Free Sky Knights by Alex Powell Page B

anything unless he actually tries to hurt us, or alert anyone else to our presence," Ira said. "I'm too exhausted to run anymore, and my arm hurts. My entire side feels like it's on fire."
    Dounia flinched, and Ira realized what she'd said.
    "Sorry," Ira whispered. Bad choice of words.
    "Where's Meow?" asked Dounia. "I lost him after that officer grabbed us."
    "I don't know," Ira said. "I'm sure he's fine. He's a smart cat, and I'm sure he knows how to stay out of trouble. Or at least out of the line of fire."
    They quieted after that, waiting for the doctor to do whatever it was he was going to do. There was something else, Ira was certain of that. He wasn't just going to fix her arm, that was for sure. Ira didn't even know if he was going to try and help her at all. They were an enemy to his country, and Ira couldn't trust his motives.
    Slowly, the tent emptied. They were the last ones inside the tent, and there were no new patients to contend with. Ira could still hear bombs going off, but far away down the line. It seemed that the bombardment of this section was over.
    " Now, let's look at your arm. "
    The doctor spoke accented but recognizable Russian, probably more fluently than she spoke German. Ira eyed him warily, but complied, trying to struggle out of the German uniform. Dounia helped her, and the doctor waited patiently.
    " Nachthexen ," he said, eyes widening when her bomber jacket underneath was revealed.
    " Yes ," Ira replied shortly, releasing the makeshift splint she'd had keeping her arm in place.
    " I knew that you were Russian ," the doctor continued. " I thought you were just stragglers from the bombing. You're the pilots of the plane that was downed yesterday. "
    Ira ignored him piecing together their story and focused on getting her bomber jacket off over her injured arm. Dounia helped, and soon it was just her uniform covering her arm up.
    " I'm sorry ," the doctor said and cut her sleeve away with a pair of scissors.
    Ira couldn't watch after that, although she heard Dounia hiss in concern as the injury was finally revealed. As Ira was looking away, there was a movement at the edge of the tent and Meow slipped inside, coming to her side immediately. Ira reached out and stroked his head, trying to distract herself.
    " Oh? And where did you come from, small one? " the doctor asked.
    " I've been here since the start ," Meow said, swishing his tail.
    The doctor dropped the scissors and stared at Meow in shock.
    " You can talk ," he said. " You're a cat. "
    " Do cats not talk where you come from? " Meow asked, and Ira shot him a quelling look.
    " No, they don't talk where he's from, Meow. "
    " How was I supposed to know it was a secret? " Meow asked and twitched his tail.
    " Nachthexen ," the doctor muttered under his breath again, and then returned to Ira's arm.
    Ira distracted herself from the pain by stroking Meow's fur, and the doctor reset her arm carefully, splinted it and then made a sling for her.
    " There, it is set properly now and will heal in the right position ," the doctor said, stepping back to survey his work.
    " Thank you, doctor...?" Ira said, realizing that they hadn't gotten the doctor's name.
    " Engel ," he said, washing his hands.
    "Why are you helping us?" Dounia asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
    "Ah, I almost forgot," Doctor Engel said. "But it's not the type of thing that I can tell you, you must see it to believe it yourself. Put your uniform jacket back on, we must cross the camp to the hospital. It is not far from here."
    "This is not the hospital?" Ira asked, looking around at the narrow cot and medical tools around the small tent.
    "No, it is just a medical bay. The soldiers who have long-term injuries are in a bigger tent. Now come," Doctor Engel beckoned for them to follow him. "The night is not over, and we may be able to get you out of here yet."
    "What if it's a trap?" Dounia whispered as Ira clumsily pulled her jacket back over her shoulders.
    "If it's a trap, then set