This was the worst of times for him to be incapacitated. "Then it is even more important that I go to the locations where our cities once were. Something must remain. If I can find even six ounces of elgan steel or karo myrrh, then we can make an antidote."
"You will not find it. Those who destroyed our cities were thorough. If you cannot find even the roots of our cities, you would not find even scraps of medicine or its components."
"Did your mysterious informant say why this was done? And by whose hand?"
"The Abliatos. Some faction of the Tiablos that rose up. They performed some sorcery to stop the Grey Season and bind it up, but no one knows how or how long before it breaks."
"Sorcery is not something which the Tiablos often pursue," Naatos said contemplatively. "But stranger things have happened. Is it secure?"
"My informant does not know. The risk to us is that the bonds may fail at some point, and it would come crashing down upon us all. At that point, it would be the force of more than two centuries. Even if we were to set up a home in this place, we could not hope to be prepared for it."
"If it has been held back for more than fifty years, then most of the world could not survive it. As Paras, we would be considering an evacuation and conservation plan."
"Yes." AaQar nodded. "It would be cataclysmic. So… as we have no hope to survive it, we should continue on until we find a better place. A more defensible place. The rels are an issue as well."
"All the more reason for us to search where our cities were."
"Naatos." AaQar stopped short. He sighed. "I know what you would do, and I understand it. But you will find nothing, and we will all fall. Except Amelia. It is better for you to remain with us at the camp. We will prepare, and then we will pass through it."
He scoffed. "If this goes as you intend, we will be incapacitated for six —"
"At least ten," AaQar interrupted.
He glanced at him sidelong. "Ten days and nights. The only one left standing would be—"
"Amelia. Yes. I know." AaQar resumed walking. He chuckled darkly. "There is an almost amusing irony to it, you must admit."
"AaQar, even if it were only for three days, she could not maintain this camp. Not with all of the requirements and the dangers. That is too much to ask of anyone who is not like us."
"Ordinarily I would agree, but we have no choice. So I am asking that you remain. And that you prepare her for this. And that you do not attempt what I know you will want to."
He raised an eyebrow. The surge might be precisely what they needed. That alone made it worth the pain and risk.
AaQar continued on. "You are not so difficult to read as you like to think, little brother. I am grateful that you are willing to endure great agony in the hope that it will result in your regaining your strength and adaptations and allowing you to care for us. But in this case, I fear that it will be insufficient. If you are determined to go through with it, you must do it in our camp so that if the worst should come to the worst, Amelia may tend to you."
Naatos's nerves tightened as all of his muscles tensed. "I do not require her care," he said sharply. "I have never asked for her care."
AaQar cast him a knowing glance. "The ilzinium is stronger than any you have encountered, and you are strained even without it or the huanna. I do not think you would survive what you are thinking. But you will if you accept that it is coming and do all that you can to strengthen yourself. Prepare the camp."
"Of course we will prepare the camp," Naatos said. "But once it is secured, I will—"
"Do not do it." AaQar's brow knit with concern. "Naatos, I know you think you would be able to save us. But it will cost you your life, and it will leave us no better for the loss."
"What do you propose we do then?" Naatos demanded. "Slide into tortured slumber until our bodies deem us fit to fight again and leave the defense and maintenance of the camp to a Neyeb?"
"Your veskaro? My sister? Our hope?" AaQar lifted his chin. "She is not so strong as a Vawtrian, I grant you that. It's even worse knowing she has some overpowered monster hiding somewhere in her mind, but what choice do we have? She is far more resilient and insistent than most Neyeb we have encountered. I would not be comfortable asking even a Vawtrian to handle what we must ask her to do. But she is the only one whom we can ask to help in this matter. There is no alternative."
"There is one."
"If you stab yourself through the heart to take yourself to death's door so that you can trigger the surge, then when I return to consciousness, I will kuvaste you."
"To kuvaste me, you and I would both have to live."
"I am serious, brother. Do not do this."
"Amelia cannot do this alone."
"You would not survive, Naatos. Much as it offends you, I ask that you trust I know your strength better in this matter."
Naatos scoffed. "I would not do it if there was any other alternative."
"There is an alternative. We trust Amelia."
"AaQar—"
"You're the one who wanted to be with her. You just had to kiss her. Even though I told you not to. You did it anyway, and look at you now." AaQar gave him an appraising glance, then shook his head as he continued on.
"I don't see how that is relevant to this conversation." Obviously his brother was feeling better than even two weeks ago. Matters couldn't be entirely dire if he wanted to bring up this point.
"It's part of the reason you won't be strong enough. You are already facing challenges because of the lack of consummation, and the ilzinium will tax you further. It is unlikely you will convince Amelia to vestov you within the next forty-eight hours. And given the rate of this inflammation, you won't even be in the mood if she were receptive to your advances."
"She can be infuriating, but I have been making progress," he muttered. "It wouldn't even take that long."
"It won't happen at all with that attitude," AaQar said. "You can't just throw her up against a tree or a boulder and have your way. You must woo her, and the problem there is that that means her needs come first. Not yours. Which means that this is a terrible time to even be considering it. Especially not if you intend to growl at her like that."
"I wasn't going to growl at her. I had other plans. You are the one who took me away from that to tell me our people are lost, we're alone on this world, and someone is walking through your dreams whispering you secrets."
AaQar gave him a sympathetic smile. "You both will be in the same place and ready for the same thing in time. And that time will come when it is right. Until then, no growling. And no surging. We have more than enough to do as it stands without you making matters worse for all of us."
Naatos scoffed, but he did not doubt this truth. The other truth that troubled him though was that he could not envision any scenario in which Amelia did succeed in caring for all of them.
He loved her, but he was not delusional regarding her abilities. Nor was he easily impressed.
His veskaro had many strengths. This simply wasn't one of them. How ironic if this then was how the prophecy was to be fulfilled, through her inability to keep them alive rather than outright killing them.
Indeed, that seemed more likely to be the way someone like Elonumato would fulfill the prophecy. Even more likely than her becoming some soul ripping monster who tore them apart. And that thought settled hard within Naatos.
19
Preparations
It did not take much longer to reach the camp. Amelia mulled over WroOth's words, troubled by what was to come and calculating what she would need to care for the three of them, assuming Naatos did not collapse under the ilzinium's effects. Which was better to hope? Hard to say.
QueQoa sat on the log near the fire, a large haunch of meat resting on the stones. He lifted his hand in greeting as they approached. "Where are Naatos and AaQar?"
"Talking. They are apparently confident we will not cause too much trouble for them in their absence. But that is always something we could change."
WroOth crossed over to the fire, his manner easy though that uncertain tension still radiated from him. "You're all healed then?"
"More or less. It may take some time." QueQoa picked up the meat and offered it to both of them, the hot grease dripping onto the ground. He did not appear to notice the heat.
She shook her head. "I don't think I have much of an appetite at the moment. Just give me a bit." Despite her hunger, all that blood had soured her appetite for the moment.
"I can't afford not to have one." QueQoa tore off another chunk and ate it thoughtfully. "I've got until tomorrow. Noon perhaps. Or a little longer. That venom…" He rubbed his neck and shoulder where the bite had once been.
"It was far worse than it should have been." WroOth sat beside his brother and nudged him. "You're not all the way back yet, are you?"
"Making my way." QueQoa forced a smile, but the lines in his face remained. The usual ruddy warmth had faded along with his strength, and his deep-blue eyes lacked their usual brightness. Despite his great muscles and large form, he seemed smaller. Sicklier. "I have enough to help prepare the camp. Then onto nightmares."
"WroOth mentioned the nightmares." Amelia frowned. It wasn't so much what he said as the odd pulses of emotion in varying strength that rippled out to her from both him and WroOth. They were clearer from each, like little globes that reached her and drew into her own consciousness. And both held a great fear of these nightmares. "Why does the ilzinium make it worse?"
"Ilzinium has certain properties," WroOth said. The discordance between what he felt and how he spoke almost hurt. He spoke the words with lightness, almost carefree. But they hung heavy with dread. "Properties that often result in nightmares. For some multiples. For others one. A single point. Usually the worst point. Or what seems like the worst at the moment." The smile twitched at his lips, yet it did not reach his eyes. "Such joys await, I'm certain."
QueQoa's gaze drifted beyond the hill. "There is always a way through. It simply is not pleasant."
Amelia circled the fire. She then picked up a few logs and placed them beneath the roasting meat. Sparks flew. Perhaps that was something she could help with. Her books were here, after all. At least a couple. There had to be something that a Neyeb could do for nightmares. Though with everything else that caring for this camp would require, did she have the time? She didn't want to promise if she didn't know.
QueQoa sighed. "You should eat too."
WroOth had already moved to circle the camp. He walked along the inner edge of the clearing. "This isn't a terrible space of course. The ravine provides some protection. It is a good place to rest. Were this another time, we could have built an entire home here."
The brush rustled as Naatos and AaQar appeared. Surprisingly, AaQar appeared far more at peace and Naatos somewhat disturbed. The latter was not especially surprising. But he had seemed in much better humor before. Now whatever it was plucked within his mind to a song she could almost hear. Only she wouldn't. She refused to let that awareness in.
She drew back to the other side of the fire, hugging herself.
Naatos glanced at her. For a moment, his gaze met hers, his crystal-blue eyes piercing her with a combination of longing and annoyance. He'd noticed she'd moved away from him, and he didn't like it. Which… oh well.
She arched her eyebrow slightly in response.
He set his arms akimbo as he glanced to his brothers. "As you've probably guessed, we'll be staying in this place for several days longer. Perhaps as long as three weeks. We only have a limited amount of time before most of this camp will be incapacitated. We do not yet have all the ingredients we require to create more rels, nor can we make an antidote for the ilzinium. This means that we have to conserve our resources and pass through this the long way. So we prepare this camp. We prepare food. We prepare whatever we need. And we survive."
She kept her arms tight around herself. Survive and later fight over what was to be.
He continued, his tone brisk. "QueQoa, you'll stay close to the camp. AaQar will as well. Amelia, you don't leave the camp for any reason. The last thing we need is to be pulling you out of a casket weaver's gullet."
She rolled her eyes but said nothing. It wasn't as if she looked for that sort of situation. It wasn't as if she tried to get attacked. Or as if she knew what a casket weaver was. Except that it likely was large and dangerous—like everything else. It did sound rather spiderish though, and she could certainly do without encountering more of them.
"We need to prepare to remain here for three weeks. Hopefully less and certainly no longer." He removed his spear and spiraled it out to a full eight feet. "WroOth, get into the suphrite. You don't need to be hunting while you're still healing." With that he turned and left.
WroOth sighed. "It doesn't matter how old you get, older siblings never see you as fully grown."
"Because you aren't." AaQar offered him a half smile. "He's right though. You should get healed before you go to the hunt. It won't fix everything, but it will give you more time. Now go."
"You'd best be close behind," he countered as he started toward the hill. "It isn't as if you're in perfect condition either."
Amelia frowned as she peered into the pot. There were sticks floating in with it. Using the spoon, she fished two out. "The branches are edible here?"
"No." AaQar began sorting through one of the packs. "Come with me, and I'll show you all I can. You've got a lot to learn."
She tossed the branches away and followed him. As promised, he taught her everything that he could, showing her where to dig for bulbs that were essentially spring onions and yellow onions. Small clusters of chives and thyme as well as parsley and something that was so close to coriander that she decided to call it that. Other herbs and plants like grey-leaf lamb's foot, camel stems, and sleeping sage had medicinal benefits, mostly around reducing inflammation and encouraging healing. "Inkberries and forest hemp are what you will need if you continue reading minds and struggle with headaches; they are also useful in strengthening your barriers, especially when combined with walnuts and the like."
She crouched near the delicate bush with the small clusters of berries, three to a stem. "They don't look ripe yet."
"They aren't. But we need to make this a priority. Especially as we travel. You need to pay attention to those mental barriers and your strength as a mindreader. If anything goes wrong—"He paused, then forced a thin smile. "Not that it will. But if you find strange things happening, you'll tell us."
"It probably depends on what you consider strange." She fingered the leaf, filing its shape, texture, and scent in her mind along with the others. "Everything has seemed strange lately."
"Anything that unnerves you or frightens you. And if something should try to speak to you in your dreams, you know not to speak back, yes?"
She pursed her lips. "I usually have a lot to say to anything that has something to say to me."
"Hmmm. But if something asks you to let it out, you don't let it out?"
"Is there something you're trying to tell me?" This line of questioning was very odd, and he felt odd on top of it.
"No. It's just good advice in general. Perhaps we shouldn't talk about it. If you ever need a makeshift weapon, chiron oaks are some of the best if you can find a fallen branch. But they are incredibly hard to break off if they aren't ready yet."
AaQar refused to be brought back into a clearer discussion of what he had meant, and, though she had questions, Amelia chose not to pursue it. Instead, she focused on learning all she could about this wilderness and how to live in it.
While she and AaQar foraged, WroOth brought back wood and branches. QueQoa finished marking a large box and then began to dig. "Wilderness smoke," he said when he caught Amelia watching him. "It's the best for curing meat like this. Especially when it has to last for days."
"That's a pretty good-sized smoker," she said.
"We will have a lot of meat to smoke."
As if on cue, a large carcass with
a thick green hide fell out of the air and struck the edge of the clearing.
AaQar sighed, then cupped his hands around his mouth. "Naatos, walk it in next time," he shouted. A loud croaking bellow followed, presumably some sort of answer. Shaking his head, AaQar turned to Amelia. "He's showing off for you. I'm sure you're impressed."
Amelia stared at the enormous beast. It was almost twice the size of a cow. "Not the way I think he wants me to be. Is he not coming to the camp?"
"Not yet. Soon though. Do you miss him?"
"Nope." She picked up the rope. "Prepping this is going to take a while."
"You have experience?"
"Joseph taught me." Her chest tightened, and a spasm of homesickness rippled through her. How much time had passed since she had left in his perspective? It had been days for her. It could have been moments or days or even years for him. Perhaps it was for the best that he was not here. She could not imagine how she would explain this. Or how she would explain what was happening with Naatos. The heat changed, and the tightness passed from her shoulder blades to her spine and her core. That was the last thing she needed.
At least hard work was available, and that gave her something to focus on. AaQar did not seem to be in much of a mood to talk either. So she changed back into her old ragged gown (now without sleeves and part of the train) and set to work, letting the green gown soak in the suphrite at AaQar's suggestion.
The hours passed slowly, and the time filled with tasks. In between prepping the meat and QueQoa working on the smokehouse and cooking some for their dinner, Amelia found herself with little time to think of anything complicated. Each time her thoughts drifted, she brought them back and let herself dwell on better memories and the simple steps that this work required.
Well before the sun set, she and AaQar had the carcasses up in the tree over the ravine with the blood draining.
The smokehouse in the far southern corner was crudely made but still efficient, and it was nearly done. WroOth had likewise amassed a great pile of twigs and logs and other similar materials including a stack of rocks almost as tall as she was. The brothers' ability to become various creatures with particular abilities had made all of this much simpler and far faster.
Wilderness Untamed Page 19