“May we know what this is all about?” Uncle Gobei asked in a shaky voice.
“War has started! We’ve been invaded. The soldiers are out fighting now. We need all the healers that we have to take care of the injured. Now follow me at once! Quickly!” the soldier yelled in as he rapidly gestured for us to follow him.
We looked at each other before nodding in understanding. I couldn’t bring myself to believe it but if war was really here, then the soldier was right. We must follow him at once to set up the hospital and to tend to the injured.
“Wait a moment while we grab our medical supplies!” Auntie cried out as the three of us grabbed all the necessary medicine and tools that we need.
“We must hurry!” the soldier continued to bark at us.
“Can you please help carry this?” I asked the soldier as I passed him a large backpack full of medical supplies.
“Ok. Now, lets go!” the soldier ushered us firmly out the door.
The cold wind blew harshly against my face. Tonight, the howl of the wind felt more haunting than ever before. Although a war was going on, the outside was still silent just like any other night.
“They haven’t reached the very center of town yet because our forces were able to intercept them. But they will be here very soon. We need to set up the hospital to receive the injured by then,” the soldier explained as he followed his lead to the emergency medical camp that was being set up.
This is bad. The situation is very dire. Our town was small and so was our military power. Worst, we were always short on doctors and healers. The fact that the soldier did not send me away after giving me a few cold stares was enough proof that they needed all the hands that they could get right now. At least, I didn’t hear anything about my presence bringing bad luck to the army in this time of war.
Soon we arrived at the medical tent temporarily set up to receive the wounded. I sighed loudly; it would be great if it were only the wounded that will end up here. I have never seen a patient die in front of my eyes before; however, I felt that I was going to experience that firsthand today and most probably, more than just once. I had to ask the main question lingering on my mind right now.
“Which army is attacking us right now?” I asked the soldier as he was turning to leave us.
“The Flame Dragon Empire…” the soldier replied in a low voice. No more needed to be said.
All our eyes dropped to the floor as the full-scale of the situation sank in. There was no way we could win a war against the Flame Dragon Empire, the biggest, wealthiest, and most ruthless empire in this region. This war isn’t something totally unexpected, rather it was just a matter of time before our land along with many of our neighboring towns would be under attack.
If we can’t win the war, isn’t it better for us to surrender and agree to some terms. I personally felt that it was much better than bloodshed, there are so many helpless old people, women, and children in our village. No time to think about that, now we must focus on preparing to give medical care.
“Is it true…that they burn all the villages they capture down to the ground?” an old woman who was certainly another experienced healer asked in a low and shaky voice.
No one dared reply to her question. I sincerely hoped that the rumor wasn’t true…but we’re about to find out for ourselves very soon.
…
“Are all men in position?” Ren addressed his generals.
“Yes, Your Highness. All men are in position. The first wave of attack has been launched as you have planned,” Shin, Ren’s right-hand man and also best friend, replied with confidence.
“Good. Send in the second wave using the secret paths like I’ve planned. The aim is to win this war as soon as possible with the least casualty on both sides. Go!” Ren commanded.
“Yes, Your Highness!” all war generals that were present answered in unison.
If things go as planned the whole town could be seized in around two days and one night. That is if the enemy does not surrender before then. I sincerely hope that they will have the sense to surrender instead of fighting a war that they couldn’t win. Worst comes to worst, I won’t hesitate to burn this entire town to the ground. The sooner this war ends the better…
…
“Hang in there! Press your hand down here…please wait!” I ordered a heavily wounded soldier as I turned to find some more cloth to stop the bleeding. This is no good…there’s too many wounded men here and not enough healers. I knew deep-down that there was no hope as the warm wetness of his blood soaked passed the fabric onto my hand. I felt tear sting my eyes as I rapidly blinked them away.
Less than half an hour upon our arrival, the first set of wounded soldiers started to trickle into the medical camp. A short while after, the number of wounded patients soared as the wounded flooded into the camp and soon the camp wasn’t big enough to accommodate the patients. Many wounded had to lie in front of the camp and around it due to the lack of space.
The most horrible reality is that for some cases, it was clear that there was nothing that we could do to help. My premonition was correct, less than an hour into the start of this mess, I had already witness more than twenty deaths. After that point, I didn’t have time to count our losses. There was so much work to do that I was too busy dealing with the living…or half-living.
“Lin…come over here!” Uncle Gobei called me over urgently.
“I’m here…” I said as I stared down at the patient in front of us. His arm and leg were severely wounded and bleeding heavily.
“You take the arm, Lin. I’ll do the leg…” Uncle Gobei instructed. We went to work immediately. If we could just get the bleeding to stop and wrap up his wound, there could be a chance that he could survive. The wound was deep, but it didn’t cut into his artery…he should be able to make it. He must…
--To be continued…