Wilderness Untamed

by Butler, J. M.

  Turning to face him, she lifted her shoulder. "What?"

  "Your heel." He tilted his head, staring intently at her foot.

  She started to draw it back, but he had already caught hold of it. "It has spread."

  She flailed forward, grabbing the stone basin to steady herself. "Naatos! I was standing on that."

  "This has grown a lot." He scowled, pressing the skin around the dark tissue on her foot.

  "Only a little bit."

  "Are you in pain?"

  She shook her head and twisted her foot free. "It's not as bad as it looks. It hasn't affected my balance. It just feels like a bruise."

  His expression suggested he was not convinced. "The suphrite has not fixed this."

  "Nope." She smoothed her red skirt down. It was strange being so close to him again with him conscious. Her skin prickled at the nearness of his touch. At his warmth. Images from the dreams flashed back into her mind, and she wanted to sweep her arms around him.

  "That worries me."

  "Why? Because necrotic tissue is a bad thing?" She quirked her mouth in a crooked smile, pulling farther away. "Because in all my years of medical training, that was never brought up."

  He started to retort, but then realization flashed in his eyes. "It's good to see you still have your sense of humor."

  "Till the day I die."

  "Before that day comes, I would ask a favor of you."

  She set her hands on her waist. "Oh?" Did he ask for favors? This was new.

  "Go soak your foot in the suphrite for at least an hour. Then come back and rest. We'll see if that fixes it."

  She gestured around the camp. "I need to—"

  "No. You've done enough. I'm awake. I've eaten. I can handle the rest of this."

  She chuckled as she circled the fire and began adding the logs. "You've not even been awake two hours."

  "Believe me, I am well enough to handle matters. And if I am not, I will get you."

  Shaking her head, she finished stoking the fire. "No."

  He growled through his teeth. "Amelia."

  "I don't think you're strong enough, and it isn't going to kill either of us for me to be up awhile longer. So that's it. Either eat a bowl of soup or do something useful."

  His gaze darkened. "Do not press me on this issue, veskaro."

  She turned, casting a half-annoyed glance over her shoulder. "You're not as scary as you think. So unless you can make me, stop."

  Make me? Had she actually said that? The thought barely crossed her mind before he had pounced on her, tackling her to the ground. Within the space of a breath, she found herself pinned beneath him, his one arm around her and the other holding them up. "You've been more or less awake for two weeks and doing everything yourself. You're going to take of yourself. It is non-negotiable."

  "I guess you are feeling better," she remarked dryly.

  "Well enough to take you up on your offer before the casket weaver."

  "Oh, that was a one-time offer." She hesitated to put her hands on his chest. It was a silly thing to question when his body was lined perfectly against hers.

  "So you're going to go and soak your foot for an hour and then go sleep. Yes?"

  "Or what? You'll tackle me into the suphrite?"

  "It is an option."

  "I don't think I care for this as a negotiation tactic. Which means if I do what you say, then you've won. And that means you'll do it again."

  He narrowed his eyes. "Or we table it. You go take care of yourself. I handle the camp. And we talk about this later."

  "As long as you agree that this establishes nothing. Agreed?"

  "For now." He pressed himself off the ground and released her, moving back to his feet easily. Taking her by the hand, he helped her up as well. He then moved to dust the dirt from her gown.

  She swatted his hand away from her backside, her eyebrow arching. "Hey." She kept her finger pointed at him until she retrieved her book and then made her way over the hill. Not even two hours awake, and he was already driving her insane again. But not in a dreadful way. In fact, as she reached the warm waters, she realized she was smiling.

  If it weren't for her own nightmares, she could believe things might actually get better. And other than that, maybe it would. That was enough, wasn't it?

  * * *

  Naatos breathed with relief when she at last left. It was utterly ridiculous how stunning that woman was. It had been hard enough to modulate his healing abilities and maintain any shifting without intense focus. How long would that last?

  He picked up the bracelet and resumed carving. It was almost done. How much it stung that he had been so close and then collapsed. She'd been without protection the whole time. At least she hadn't succeeded in the dreamwalking and dreamweaving. It had been a kind thought, but it was too much. If he'd known he wouldn't finish the bracelet, he'd have taken back his concession that she should do it.

  That had been a miscalculation. His eyes narrowed as he finalized the design. There had been a lot of those lately.

  AaQar was probably right about telling her as well. His breath hissed through his teeth. Not yet though. Not with everything else. The thought of unleashing the Ki Valo Nakar on his beloved cut him deep. But what if it was already free?

  A low groan cut through the air.

  He glanced back in time to see AaQar stirring. His brother pushed himself out of the trench, his movements stiff and jerking as if he were quite old. "No surge?"

  He continued cutting the last of the lines into place. It was so close. "Unimportant."

  AaQar braced his hands against his back and drew in a long deep breath. Then, taking his time, he crossed to the large pot and ladled up soup for himself. "There were moments when I didn't think we were going to find a way out this time. Especially at the start."

  He rubbed his throat, the vestigial burn more memory than fact. He had thought the same. "It was beyond anything we've ever experienced or has been recorded."

  "If there had been children here, they would have died from it," AaQar continued. "And not only Vawtrian children. This is—this would harm all but the Machat, the Neyeb, and the Tiablos. And even they could not withstand the effects of such a sustained Grey Season. I fear we will find that their cities are gone as well."

  The thought had crossed Naatos's mind too. "The serum didn't seem to work either. Amelia said it helped QueQoa's wound heal, but that was it. What remains of the death sorrel has already wilted."

  AaQar ate slowly, his brow furrowed as he contemplated this. "It couldn't have been as it was with the Unatos when they destroyed themselves. There were countless bodies and structures left behind. Unless there was some sort of bacteria or some other compound that broke everything down."

  "No. The layer of salt and stone and ground up metal was deliberately made. It would not have been so even. Not even a scrap of something usable. And no bacteria or plague would turn written blessings into curses. Geo Shivennans were either involved or forced to participate." As AaQar finished his first bowl, he glanced around. "Where is our fifth?"

  "Soaking her foot in the suphrite. That patch has gotten worse."

  "I feared as much. We have a lot we need to figure out. As soon as we can make something that will anesthetize her or at least dull the nerves, we need to find out whether those black veins healed as well. Still, she survived. And apparently so did everyone else."

  Naatos gave a nod of assent, more pleased than he wanted to admit. "She did well."

  "She did remarkably," AaQar countered. He filled his soup bowl again. "You told her that though, didn't you? And you thanked her?"

  "I told her to go rest."

  "And she did?" AaQar's brows lifted.

  "Initially she challenged me, but I tackled her and won."

  His brother stared at him through with barely constrained annoyance. "Did you thank her after you attacked at least?"

  "I will."

  "And will you perhaps not attack your veskaro the n
ext time you want her to do something to care for herself?"

  "Say what you will, but she is actually caring for her own injuries now."

  "You are at once an inspiration and a horror."

  He smirked. "Well, as you have awakened, you can see to our brothers. I need to finalize this, and I require silence." With one last cut of the knife, he completed the final letter in the engraving. Almost there. He gathered up the rest of the supplies and left.

  If all went well, he'd be done by the time she finished soaking her foot.

  36

  Seen

  Amelia kept her foot immersed in the suphrite for the better part of an hour. The itching in her elmis had intensified, but the suphrite did nothing for that. Focusing on the book helped.

  There was so much to learn. Far more than she had ever dreamed possible. And, at least based on her success with the dreamweaving and the mind healing, her racial skills did not seem to be as far from her grasp as she'd thought. Perhaps it was because she was a blood child. Or perhaps she was finding actual talents.

  That was refreshing. For years, it had felt as if she wasn't naturally good at anything.

  It was challenging to mark time out here. She had concluded from the past two weeks that a full day and night cycle here was approximately 36 hours long. So she sat in the suphrite as long as she could, trying hard not to think of Naatos or of what the future might hold.

  All of that would have to be addressed and soon, but… she wasn't ready yet. What she was ready to do was leave this stream.

  As she neared the top of the hill, she stopped short. Naatos had crested the hill and was coming toward her. As their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow. "It hasn't been an hour."

  She set her hands on her waist, book tucked under her arm. "Don't throw me in the suphrite."

  He gave her a crooked smile. "You soaked long enough. Is your foot better?"

  "It's the same as it was."

  "May I see?"

  "Oh, you asked this time. How can I refuse?" She meant it playfully, but the heat that entered her cheeks gave it a different note entirely. At least he wasn't looking at her face any longer.

  He was much gentler, not grabbing but taking hold and leaning forward more. From the sharp intake on his breath, she guessed that it wasn't ideal. She steadied herself against his shoulder.

  "You have good balance," he observed, his tone normal once more.

  "Yes, when someone isn't grabbing me by the ankle to look at my foot, I do all right."

  That smile spread over his lips. "You handled that well too." Releasing her foot, he stepped back and retrieved something from inside his black doublet. "This is yours."

  Startled, she glanced from his hand to his face. The band he had been carving. "Mine?"

  He held it up, allowing the small chain with a tiny white bead to dangle from the deeply carved band. "It's a bracelet. A bone bracelet. Carved with the Epic of Ramagushra. I know that your nightmares have harmed you and kept you from resting. This is an old technique for stopping them." With a faint smile, he offered her the bracelet. For once, there was almost something shy in his manner.

  "This is what you were working on? This is why you wouldn't rest?"

  "I wanted you to have it before you were left alone, but—" He shrugged, canting his head to the side as he tucked it in her hand. "Things did not go to plan. Which seems to be typical with you."

  "If it makes you feel any better, things don't go according to my plans either." Frowning a little, she pressed her finger against the engraving. It had an odd feel. Almost a humming sensation. "What sort of bone is this?"

  "Some rabid boar that had to be put down."

  "I shouldn't be surprised that Ecekom has rabid boars too." She studied it in the bright sunlight, amazed at how many lines he had fit into such a small space. "This is incredible. You didn't have to do this for me."

  "No. I wanted to. And it is not in exchange for anything except you sleeping better."

  "That was very sweet of you."

  "No. It's a tool. Not sweet. You need to wear this at all times though."

  She quirked her mouth up. "It can be both. Thank you." With a flick of her wrist, she slipped it on. That humming sensation was strange but not bad. Tendrils of thought wisped around her. Putting her hand over his folded arm, she leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

  He put his hands on either side of her face. "And now, veskaro, it's time for you to rest. Please."

  The odd humming in the bracelet had turned soothing. All the strain and the fear of the nightmares had faded, leaving her spent. The intensity of both the fear and dread was only apparent now that they had receded. "I'm so tired," she whispered, her eyelids sliding shut.

  He pressed his head to hers. "You did well. None of us would have survived if it had not been for you." His arms tightened around her as he kissed the side of her head.

  "And my soup is good," she murmured.

  He laughed. "Your soup is very good. Especially considering the limited ingredients."

  "No. Not considering. Just good." She grinned even more when she heard him laugh.

  "Yes," he said. "It is. Walk—" He caught himself, changing from an authoritative tone to something softer. "Will you walk with me?"

  "Since you asked." She slid out of his arms, smiling. Then, the impulse returning, she slipped her hand in his.

  The muscles in his hand tightened momentarily before he wrapped his fingers around hers. Leaning in, he nuzzled her ear. "You should absolutely read into this."

  His deep voice made her insides melt. And the way he looked at her—the heat that rose up in her had to be obvious to him as well. Especially the way his fingers worked along hers as if searching to memorize every inch of her he could touch.

  By the time they reached the camp, she actually had to focus when she released his hand and went to curl up beside the boulder.

  The bracelet hummed against her wrist. As she drifted off, it filled her ears. This time, there were no nightmares. At least not exactly. The spectral woman clawed in the distance, shrieking with frustration. The strange creature with the moon eyes and antlers appeared in front of the place where she slept. It closed its eyes briefly, then hummed as well, following in rhythm. She watched it, curled on her side with her hand beneath her cheek. Watched as it watched her. And then as it slipped down on the black floor and smiled eerily until it was nothing but a pair of large white eyes.

  A loud peal of hearty laughter shook her from her slumber.

  A warm band of sunlight shone straight across her face. Grimacing, she shielded her eyes. The smell of roasted fish and burning green onions greeted her as did more laughter and a general sensation of happiness. Shifting back against the boulder, she peered out through her fingers, everything blurry from sleep.

  Everyone else was awake now, bathed in that beautiful morning sunlight. The cauldron had been cleared of soup and was no longer over the fire, sitting instead by the basin and filled to the brim with water. They all sat around the nearest fire pit. Metal grills and spits had been placed over both with generous portions of fish sizzling on top. Her stomach grumbled in response.

  Tacky snuggled closer on her hip, mostly covered by the blanket, purring happily as he kneaded her green sash into her side.

  "Well, look who wakes now? Come have breakfast, dear heart. I would throw this at you, but we don't want any—don't grab her, QueQoa, let her wake up!"

  A massive hand had wrapped around her foot and now snapped her toward the fire. The dolmath chirred with protest as it burrowed deeper into the blanket. Amelia yelped with surprise.

  "Come have breakfast." QueQoa laughed. He released her at the edge of the sitting area.

  Naatos was already crossing over to her before she could rise. He lifted her up with one arm and then handed her a plate. "Good morning." He kissed her forehead. "You slept better?"

  She nodded, accepting the plate. "It didn't even feel that long. Thank you." Biting the inside o
f her lip, she glanced up at him, then kissed him on the cheek.

  "Don't read into it?" he said mildly.

  She shrugged but smiled.

  "Sit and eat. There is much to be done this day," AaQar said.

  "Are we in a rush to get some place?" she asked. "Did you find other people?"

  Naatos stepped back to the log, guiding her with him. He didn't quite let her pull away, instead dropping his arm to her waist and motioning for her to sit with him. He would have pulled her onto his lap if she had allowed him, but she compensated and instead shrugged deeper under his arm and sat on the log next to him. "No. But we're going to Darmoste. If any have survived, it will be there."

  Heat rose within her again. She remembered Darmoste. It was where he had wanted her to go and wait for him. He'd told her to leave a particular mark to signal. The M with the small line between the third and fourth stems, an A intersected with an N. She remained under his arm. It felt as if it had been an age since she had been in Libysha.

  The memories that swept up twisted in her stomach and cut into her mind. The hatred. The rage. The confusion. Her adopted parents. Vorec. She shuddered, and the bracelet hummed stronger.

  His arm tightened around her as he stroked her side.

  "It will take us perhaps ten weeks if we travel relatively fast, allowing for some delays. So we spend today laying in supplies and recuperating the rest of our strength," AaQar said.

  Adjusting her grip on the plate, she ate a piece of the fish. It was surprisingly flavorful, similar to salmon. Bits flaked off each time she lifted a piece. "Is there something special about Darmoste that would keep it from facing the same fate as the other cities?"

  "The Neyeb gave the Vawtrians a gift at the inception of the Paras," AaQar said. "It was hidden in a place known only to the Paras and a very few limited others and practically inaccessible. Unless the betrayal came from one of those few, it will be untouched. And no one without the knowledge of it could find it. So we find that. It will show us the history. And we will from there be able to determine what happened and when."