Kingmaker

by Eric Zawadzki

CHAPTER 34

  Halfway down the slope, Nolen announced he had found a large, shallow source of water. Butu glanced at Amber, who didn’t register any surprise at this obviously magical feat.

  “My feet hurt,” she complained. “And my wrists are chafed.”

  Blay glanced after the patrol, which had still been quite far away. He nodded to himself.

  “We’ll make a camp down here. It’s as good a spot as any.” Blay gestured to Retus. “Help me set up camp. Nolen, Phedam, look for that water.”

  Amber adjusted her pryud and held out her hands to Butu. “Off,” she commanded.

  “Now listen here, Akdren,” Butu said, trying his own hand at indignation. “You are my prisoner. I will make the decision to untie you when I’m ready to.”

  Her hands did not move. “Off,” she repeated.

  “No,” he said, firmly.

  “Off.”

  “No!”

  “Off.”

  “Shanabu, Butu!” Blay said. “If you’re worried about it, tie up her ankles and remove the rope from her hands.” He glared at Amber. “I’ve never heard anyone more annoying than you. Makes me glad I don’t have sisters.” He turned away.

  Butu jumped then — he felt the large source of water Nolen had spoken of. Amber complained, but he dragged her after him in search of Nolen and Phedam. They crouched near a small circle of rocks sticking out of the sand a few hundred yards from the camp.

  “What’ve we got, Nolen?” Butu called as he approached them.

  “Looks like an old well,” Nolen called back.

  “That’d be a welcome break from the taste of sand in my mouth.”

  Phedam and Retus were at the center of the circle, ladling sand out of it with makeshift spades crafted from their swords by Nolen. Phedam kept digging as Butu reached them, but Retus left the circle to drink from his waterskin.

  There was a loud tchunk as Phedam’s spade struck something beneath the sand. “Looks like they were even kind enough to cover it for us,” he announced.

  “Excellent.” Nolen grinned. “The less digging we have to do to get it, the sweeter this water will taste.”

  “Oh, water,” Amber mumbled through chapped lips.

  Retus lowered his waterskin and shook it dramatically to show it was empty. “Let’s finish the job, then. I’m still thirsty.”

  Phedam’s spade scraped across the wood, pushing sand from it. Retus lowered his skin and stepped forward to work again Then, with a crunch, Phedam disappeared. A collective gasp later, they heard a splash.

  “Phedam!” Nolen shouted, scrambling to the side of the well. “You all right?”

  “Yeah,” Phedam’s voice echoed back, dazed but not worried. “You were right about the water, Nolen. It’s not deep, but it sure tastes good.”

  Nolen chuckled. “We’ll have you out of there in a minute. Try not to drink so much that we can’t lift you out.”

  “I’ll get rope,” Retus volunteered, jogging back to the camp.

  Butu nodded, and he and Amber joined Nolen at the edge of the well. He could just make out Phedam’s silhouette against the glimmer of flowing water. He clung to something on the wall.

  “You should be careful,” Amber said. “In the Riphil, there’s giant crocodiles and fish that eat people.”

  “Thanks,” Phedam said drily, then yelped.

  “What’s wrong?” Nolen called, frowning.

  “Something bit me,” Phedam complained. He sounded afraid.

  “Hold tight,” Butu told him in what he hoped was a reassuring voice, though he had doubts.

  “Trying to.”

  “Snake!” Amber cried, leaping back and nearly jerking the rope from Butu’s hands.

  Then Phedam began to howl in pain. The sound was chilling and the echo made it worse, and Butu felt hairs rise on the back of his neck. They could hear Phedam thrashing in the water.

  Butu screamed over his shoulder, “Retus, run! Bring Blay!”

  Phedam was panicking, now. “They’re everywhere! Help me, quick!”

  Nolen pressed the makeshift shovel into Butu’s hands, his eyes wide with fright. “I’m going down after him. Pull me out with this.”

  Before Butu could react, Nolen was gone with another splash. Phedam’s cries were weakening.

  Retus ran up, tossing a coil of rope at Butu. “I got it. Blay’s coming.”

  Butu dropped the spade and grabbed a loop of the rope. He flung the rest down, then called, “I’m lowering a rope!”

  For a long, breathless moment, nothing happened. Then someone tugged on the rope.

  “Pull!” Butu cried, putting all his strength into the endeavor.

  Retus was there immediately, and Blay arrived a moment later to help without asking any questions. The surprise was Amber, closest to him, pulling with as much strength as she could. Nolen’s arm came out first, followed by his head and shoulders. He looked wet and worried, more than anything. He held Phedam under the shoulders with his other arm, and Butu would have marveled aloud at this feat of strength if he hadn’t seen Phedam.

  Phedam’s face was swollen where red bite marks marred it, and his whole body was limp. Retus gasped as the unconscious sordenu flopped onto the sand. Blay examined the injuries on Phedam’s face before checking the rest of his body for similar marks.

  “Did you see the snakes that made these?” Blay demanded. Nolen shook his head.

  “Is he going to be all right?” Retus murmured.

  Blay shook his head, his face a mask of worry. “If those were sand adders, there’s nothing I can do for him.”

  “What about magic?” Nolen asked desperately, panting. “Can magic save him?”

  “He’s in his third cycle, same as the rest of you. He might not have any magic left in him.”

  “Butu and I can use magic.”

  Butu nodded, not even thinking about making sure Amber didn’t know.

  “Kid stuff doesn’t work that way. Phedam needs a blood priest, and even if we had one, he might not live long enough.”

  Nolen shook his friend. “Phedam! You’ve got to fight it! Wake up!” He himself shivered a lot.

  Butu and Blay exchanged glances. No one should be shaking that much just because they were wet.

  Blay laid a hand on Nolen’s shoulder. He spoke in a rush. “Nolen, did anything down there bite you? I can’t help him, but I might be able to help you.”

  Nolen shook him away and continued shaking Phedam. “I’m fine.” His teeth chattered.

  “No,” Amber said. “Look at his leg.”

  Blay took a step back and looked at Nolen without speaking. At last, his gaze settled on a tear in the younger sordenu’s pants. Butu followed his gaze and saw blood and venom oozing out of it.

  The corporal spoke in a measured tone, but his voice shook. “Nolen, it is very important we tend your wound right now. Sand adder or water thief, whatever bit you was poisonous.”

  Nolen covered the bite with one hand and said nothing, not looking at them.

  Blay shot Butu and Retus an intense look, and they both nodded. A moment later, Nolen was kicking and screaming as his squadmates held him down on the sand and stripped off his pants. Blay cut open the wound and poured water into it to flush out some of the poison. They tied a strip of cloth tightly around Nolen’s leg and took turns sucking out the poison. The taste of blood made Butu gag.

  Before they were done, Nolen was drenched in sweat and shivering as if freezing cold. Not far away, Phedam moaned softly, and they all hesitated to look at him. He was still unconscious, but he looked better off than Nolen.

  “We can’t help him,” Blay reminded them. “But we can help Nolen. Butu, let’s get him back to the tent. Retus, do we have anything left to burn?”

  “I’ll find something,” Retus promised, running off.

  Butu and Blay lifted up Nolen’s limp body and brought him to the tent. Amber trailed after them. Blay rummaged in his pack. He only spared Butu a glance.

  “Go watch o
ver Phedam. If he wakes up, bring him back here.”

  “Is Nolen going to be...”

  “I’ll do everything I can,” Blay growled impatiently. “Now go!”

  Butu nodded. He suddenly remembered Amber. He turned around, expecting her to be gone, but she was right behind him. Wordlessly, she handed him her leash, which he had dropped.

  “One of my brothers ...” She stopped. “He got better, though, and I think you’re younger than he was.”

  “Thanks,” he said, and led her back to the well.