioned. "Let me help you eat," she said, tearing a piece of meat-filled flatbread into small bites before holding out a piece to Ao Wen. Just like that, the two ate a simple meal together, watching the rain and soaking in the warmth of the fire.

Eventually, the needful things were done and Ao Wen returned to her inner world, entering the room labeled Alchemy. "I don't know what I need," she said, standing before the three flames. "But you do, right?" Moments after she spoke, the Azure Flame flared brighter before darkness filled her world.

Outside, Feng Xi's fingers danced along her zither strings, the notes of Blossoms in Snow giving way to Letters in the Rain. "Come back to me," she whispered, letting her tears fall along with the rain as she played.