83 - With Your Permission, Head

Kyrus and Ilax had, despite all sensible ideas of protecting their offices, had been two of the last men into the shelter.   

The Nadumon birds had stampeded past them as the doors opened, in bird-brained panic.

The stink of burnt dust and ozone and other things vaporized flooded in with the weird light outside.  Dust had been flung into the air turning the sun dim and orange red as if the air had been burned.

Even the best fowl can only be driven so hard and Kyrus had not only the Head of the Nadu council on his armoured bird but himself and two other councillors.  His bird’s beak scraped the stone.  It staggered sideways a few steps outside, despite the hood, then collapsed onto its side, thrashing as it died.

Ilax’s wasn’t much better, but he’d managed to squeeze some water from his waterskin over his bird’s lolling tongue and it had not collapsed, though it trembled all over.

“Head,” Kyrus said, turning to the woman he was still half supporting.  “With your permission and understanding, I am no longer considering this a water negotiation or conflict resolution talks but an emergency and a disaster relief mission.”  He could feel Ilax beside him as he spoke directly into Filchang’s shocked eyes.  Her headgear hung askew, tangled in her hair, half way down her neck. Ilax didn’t have to say anything.  He knew his husband’s mind well enough on this.

“My feather-spitters and medics are here at your disposal, the Asses of Lainz –“ “—And the medics and my entourage,” Ilax chimed in.  “We are here to help you, but only at your request.”

The two other council members had sunk to the floor of the cavern with their hands over their faces, coughing, as the dust and stink blew in thickly around the doors.  In the distance screams and cries for help rose now that the burning wind had stopped roaring.

“Please,” she said, coughing herself.  Ilax dug out his spare veils and Kyrus’s Amir began fetching everyone’s spares to hand out, so that everyone could breathe.  “We… were disallowed.  He just tried to smash us into our component amino acids!”  Even shocked, hurt from the code backlash that had happened the last time she'd tried to access their laboratory codes under Prime, and recovering from the flight, she still sounded shocked.  And surprised and angry.

“At your request, Head.  We can set everything else aside till we aren’t in a state of emergency any longer.”

“Thank you.”

“I think we should make this canyon our camp,” Kyrus said. “Someone get those doors closed down to one bird-width. We need to clear these hale people out of here and get the medics set up.  It looks like… yes, Amir?”

“Burn injuries, Radiance.  Some crush injuries… a lot o’ toxic dust dragged inta unveiled faces.”

“Thank you.  Medic!  I am uninjured -- your crew--”

“Yes, Radiance, we have the field station on my bird, Radiance, sit… it made it in.” Ignoring Kyrus's assertion he was uninjured, the medic began checking him where he stood.

“Coordinate with the Milari Zon… their Manders and Cliners will be able to assist you.”  Ilax just nodded sharply and the Zon, as if they knew, were already helping the Lainz haul frames and filter curtains out of bird packs.

The warbirds still capable of walking were being ridden out, in order, people shared out their veils and the racking coughs diminished.

I’ll be with the medics, inam,” Ilax said quietly, picking up the youngster he’d carried out of danger.

“I’ll join you in a few moments, deovar,” Kyrus answered back, absently.  His mandery would be more useful once things were set up and running well enough.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.  Here, lass, take these packs with us, they have my storm hood… in case of Haboob so if we can use it to give someone breathing space…”

Kyrus could see out  the doors from where he stood, began stripping off his dirt-streaked armour.  “Emir-al! Amirs! If you aren’t already working… gather!”

“Radiance!” Three Emir-al and four more Amir materialized out of the crowd, offering the war salaam.

“Ah… good.  Erkonish, you round up a hundred able bodied, riders and foot, track-back to fetch wounded and incapacitated.”

The Head spoke up from where she sat on a stone.  “There are four other Bug-Outs.  Samuel can give you a map.”

“Thank you, Head Filchang.” Kyrus turned back to his waiting Amirs.  “D--Amardad... get a unit together and start watch for Sand-sheets and Gray Tigers.  We’re on the edge of both their ranges as far as I know and they’ll be haunting us before we know it.”

“Aye, Radiance.”

“And Helios.  If we have any fast birds left, put your lightest courier on it. Head if you could pen a note for him? We need to make contact with the other shelters and begin to see how much of the population survived the strike.”

A stream of injured were beginning to flow into the shelter and the uninjured were beginning to rig shades outside.

“There is a good water source inside,” one of the other councillors spoke up.  “And a second one, covered, outside.”

“Excellent,” Kyrus relaxed a little inside. With all these people there had to be water.

A runner came from where the medic’s tents were going up, scraping the rock above with their tent poles, but the tent was needed to hang the curtains.  Dust billowed everywhere, and the wind rose and boomed down the canyon once more.

"Someone get a curtain to nail over that gap… we can’t close the doors too tightly.”

“Radiance!”

“Yes?”

“Your… husband says he can set up a temporary lin.  There’s a stone basin here that he could fill with water and fibre.”

“Wonderful.  Run back and tell him thank you.”

“Yes Naser!”

Someone handed him his water flask and he drained it in a few enormous swallows.  He was as dry as just before a battle.  It was a battle.  He tried not to hear the cries of the people being brought in on bird litters.  The ones closest to the doors actually hadn’t been injured that badly.  The blast had blown over the canyon walls.  It was the ones who hadn’t left the city quickly enough and had been on the hard pan when the rocks from the sky began to fall.

I can’t help them any faster than to get them to every medic we have.  And the Nadu are going to help too, of course. We are going to have to rig lights soon.  The sun is already low enough that we’re in deep shadow down here.  Lights inside will not be visible from the air.  Heat… I need to set someone to find heat sand mixtures if they are around here.

The Head drank as well, looking around hopefully, though not calling anyone’s name, like so many other people.  Calling for their family, separated in the crushing flight.   

“Mum!”  At the shout from across the cavern, her face eased as if a band that had been wrapped tightly around her chest had suddenly snapped.

“Archibald!  Come help us.” She said, her voice full of relief.

“I brought the Siwion and his friend,” the boy said, pushing through the crowd around them.  “They have birds that are still fresh enough to go out, he says.”

Kyrus, still snapping out orders to his officers, reached out blindly and wrapped one arm around his son’s shoulders, hugged him hard, once.  “Son, if you and your wing brother would join those searching for wounded?  Perhaps those who cannot call out?  You are good at that.” Ky’s grin showed wide and white through his veil. 

“Sure, da.  Werfas?  We can get these lazy fowl out again?”