Terrible hurt.
That’s what Kitchen had said about Duf.
It still didn’t prepare either of us for what we saw.
Duf Delphia lay on a patch of dirt in front of the great and ugly Wall that to me now seemed as grotesque and evil as any vile creature I had yet faced. Delph raced to his father’s right side while I knelt at his other. We at once realized that Duf’s lower legs were smashed nearly flat at the knees. He was delirious with the pain and writhing wildly even as two Mendens worked feverishly over him with their instruments, bandages and salves.
Delph gripped his dad’s hand. ‘I’m here,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘I’m here, Dad.’
‘What happened?’ I asked.
Thaddeus Kitchen was standing behind me. He pointed to the Wall. ‘Section of timbers fell, caught him at the knees. Blood and bone, ’twas everywhere. Never seen nothing like it. Why, ’twas like the most disgustin’ bitta—’
‘All right, we get the idea,’ I said, my worried gaze on Delph.
I looked over at a gaping hole in the Wall nearly thirty feet up.
‘How did they fall?’ I asked.
‘Strap failed, what done it,’ replied Kitchen.
I nearly fell over.
A strap failed? One of my straps?
Kitchen said in a loud, patronizing tone, ‘If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times, haven’t I? We’re all rushing around like we’re mad for it, and now we’re a right pig’s ear, ain’t we? Cut Wugs. Smashed Wugs. Dead Wugs. And for what? A bunch of stacked wood that will no more keep away the Outliers than me female could waving her hanky at ’em. One biscuit short of a picnic was the Wug thought that up, ask me.’
‘Well, nobody did ask you, Thaddeus Kitchen!’ I exclaimed.
I shot a glance at Delph. He was looking directly at me, his features a jumble of emotions including confusion, but the only one that really stood out for me was disappointment. Disappointment in my straps. I was so focused on Delph that I never heard one of the Mendens say that Duf needed to be taken to Hospital.
A cart and burly slep was brought around and Duf, now no longer conscious, was hoisted into it. I helped lift him along with some other Wugs, while Delph just stood there helplessly. I finally gripped his arm and pushed him into the cart with his father.
‘I’ll be there shortly,’ I said.
As the cart headed off, I turned to the Wall and walked over to the section that had given way. Several Wugs were inspecting the pile of splintered wood, but I focused my attention on the metal strap. I had etched my initials into each of the straps and I could see the letters of my name clear as first light. The strap was in two pieces – one large, one smaller – because it had torn. I couldn’t conceive of how that could have happened. Everything had been planned out so carefully in the specifications. And I had carried out those details as meticulously as I had ever done on a job at Stacks, for the simple reason that I well knew how much weight the straps would be supporting.
I squatted down for a closer look and what I saw caused my jaw to drop. Two additional holes had been cut at the bottom of the strap, and then these additional holes had been widened considerably more than I had done to the other holes. By about four inches was my rough judgement. The tear had come right in the middle of one of the extra holes. It was crystal clear to me that by adding holes and making them bigger, someone had considerably weakened the strap.
‘You can see right there where it done give way,’ said Kitchen, who had followed me over and was pointing at the tear in the strap.
‘Who added the holes and made them larger?’ I asked, gazing up at him.
He drew closer and gathered his focus. ‘Blimey, them pair are bigger, ain’t they?’
‘They were not done like that at Stacks. How did they get that way?’ I demanded.
Another Wug joined us. He was a bit taller than me, with a bristly beard, gangly limbs and a self-important look.
‘Design change,’ he said.
‘Why?’ I asked.
‘Holes lower like that, they can load more timber with each one that way. Simple, see. We made the fresh cuts right here on-site.’
I said, ‘But by doing that, you also made it weak. It was never meant to hold that many timbers,’ I said, pointing at the splintery mess on the ground. I rose and eyed him severely. ‘The specifics of the straps were not to be changed.’
He puffed out his chest. ‘What do you know about it, eh, female?’
‘Because I punched the holes in the straps at Stacks,’ I shot back. ‘I’m the Finisher.’ I looked up at the Wall. ‘How many more of the straps did they do this to?’ He didn’t answer. I grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently. ‘How many more?!’
‘Blimey, you the female in the Duelum, ain’t ya?’
‘She beat Non this light,’ added Kitchen, looking nervously at me.
‘How many more?!’ I screamed.
‘A great many more,’ said the voice.
I turned and Morrigone stood there before me, in her resplendent cloak, a sheet of white in a sea of dung. ‘Please let poor Henry go, Vega. I don’t think he deserves to be throttled for simply doing his job.’
I let ‘poor’ Henry go and advanced on her. ‘Do you know what happened to Duf?’ I asked.
‘I was fully apprised of the unfortunate incident. I will go to see him in Hospital.’
‘If he’s still alive,’ I retorted.
Another Wug came up to her with a scroll and an ink stick. She looked at the scroll and then took the ink stick from him, wrote some notes on the scroll, and I watched as she signed her name in an elongated motion that took up nearly half the page. She motioned for me to join her as she moved away from the two Wugs.
‘So what exactly is your grievance?’ she asked.
‘Whoever changed the strap design is responsible for what happened to Duf.’ My pointed finger hovered near her perfect chin. ‘The fools should be in Valhall.’
She glanced to her left and said, ‘I am surprised that you of all Wugs would advocate for him to be sent there.’
I followed her gaze, and my eyes settled on my brother standing on the raised platform and working away on a tilt-top desk, massive amounts of scrolls laid in front of him. My jaw dropped for the second time.
‘John changed the design on the straps?’ I managed to say, my confidence and, with it, my voice having nearly vanished.
‘He worked out the numbers on it and pronounced it sound,’ she said casually.
Her smug attitude brought my anger roaring back. I pointed to the mess of timbers. ‘Well, there’s your proof of how sound it is. John may be brilliant, but he has never built anything before in all his sessions.’ My voice rose. ‘You can’t expect to just thrust him into something like this and have no mistakes made. It’s unfair to ask it.’
‘On the contrary, I do not ask it. In an undertaking like this, mistakes are certain to be made. We must learn from them and move on.’
‘And what of Duf?’
‘All that can be done will be done to ease Mr Delphia’s situation.’
My anger swelled. ‘He’s a beast trainer. How can he do that with no legs!’
‘He will be supported by Council. Injury wages shall be paid.’
‘And what of his self-respect? What of his love for his job? You give him a few coins and tell him to be happy with what he no longer has?’
Tears were welling up in my eyes because all I could think of was Delph staring at me. The disappointment in his face. As though I had let him and his father down. As though I had taken his father’s limbs and maybe his life along with them.
‘You’re emotional, Vega. It is not sound to try and think clearly under those circumstances.’
As I watched her queenly, condescending chin slowly descend, followed by a pair of eyes that seemed to define haughtiness as something far more than a word or a look, I did calm. Remarkably, my reason did return amid all the chaos festering in my mind.
‘I saw you emotional, Morrigone,’ I said in speech as smooth as her own. ‘With your lovely hair all awry, and your pretty cloak stained, and your eyes full of not simply tears but fear. Real fear. I saw all that and more, much more.’
Just the barest of tremors appeared at her right cheek.
I continued primarily because I couldn’t stop. ‘And in case you hadn’t noticed, I repaired the window at my digs. After you left on your trail of blue mist of course. I just waved my hand, thought it, and it happened. Was that how it was for you, Morrigone? Because Thansius really didn’t elaborate on your powers when we spoke.’
I thought she was going to raise her hand to strike. But instead, she spun on her heels and walked away.
I looked over at John as he used his ink stick to jot notes and redesign plans and come up with the most wonderful Wall of all. His enthusiasm was as beautiful as it was terrible to behold. I walked back over to Kitchen and Henry.
‘If he tells you to make more holes, you will not obey. Do you understand?’
‘And who are you to be giving orders, female?’ said Henry indignantly.
He looked at my grimy clothing and still bloody and bruised face. Kitchen took a few steps back. He no doubt saw the murderous look in my eyes. My rage was such that I felt tremendous energy coursing down to what seemed my very soul. It was all I could do to contain it: I drew closer and when I spoke, my voice was low and even but radiated more power than a thousand gospels from Ezekiel.
‘Non is in Hospital this light because I smashed his head so hard I heard his skull crack.’ Henry swallowed so slowly, it appeared he thought it would be his last gulp as my gaze threatened to split him in half. ‘So if I find another section of Wall has bellied up because of extra holes in my straps –’ I pushed my fist firmly into the side of his bony, whiskered face – ‘I will come to your home and do four times to you what I did to Non. Do I make myself understandable to you, male?’
Henry tried to speak even as Kitchen let out a low whistle and seemed poised to run for it. Finally, Henry just nodded his head. I dropped my fist, turned and headed to Hospital as fast as my shaky legs could carry me.
Hospital was a mere quarter-mile from the Care, the theory being that unfortunate Wugs often went from one to the other. It was a stark, flat-faced building, grey and foreboding and set at the end of a dirt road. Even if one had hopes of survival, it was doubtful they would remain after seeing this awful place.
As I passed through the large double doors, a Nurse dressed in a grey cloak and domed white cap came forward. I explained who I was and why I was there. She nodded, her look sympathetic, which I did not think boded well for Duf’s prospects.
His room was at the end of the hall. I heard quiet sobs coming from inside. My heart shuddered and I felt a bit queasy. I thanked the Nurse and she left me. I stood just outside the door and tried to steel myself for what I was about to encounter. I told myself that whatever it was, Delph and I would face it together.
I gently pushed open the door and went in. Delph was leaning over the cot, his face littered with fresh tears. Duf lay in the cot, his eyes closed and his chest rising and falling unevenly. I crept forward until I was next to Delph.
‘How is he?’ I whispered.
‘Me-Me-Mendens just in. Say they got to co-co-come off.’
‘What? His legs?’
‘Say ’tis th-th-that or he’s next for the Ha-Ha-Hallowed Ground. Don’t underst-st-stand it all, Ve-Ve-Vega Jane.’
I could well understand his stammering returning, what with all he was feeling. I closed my hand around his arm and squeezed lightly.
‘When will they do it?’ I asked.
‘S-s-soon,’ he replied.
I gripped his arm harder. ‘Delph, I’m going to get the Stone.’ He looked at me quizzically. ‘The Adder Stone,’ I said in a low voice. ‘I can heal him in no time with it.’
‘But they say he could di-die.’
‘I know, Delph,’ I snapped. ‘I know,’ I added in a calmer voice. ‘If the Menders come for him, just try and stall. I’ll do my best.’