Chapter 71: Vivianne – Those Who Stand
No use crying over spilt blood. — Yukari Nakamura.
Vivianne tried not to complain while Coalim massaged her bad leg. It had worked fine when she followed Pierre to the palaca and when she pushed Olivier aside and went looking for Thaila. Then, it began to hurt again. Badly. Vivianne began to wonder if Líra was right; if there was some sort of power anchoring her to Pierre when she wanted to return to Lune. How was Marcus? Since Vivianne woke up she heard no news from the North. Maybe Fulbert had taken the roads.
Líran knocked and entered without waiting for a reply.
‘The story stirs,’ she said. ‘We have to go.’
Vivianne stood up with Coalim’s help.
‘Where?’
Vivianne followed Líran, but the storyteller went down the stairs and disappeared into the streets while Vivianne still struggled with her crutches. Outside, Vivianne saw Líran’s hair turning at a corner.
‘Go ahead, Coalim. Don’t miss her.’
So Coalim followed Líran and Vivianne followed Coalim to analley where Joanna kneeled in a sea of blood with Maurice in her arms. Crowding the walls and windows, people sobbed and said, ‘I knew it. I knew it.’ On the street, soldiers and civilians alike held their heads very low. Some cried, others merely shook their heads. Líran watched.
‘He stood up,’ said Coalim, ‘that’s why he died.’
Vivianne pushed her crushes to him with so much force that he took a step back.
‘You,’ she pointed at a soldier. ‘Talk to me. Has Olivier escaped?’
‘Yes, madam.’
‘Do you know where he’s gone to?’
‘No, madam.’
‘Did anybody follow him?’
‘No, madam.’
‘How many men are with him?’
‘I don’t know, madam, but we arested Erla.’
‘Well done. You,’ she turned to the other soldiers. ‘Cover the bodies.’ To the civilians, she said: ‘We will need wagons to carry the dead.’
Suddenly, everybody began to move. Soldiers straightened up and started taking care of the dead, civilians began to collect wood for the funeral pyres and Vivianne put a woman in charge of orcanizing the funeral. Then she walked to the middle of the blood and put a hand on Joanna’s shoulder. Gently, she made Joanna let go of Maurice and helped her to stand.
‘Líran,’ said Vivianne, ‘take Joanna home. Stay with her.’
Líran took Joanna’s hand, but her purple eyes remained with Vivianne, who turned to Coalim and took back her crutches.
‘Those who stand die only if they are alone. We’ll stand, all of us, too many of us. No more bushes, only oaks. Go search for Pierre,’ she told Coalim. ‘I’m going to talk to Erla.’
