Blacklake-Book4-1 Three Cousins

Chapter 55
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No sense for anyone to be knockin’ on our side door. Especially this late. Though Papa, bein’ the council leader, and our clan leader, has been known to be notified about the odd catastrophe at night. So his expression had turned stern, as he froze.

I hurried to tell him I’d get it, leave him to entertainin’ our company. Not something I wanted any responsibility for. This was all Mama’s fault. Why couldn’t the Inn have had a single room available?

Wasn’t surprised to find a troll constable standin’ outside when I opened the door.

“Hey, Ike,” he said. I’ve played basketball with him before, but his name wouldn’t come to me. Prolly didn’t impress me with his moves on the court. Though considerin’ their bulk, trolls are amazin’ly fast on their feet.

“Whats up?”

“Been an incident,” he said.

Of course there had been. He wouldn’t be standin’ in front of me if there hadn’t. I said I’d get my papa, but he said, “That’s fine, but this is about Ezra.”

Ezra. Just then something squeezed my lungs tight. Everyone in the Valley knows how tight we cousins are. So council notification wasn’t why he was here, necessarily.

A dazzle of electricity crossed my shoulders, and a frozen spike entered my tightened chest and ended up in my gut. A wisp of air escaped from my lips, which felt numb.

“Ezra,” I repeated.

“Her mama and papa have headed to the hospital with her to be checked out. Was a bit light headed after gettin’ clubbed good.”

“Clubbed,” wandered out between my lips.

“But she’s—” Realized he stopped because Papa stood next to me now. His hand rested on my shoulder.

Papa asked, “Who was clubbed?”

I answered for the constable.

“One of the fools we’ve been lookin’ for, sir. Showed up in the Hamlet tonight. His folks can start pickin’ the dirges they want sung at his—” He stopped abruptly, as though he realized he wasn’t speakin’—appropriately, as an official representative of the Range. To the Range’s council leader.

~ Ezra ~

Go figger doctor rooms are so bright. Really bright. Think my eyes were finally adjustin’. Didn’t have to wait long for one of my overly educated cousins to join me. She gave me a huge grin when her eyes lifted from the metallic clipboard-thing she was holdin’.

“Haven’t seen ya in ages, sweetie. How’ve ya been?”

Uh. “Well—”

“Of course things have been tense lately,” she said. For a doctor, maybe she did stay aware of current events. “So only injury, gettin’ clubbed across the back?” Right to business now. “And a wrenched wrist?”

I nodded. She was already pealin’ back the paperish smock that let more breezes in than—nothing came to mind to compare to. But I felt cold drafts from a lot of different directions. So besides bein’ bright, doctor rooms are cold. And we ogres are pretty good with cold. So it was cold in here. That made me think of Thomas.

Funny, that our kind came from the far west, plains and deserts, which aren’t known for ever bein’ cool. Excludin’ a strange cold snap.

She had me lift this arm, twist this way, that way, lean, sway.

“Ya gonna have a great bruise for a week,” she said. “Blood test will let us know if ya got anything goin’ on internally, will take ya for x-rays—” I may have stopped listenin’ then.

Bet it’s near midnight, by now. All I wanted to do was sleep. Not gonna be sleepin’ on my back. Or my left side. That’s for sure. I asked if I could put on my clothes.

“They got a lot of blood splatter and grey matter on em.” That was more detail than I needed. “We’ll get yar mama to bring ya fresh. Which ya can put on—” and more blah blah trundled over me.

~