“A little higher,” Candra called from above. She was perched above me, straddling the branch with hammer in one hand and a fist full of nails in the other. “Now to the right.”
I nudged the board to the right. Suddenly a loud crack ripped through the air and jerked my attention from the task.
“Zez, don’t let go of the board,” Candra yelled, but it was too late. The board fell forward, knocking Candra from her perch. She screamed as she fell, head first toward the ground. Her shoulder hit a branch with a snap that sounded like bone. The blow swung her body around, but not enough. She was still falling head first and would break her neck when she struck the frozen earth beneath the mud.
Instinctively, I reached out with my amoveo and wrapped the energy around her middle. Remembering how it had felt when Selwyn had lifted me months ago, I tried to make the touch firm, but gentle, applying pressure over a wide area. For a moment I was frightened that I had done something wrong because she continued to fall, just at a slower rate. Then, as I concentrated, she stopped falling and hung in the air less than a foot from the ground.
“Are you alright, Candra?” I called. My voice shook as I struggled to keep my concentration on both holding her and speaking.
A muffled sob was the only response. She didn’t move.
Not sure I could climb down and still hold her I gently lowered her to the ground. I slowly released my hold on her and her body relaxed against the earth. As her shoulder touched the ground, she let out a sharp cry and dissolved into sobs.
“I am coming,” I called as I scrambled to climb down. My skirt and cloak kept getting in the way and I jumped the last little bit. “I am sorry, Candra. I am so sorry.” I crawled through the rotting leaves and half-frozen mud to her side. A hard pressure formed at the back of my throat. I tried to swallow it, but it wouldn’t move. “Are you alright?”
“Of course, I am not alright,” she finally responded. It was a yell more than an answer. Turning her face from me she continued to cry. “It hurts.”
“What hurts?” I reached out to touch her, but she shooed me away with her good hand only to moan in pain. “What do you want me to do?” I asked in desperation.
“Go get Father,” she demanded and curled up in a ball.
I instantly obeyed. Scrambling to my feet, I lit out running toward the house. Once, years before, I had beaten three of the boys my age at running in a race. When I bragged about it to my mother, she made me promise to never race with the boys again. It wasn’t ladylike behavior and below my station. I hadn’t run in a race since, but I am certain that my feet barely touched the ground between Candra and the house.
Barging into the kitchen, I found Galatea leaning over the stove. She looked at me as though I was possessed. “What is the matter, Zez?”
I couldn’t speak. My lungs were on fire and if I did anything but breathe I coughed. It took me a minute to finally gasp out, “Errol.”
“Study, but...”
I didn’t wait until she finished. Stumbling through the door into the hall, I then careened in the direction of the study. Upon reaching the door, I pounded with all my strength.
“What is the matter?” Errol demanded as he opened the door. Suddenly relieved of my support, I fell into the room and landed on my knees at his feet.
“Candra. Hurt. Tree house.”
“What?”
I tried again. “Candra is hurt. Tree house.” Then in desperation I pictured Candra falling and then as I had last seen her, wretched and huddled on the ground beneath the tree house. Pushing the images at him hard, I willed him to understand.
“What is going on? What is all the noise?” Adreet asked as she came down the hall behind me. “Errol, what is it?”
“Candra is hurt,” Errol responded, already reaching for his coat. His expression was grim when he turned back to me. “Stay in this room. I will come back to deal with you after I have seen to Candra. Sit and think about the consequences of your actions. You are lucky she didn’t die!”
I buried my face in my hands as my heart sank to the depths of my shoes. I would never feel happy again. I had hurt my best friend and she could have died because of me. I didn’t deserve to ever smile again.
Errol stepped over me and shut the door firmly behind him. I could make out the sounds of Adreet and her daughters following him down the hall. “What do you mean? What happened to Candra? What do you mean she almost died?” Galatea demanded in rising tones of hysteria.
Doors slammed and Errol yelled for Delmar to bring the wood cart. Then suddenly silence descended and I was truly alone. Crawling into the corner, I curled up and cried.
Much later, when I could cry no more, I heard them return. Voices and a muffled sob approached the house. I huddled against the wall beneath the windows, thankful for the darkness that had descended
