A World Long Sundered -- Chapter 11 PART 2

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“Lucia!” A voice called out through the multitudes. With the jumble of tents, wagons and people milling in the road Lucia couldn’t pinpoint where it came from. She brought Gill to a halt. The voice shouted again over the din of the injured.

“There, mama!” Kyndra pointed among a cluster of patchwork tents surrounded by a slightly more organized grouping of tables, cots and makeshift beds.

An elderly man waved at them while hurrying through aisles with a speed belying his age. The knot of worry that had been forming in her stomach relinquished a bit as she saw him. She’d recognize that wide-brimmed hat and dust-grey tunic anywhere.

“Lucia! Thank the ‘eavens. You’ve no idea ‘ow relieved I’m to see you.” Cleric Donovan rushed to the side of the cart and offered a hand to help Lucia down. She was always surprised by his grip, as if it hinted at hidden reserves of strength. Despite this, the genuine smile he offered could not completely hide the exhaustion in his eyes. “An’ ye’ve brought yer kin! Auryn, me lad. A day ‘asn’t passed without me worryin’. It pained me so leavin’ like I did that day.” Donovan reached over the side of the cart and grasped Auryn by the shoulders. His gaze lingered on the boy’s face. “I trust yer feelin’ on the mend then?” His hand went to Auryn’s forehead with a practiced movement.

“Yes, sir. Thank you.”

A sudden force jumped from the cart and broadsided the old man.

“Uncle!” Donovan caught Kyndra just in time using her momentum to spin around and deposit her on the ground, but not before embracing her in his arms.

Still hanging on to the cleric’s leg, Kyndra looked up to Donovan and then around the surrounding area. “Uncle, what happened here?”

“Kyndra me dear, I could’ve used you ‘ere the last couple days. I’ve needed a smile or three. ‘Eaven knows they’ve been scarce enough ‘round ‘ere.” The wrinkles around his eyes faded as the old healer’s smile vanished.

“Kyndra, we all want to find out what happened here, but these people need help. We can talk while we work. Donovan, is that your tent?”

“Aye, Lucia. Such as it is. After the devastation, few wanted to stay in the city proper—not much left there anyhow. Don’t reckon the Ol’ Girl ever ‘ad so many folks within her walls at once. The flood brought em in. Filled up faster’n me cousin on two-copper ale, gods rest his soul. Not sure ‘ow much safer it is out ‘ere though. Bring yer wagon round back, Auryn. Good thing Thatcher gave the order to bring the wounded ‘ere. Put me ‘ere to supervise all of ‘em. Could’ve provided a tad better accommodation though, but complaining amongst this lot will likely fall on deaf ears.” He gave a smile and made a sweeping gesture to the throng of injured. Lucia had always thought the old man’s humor endearing, especially how he referred to his church as the Ol’ Girl, almost as if he were married to it. Perhaps he felt he was.

“Is Thatcher here then?”

Donovan shook his head. “The Guild office’s still standin’, opposite end of the city from the whole collapse. Most likely you’ll still find ‘im there. Last I ‘eard he was putting a company together to request aid from the Cities.” They had moved to the far side of Donovan’s tent and tied Gill to a stake there.

Donovan looked close to tears once Lucia had unwrapped the cargo and told Auryn and Kyndra to unload the precious jars of Nana’s Blessing and other healing unguents into the tent. Two guardsmen stood watch at the tent’s entrance.

“You two! Get yer boiled leather arses over ‘ere and give us a ‘and! What’s the watch come to, lettin a woman an ‘er youngins labor alone when lives are on the line. Quickly now!” The guards gave each other a quick look. One opened his mouth readying a response, but Donovan had already turned away yelling, “Alisa! Where ‘ave you gotten off to girl?”

Lucia had never asked much about Donovan’s past, but it was clear he was used to giving orders. The guard closed his mouth again, motioned for his partner to join him and they joined the children in unloading the wagon.

A figure in grey robes stood from where she had been checking a child’s bandages. The young woman scurried over to Donovan’s side.

“I’m here, Cleric Donovan. How can I assist you?” Alisa kept her dark eyes downcast, as if afraid to meet the preacher’s gaze. Lucia’s first thought was the girl would be pretty, if you removed the dark circles and stress from her eyes.

“Keep yer ‘ead up, girl! I ain’t no Thatcher. I reckon he likes ‘em meek, don’t he? Now, now, don’t get in a fuss–that ain’t no insult, child. Besides, it’s yer servility that I need now anyhow. This ‘ere is Lucia Riggs. I imagine you’ve ‘eard of her. Well, I’m putting you under ‘er orders for now. Yer to ‘elp ‘er with whatever she needs. Clear enough?” Alisa eyes rose ever so slightly at the mention of Lucia. Lucia thought she even caught a glimmer of a smile.

“Of…of course, master Donovan!”

Donovan harrumphed. “I thought that might add a bit ‘o cheer in yer step, girl. Finally free of the ol’ man’s pestering, eh?”

Lucia didn’t think Alisa’s eyes could get any wider. The girl tried to respond, but something Donovan had said bothered Lucia. “Donovan, as much as I enjoy your bantering, leave the poor girl be. Alisa, I will be grateful for your assistance. But first, Donovan tell me, what did you mean when you mentioned ‘collapse’?”

The blood seemed to drain from the old healer’s face. “Forgive me, Lucia. I’d forgotten you’d just arrived. I tried to get a messenger to yer farm, but with the flooding an’ all the recent chaos…” He left the thought unfinished and then continued, “I’ve ne’er seen anything like it. I’d say nearly ‘alf the city’s gone, Lucia.”

“What do you mean, gone? I can still see the city right there?” He wasn’t making any sense.

Donovan shook his head. “Some o’ the western an’ northern sections still stand, but the rest…is gone. Lucia, the earth itself opened up an’ swallowed it whole.”

“What? You mean an earthquake? That can’t be right, we never felt anything like that at the farm. What do you mean?”

“No, not an earthquake Lucia. I don’t reckon I’ve the words to describe it. The city was doin its best to weather the flood. Who knows, mayhaps twas the flood that caused it, I don’t know. This ‘ere’s the low point o’ the valley. ‘Eaven knows folks were floatin on makeshift rafts after their ‘omes were swimming. There weren’t no warning, Lucia. I’ll never forget the sound. Like some monstrous leviathan planted its boot in the mud and pulled it free. A roarin’ mud-slick suckin’ shook the air. Then came the tremor—smallish in comparison to the ‘ollow, wet rippin’ sound, but what followed was worse.”

Donovan leaned forward putting his hands on one of the makeshift tables placed around his tent. His blue eyes seemed to focus on the warped wood. He continued, “The ground nearest tilted an’ the waters…the waters gathered an’ rushed through the streets to fill the void in the earth. The Ol’ Girl was near ‘nough to the edge for me to see. Buildings crumbled under the force o’ the tremor an’ weight of the waters. They were the fortunate ones. Everything directly over the pit tumbled into the darkness. “‘Undreds of homes, businesses, lives swallowed into a watery grave. I saw…I saw one o’ the rafts go over the edge. The girl, she just clutched her papa’s side, too shocked by what she was seein’ to even scream. An’ it’s deep, Lucia. No telling ‘ow far. As wide as ‘alf the city…No, not an earthquake. Some crack in the earth I might understand. This, this was different. The earth just sunk an’ the ground gave way in a freakishly round an’ monstrous maw. Like a city-sized tunnel into the abyss itself. That was three days ago now. Since then, it’s only gotten bigger. People are afraid to go near it, an’ for good reason. But there’s sure to be people trapped in the rubble—likely they’re as good as gone I reckon. Mayhaps the pit already swallowed the Ol’ Girl by now too.”

Donovan ran his hand over the table, it had probably been pieced together from whatever could be found in the rubble. “Now all we ‘ave are scraps. Dead bodies an’ scrap.”

As if accentuating Donovan’s words, in the distance a great screeching of metal and the crack of wood and stone echoed from the city. Lucia imagined it could be only one thing—another section of the city had fallen into the sinkhole.

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