"She is stronger than she appears. She will find a way." AaQar did not speak with the conviction Naatos would have preferred. Especially given how strongly he had spoken earlier.
"Fourteen days and nights without break or extended rest?"
"Neyeb manage sleeplessness better than Awdawms. In some cases better than us."
"It isn't only staying awake, and you know that. The sarsqueches were pressing their advantage, and the dolmaths will tax her every moment of the night."
"So your plan is to drive yourself to death faster than all the rest of us combined and see whether the surge is enough to force an adaptation? You realize that that is a highly dangerous plan. More dangerous than entrusting yourself to your veskaro. If you had any chance of avoiding collapse, you are giving it up. Giving it up and putting yourself at risk unnecessarily."
That was an unappealing thought on many levels, their most recent dispute aside. Neither she nor he would benefit from his helplessness. "She cannot be left to manage our survival entirely on her own for two days, let alone two weeks. I would not ask that of any of us."
"It doesn't matter whether we would. It is what it will be. And there are tools we can prepare for her to make it easier."
"No tool we fashion will be enough to prevent the exhaustion or allow her to overcome her sheer terror at the dolmaths."
"So… you will either find the cure or you will push yourself through it. What if the surge fails? The suphrite won't be enough then. Naatos, I cannot help you. Neither can WroOth nor QueQoa. Not unless you do it before we fall. And even then—" AaQar shook his head, his brow pinched and his eyes worried. "If your strength is not enough and if there is no antidote, then you will die."
"I will not die."
AaQar scoffed. The thin lines in his brow deepened. "You think declaring it is enough? You must not do this alone. If you return before I fall, I will oversee it. But otherwise, I implore you not to."
Naatos paused. "Keep her as safe as you can. I will return at dawn or a little after."
"Take the food though."
He shook his head. "I have no need of it."
AaQar's jaw tightened. He seized the bag and thrust it into Naatos's arms. "There are times when you play well at being a fool. This should not be one of those times. You do not spend years telling me to value my life and then cease to value your own. And if we weren't in such a state already, I'd kuvaste you for even considering this."
"I will be back at dawn or a little after," Naatos repeated, his voice firm but lacking animosity. He recognized the fear in his brother's face, and he could not condemn it. It mirrored the fear which he himself felt. And one day perhaps his brother would understand. Perhaps even now he did. But regardless, it seemed there was only one way, and he had to see whether the ruins of the other cities held anything that might keep that from coming true.
22
Small Comforts
The night passed slowly. WroOth did not lack for stories when the panic returned, and, though he allowed her to take shifts with driving back the dolmaths, he did not rest. His warmth comforted her though.
AaQar returned after a few minutes. Naatos did not.
No one commented on this, and Amelia suspected that he had gone to deal with some pressing matter or simply to hunt. He liked hunting when he was stressed.
In truth, it was also good to have a break from him. He had made enormous strides in terms of being understanding. His presence, though no longer so terrifying, swirled about her constantly when he was near.
When morning's light at last splintered the dark, the dolmaths relented. Those sleeping stirred. They shook themselves, rubbed their mandibles silently against one another, and fluffed their shiny blue velvet fur. Then, they all lifted their heads and scurried away. A few others scurried past, moving through the camp as if it were part of their course.
Amelia breathed with relief and slumped back against WroOth.
He patted her shoulder. "You see, dear heart? You made it through the night." He released her and then pushed off the boulder. His boots struck the ground hard, but he did not act as if it hurt even a little. Turning, he reached for her. "Come on."
Her muscles still ached. She slid off, letting WroOth catch her and help her down the rest of the way. Even so, her landing was a little rough, jarring her to her core.
She rubbed her arms. Her fingers caught on the ridgework of scars beneath her sleeves. Another shudder coursed through her. "Those really come back every night?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so." He hugged her from the side. "But I would wager that in less than a month, you will be snuggling them, naming them, and trying to convince us to let you take some along so you can keep your favorites."
QueQoa stepped away from the fire and offered them both fresh pieces of meat wrapped in leaves. His face was unnaturally pale, his lips chapped, but he smiled anyway. "It isn't wise to keep dolmaths as pets though. They like to roam. It's what keeps them happiest."
"This is true; if they like you enough, they will follow you, but it isn't wise to keep them against their will," WroOth conceded. He frowned as he looked about the camp. "Where is Naatos? He should be back from hunting by now."
"He hasn't gone hunting." AaQar had already risen from his trench and was folding his grey blanket. "He has gone to see whether any of the cities stand and to see if he can find elgan steel."
"Alone?" WroOth demanded. "You let him go alone?" He looked toward the forest.
"He knows it's a slim chance. He is going to Tuvron and Sahl."
"Someone should have gone with him—"
AaQar cut him off. "It is a slim chance, but one that must be explored. And if he finds what he seeks, we will all escape this."
"And if not," QueQoa said.
"If not, we will have prepared this camp to endure. And it will fall to Amelia to keep us going." AaQar began stoking the fire. "Our first priorities will be building up our stores."
"QueQoa, are you—" Amelia paused, not knowing how to phrase this. Of course he wasn't all right. "You don't look like you feel well. Is there something we can do?"
He smiled harder, but it appeared more pained now. His eyes had gone dull. Streaks of red reached up along his neck at the edges of his doublet. "More time in the suphrite, I suppose."
AaQar began coughing into his fist. His entire body shook as the coughs intensified.
"Sounds like you'll need to join him," WroOth said. He gave his brother a couple solid strikes to the back.
"We are swiftly nearing the point at which the suphrite won't heal enough to be worth the time." AaQar wiped his hand on a leaf and cast it into the fire. He raised an eyebrow though as he studied QueQoa. "We'll eat. Then we need to tend to that wound."
Breakfast was a quiet and swift affair. As AaQar and QueQoa went to tend to the wound on QueQoa's shoulder and side, Amelia helped WroOth clean up and prepare the camp.
"Is the ilzinium making this worse in general or are cabizas just that dangerous?" she asked. Naatos was out and alone during all this. Had he met with some trouble? He'd said that he would be back at dawn or shortly after. When it came to his family, it wasn't like him to not keep a promise.
"The venom on that cabiza was strange." WroOth rinsed the wooden plate in the cold stream of water. "More like manticore and cabiza and maybe something else."
"Not that I'm surprised, but you actually have manticores here?" She fished out more branches from the soup and then tasted the broth. It was far too salty.
"They're not indigenous to Ecekom, but there were some here as pets and for other purposes. They may have gotten free. Or someone may have been doing something they really shouldn't have." WroOth shook the water off the plates and then set them end up next to the boulder.
"This might be a stupid thing to ask, but given how fast Vawtrians heal and your shifting, can't QueQoa just heal around the venom and dissolve the pouch or whatever it is that's causing the problem?"
"No. Manticore venom is espe
cially problematic. It forms these veins that run along the blood vessels and which contain a measure of shapeshifting as well. They thread their way through the heart and other vital organs. Even if we were to cut off his entire arm and let it grow back, well, first he would probably die because he's too weak to heal that much now. Second, those strands of venom would regrow in the limb. The only way to remove it is to give him the anti-venom or to let his natural healing fight his way through."
"But the suphrite will keep him going? He's going to be all right?"
He nodded, but his expression remained somber. "The suphrite helps, and he is strong. This world just got stronger too. Stronger and meaner and… emptier. But don't get too attached to this place. We'll be finding our way off soon enough. Then we'll restore the timeline back to what it was."
She wasn't sure how that would work out. The words weren't meant to be spoken then though. Her gut warned her that this was the timeline they would always have. What did that mean for everyone she knew? Would she ever see Uncle Joe again? Jacinda? Matthu?
Her gut clenched as Matthu flashed through her mind again. Keep him safe, Elonumato.
"You'll see," WroOth continued. "It will all come together."
She opened her mouth to speak, then paused. It wasn't a good idea to ask. Except… she needed to know. "Do you think Naatos is all right?"
"If he isn't, I'll kill him." He dried his hands on the towel and sighed. "No, I'm sure he's fine. Of course he is. Of all of us, this is most suited to his temperament." He smirked. "You miss him?"
"This world is dangerous."
"It is."
She crossed over to remove her tablet from her satchel, her cheeks warming again. "I was surprised to realize your power source was compatible with this. It's still at full power."
He gave her a knowing look as he walked alongside her. Then he shrugged and pressed his lips in a thin line. "Tra is compatible with almost everything. Your devices are simple enough that it is hardly a drain. The technology on Ecekom is quite advanced. Was." He halted. "Was quite advanced." He sighed. "Anyway it's good that your device is as simple as it is because going through the Tue-Rah tends to drain tra badly. Even with the drain though, that should work for months. Perhaps longer. Which is good, because I am going to steal it from you later so I can read more of the stories you saved."
"I saved a lot." She hugged the tablet to her chest as she watched him. "If you want, I can recommend some."
"We'll probably have more than enough time for reading after a while. It's unfortunate that ilzinium renders us unconscious for so long. The time would be passed more pleasantly in other ways."
"If the worst happens, what do I need to know to take care of you all?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, AaQar's more skilled when it comes to medical knowledge, but I can give you the basics until he gets back. There's enough to do around here."
There certainly was. But WroOth was as good at handling multiple tasks as she, so as they cleaned and prepared the food and tended the smokehouse, he gave her what pointers he could. She noted these down on her tablet. They then started preparing the hides, first laying out the ilthun salt in a shallow pit at the south end of the camp.
WroOth assured her that rubbing the hides in this and then letting them soak in the water for a day or so would cure them better than any Awdawm method. "Whatever we need we make," he said.
Amelia had returned to preparing the meat for smoking by the time AaQar returned. He and WroOth spoke quickly, summarizing what both had done and what had been shared. Then WroOth left to hunt. QueQoa was to remain in the suphrite for at least another hour. She listened, aware of the sparking emotions and sharp concerns that neither brother spoke of. They didn't have as much time as they thought; Naatos wasn't back; the ilzinium was stronger than they'd concluded even the day before.
Things weren't good.
AaQar picked up one of the stones and a relatively straight stick as he crossed over to her. Worry lines marked the edges of his eyelids and along his cheekbones.
She placed the meat on the dock leaves. "WroOth said that getting food to you all when you're unconscious is going to be the most difficult and essential part. I know that we're limited to what we have here, but do Vawtrians ever have to worry about protein poisoning or scurvy or anything like that?"
"Too little fat can be a problem," AaQar said. "Calories are ultimately the most important. Sugars are more difficult. Fats and proteins are best." He tested the strength of the handle. "For you, it's a different story entirely. Neyeb require certain fats and vitamins in high quantities. You will get protein poisoning in about five weeks if we don't find enough greens and berries. That fortunately should not be too difficult. Especially given your interest in foraging and the fact that we will do all we can to find whatever you need."
She managed to smile though she didn't feel it. "I'll grind up the roasted meat to thicken the broth. I don't imagine simple broth would be enough for all of you. I'm just worried about choking so it'll have to be pounded fine."
AaQar shook his head. "You won't be able to provide enough to stop all of the deterioration. Whatever you can do will help, but it won't fix it. We will all emerge from this exhausted and near starvation." He set the handle aside. As he tried to change the stone into the right shape, his muscles strained. Sweat shone on his forehead.
"Something is better than nothing though."
"True." AaQar held up the now-finished ax. He coughed again, harder this time. "Hopefully you will not need this. We will try to have more than enough wood laid in, but you must not ever let the fires go out at night. Light prevents the dolmaths from massing."
"It could be worse than last night?" Amelia cut free another slab of meat. A shudder coursed through her.
"Much worse. We are intoxicating to them, but only the ones who do not mind the firelight. Moreover we will have fevers. The added heat will make us even more desirable. If the fire goes out, you will have anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes before they start massing, presuming there isn't a large nest nearby, which I suspect there is. WroOth is going to find it so we know better what we're dealing with. This means you will need to work swiftly. If for some reason you have to be out in the wilderness at night, bear that in mind as well."
"Even with the fire, should I be worried? Practically speaking I mean. Will they smother you?"
"They shouldn't," he said. "But they will try very hard to take us to their den. While ordinarily that would not be a problem, if that happens now—" He turned to look at her. "I will not soften this. If the dolmaths take us, we will not easily survive if we are not freed from their den. Usually we can count on the surge, a final rush of healing energy and strength, to get us through the crisis."
"And that won't work now?" Amelia asked.
"My instincts warn that for both QueQoa and I, this is too much. There will be no surge. WroOth may. Even so. I fear that the strain from the ilzinium and the fact that we cannot remove ourselves from it will put such an option out of bounds. Or result in a surge too weak to allow the needed response."
"So it's like trying to survive drowning while remaining underwater."
"More or less. Naatos is the most likely to succeed in such an endeavor," AaQar said. "He mastered fire in a similar fashion."
"Channeling fire or generating it?"
"Being burned." AaQar chuckled at Amelia's incredulous expression. "He has frequently used the surge. At least compared to most Vawtrians. It is an unpleasant and risky pursuit that has a great many opportunities for complications. Given all that has happened, I fear it is too much for even him."
"Sounds just the sort of thing he would do." Amelia continued chopping the meat. She glanced up at the sky. It was more than three hours past dawn now. "Will he be all right out there?"
"I'm certain he is. He's navigated harsher places than this alone. Not that we agreed with his decision to do so. But he can be difficult to reason with."
&nbs
p; "The cabiza attacked WroOth and QueQoa when they were scouting."
"Knowing Naatos, he will take steps to mask his scent and to avoid drawing attention. I gave him some rels as well in case he has need. But he will find the truth of our cities. There will be no rest for him until he does."
The way AaQar said that gave Amelia an oddly frightened sensation. She knew already what he feared. Even worse she knew what he believed beneath that fear. That it was as the dream said. That all were gone. That Ecekom had reverted to its state before sentients or something quite like that. There was something else which he held as well. Not related to Ecekom. It stuck out like a blister on a thumb. But it still felt rude to pry.
"You don't need to worry about him. He'll be back before you know it," he continued. "Though he'd likely appreciate your concern for him."
He said it more for himself than for her, she thought. Accepting and recognizing other people's thoughts and recognizing the underlying intent of words was growing easier. She didn't even notice the intensification against her senses as much. "I'm sure he will," she said. "If anyone is good at surviving."
A coughing spasm shook him like a gale. He braced his shoulders when he finished.
"Do you need to rest again? I can keep going here."
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
That wasn't true, but Amelia kept chopping up the meat, knowing better than to comment further.
The thought of managing this entire camp with all of them as invalids frightened her. Caring for them while they were in prison had had its challenges, especially politically. But this took her to a far more difficult place. There were no Machat to help her move the bodies just as there were no Ayamin to threaten her. The isolation was both good and bad.
"May I ask something that could be awkward?"
"If I weren't intrigued, no. But since I am…" He nodded in her direction.
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