Rafe was beginning to feel dizzy, so he stretched out on the soft mossy turf. He was tired and he wished Olyva would show up to fret over him. Instead, it was Lexi who appeared out of the darkness.
“You survived again?” she said.
“Mostly,” Rafe said.
“Tiberius is healing Bu’yorgi?”
Rafe nodded.
“He should have seen to you first. That eye looks horrible.”
“Feels worse,” Rafe said. “But Bu’yorgi was dying.”
“I have some Kymis,” Lexi said. “It’s mixed with something a little stronger. Maybe it will take the edge off.”
She helped Rafe drink from the small animal skin. Normally the Kymis went down smooth with just a hint of heat. This time it burned all the way down Rafe’s throat. He coughed a little.
“What’s in that?”
“I don’t know,” Lexi said. “But Filsa said you might need it.”
“She’s right,” Rafe said, taking another drink.
The pain didn’t stop, but the more Rafe drank, the less he cared. After a long wait, Tiberius came out of the trance he seemed to go into whenever he was casting a healing spell.
“I could use a drink of that,” he said.
“Did you heal him?” Rafe asked.
“He’ll live, I think,” Tiberius said. “He lost a lot of blood.”
“You can’t conjure up more?”
“No,” Tiberius said. “So try not to get wounded any worse than you have to.”
“Hey, I thought I did pretty well tonight.”
“Your face doesn’t agree,” Lexi said.
“You fought well, but it’s obvious that something is broken in your face,” Tiberius said. “Your cheekbone maybe.”
“It hurts around my eye,” Rafe said.
“Can you heal him?” Lexi asked Tiberius.
“I think so,” Ti said. “And then I want to sleep for a week.”
“I’m sure Olyva will thank you,” Lexi said. “He looks like a mule kicked him in the head.”
“I’m getting pretty tired of having to fix you up,” Tiberius told Rafe.
“Not as tired as I am of getting hurt.”
Tiberius settled in next to Rafe, who took one last pull from the spiked Kymis. Then he lay back and closed his good eye. Tiberius began to chant a spell and at first nothing seemed to be happening. Then slowly, Rafe felt the pressure in his face ease a bit. The throbbing pain lessened, although his eye still hurt. He felt a numbness spring up deep in the side of his head. It slowly spread all around his eye and he couldn’t stop opening his mouth. He moved his jaw from side to side, marveling that his cheekbone and the area around his eye didn’t hurt anymore.
When Tiberius groaned in pain, Rafe opened his good eye. His friend was kneeling over him, sweat beading on his face, and his shoulders shook slightly. Lexi stood over them both, looking worried. Then the pain in Rafe’s eye began to soften. It went from deep stabbing pains to a dull ache. If that had been all Tiberius was able to do, Rafe would have been thrilled, but Tiberius kept at his work, his mouth moving silently as he chanted the words of his spell over and over again. Finally, Rafe felt his eyelid open. His sight was still blurred in his right eye.
He blinked, and the movement felt stiff at first. There was still a lot of puffiness around his eye, but it slowly dissipated. Finally the blinking felt more like normal and his vision cleared. Tiberius let out a long slow breath.
“Are you okay?” Lexi asked.
“His eye was ruined,” Tiberius said, his voice weak and shaky.
Rafe sat up and touched the side of his face. Everything felt normal and nothing hurt. Lexi handed Tiberius the nearly empty skin of Kymis. He drank it eagerly.
“The bones around your eye were shattered,” Tiberius told Rafe. “The eye itself was ruptured.”
“But you fixed it?” Rafe asked, touching his cheekbone again.
“Yes,” Tiberius said.
“What would I do without you?” Rafe said.
“I don’t know, but I’m beginning to wonder if maybe I should find out before you kill me.”
“Hey, I was fighting that Tuscogee for you,” Rafe said feinting outrage.
“I could have taken him,” Tiberius said.
Rafe laughed and Lexi helped Tiberius to his feet. They looked back to the camp and started moving toward the sounds of celebration.
“You better go join the others,” Tiberius said. “They’ll want to congratulate you.”
“Thanks for this,” Rafe said touching his eye. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m just tired, that’s all,” Tiberius said.
“Come on, I’ll keep you company while you sleep,” Lexi said.
Rafe nodded at his friends and then went to the celebration. The Hoskali were dancing and shouting. People began to cheer as Rafe walked through the crowd. Food was given to him, and cups of strong drink. There were even some fermented fruit juices being doled out, which was a rarity among the Hoskali. The celebration lasted long into the night, but eventually Rafe returned to the big shelter. Olyva was asleep and looked peaceful curled on the ground. Rafe didn’t like that she refused to at least sleep on a blanket. She had always been so proper in Avondale. He’d never even seen a hair on her head out of place. Now she liked to sleep on the ground, with her toes dug into the soft turf.
Rafe walked over to the dying fire. The nights in the blighted lands were nearly as warm as the days. Fires weren’t needed to stay warm, but the soft glow of the dying flames were comforting to Rafe just the same. He sat down and stretched his legs out close enough to the fire to feel the warmth.
“You are a mighty warrior,” came a soft voice from behind Rafe.
He turned and found one of Tiberius’ younger wives coming out of the shelter.
“How’s Ti?”
“The Swanee is sleeping,” the girl said. “He takes no interest in us.”
“That’s not true,” Rafe said absently. “He’s a good man. He was born to lead.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said as she began to massage Rafe’s shoulders.
Rafe’s body tensed. Normally he didn’t mind being touched by beautiful girls, but somehow this time felt different. Her cool fingers squeezed the muscles in his neck and then slid into the loose garment Rafe was still wearing from the Tuscogee.
“I think I’ll turn in,” he said.
“You could sleep with me,” the girl said, as she moved closer, one hand running around his neck and down his chest. “I won’t bite, unless you want me to.”
“No,” Rafe said scrambling to his feet.
He realized that he didn’t fear facing wild animals or fighting death duels, but this young girl frightened him. He felt himself flushing with desire, despite the fact that he didn’t want to feel anything for her. He was afraid of what he might do. He didn’t trust himself to make good choices. He was drunk from all the drinks the Hoskali had pushed on him, and it appeared as if the young wife of the Swanee had been waiting for him to return. He couldn’t be with her, even if Tiberius wasn’t ever going to be with her. She was officially Tiberius’ wife and he wouldn’t betray his best friend.
If the temptation had come the night before, he might have felt differently, but he wanted to work things out with Olyva. He wished she would wake up and save him from having to make the right decision.
“You are a great champion,” the girl said, looking up at Rafe with big eyes. “You deserve to be happy.”
“This isn’t right,” Rafe said, taking hold of the girl’s shoulders and holding her at arm’s length.
“It is the way of the Hoskali,” she said boldly.
“You’re Ti’s wife.”
“I am not his Sorwan. He could give me to you as a reward for your victory in battle. Do I not please you, Great One?”
“Stop this,” Rafe said, “please.”
The girl pushed forward and Rafe’s resistance broke. She wrapped her arms arou
nd his neck and pulled him toward her. They kissed and Rafe felt every fiber of his being humming with desire. He wrapped his arms around the girl, pulling her tight against his body. She seemed eager to please him and Rafe felt his resolve slip away.
“What the hell are you doing?” whispered Lexi furiously.
Rafe opened his eyes and pushed the girl away. Lexi was crawling out of the tent.
“I… I was just…”
“He has chosen me,” the girl said defensively. “It is the Hoskali way.”
“What about Olyva?” Lexi hissed.
“I didn’t mean to do anything,” Rafe said, a feeling of shame overwhelming him.
“The Swanee will give me to him,” the girl said, trying to salvage the situation. “I will make him happy.”
“You’re just a child,” Lexi said. “Go fetch water.”
“You can’t order me around,” the girl said.
Lexi’s hand whipped out faster than Rafe could follow. The girl was totally unprepared and would have been knocked senseless if Lexi didn’t stop the blow at the last second.
“I don’t care what you think about me,” she said in a low voice. “Tiberius is sick. Get him water now.”
The girl looked frightened, but she obeyed.
“What’s wrong with Tiberius?” Rafe said.
“He’s got a fever,” Lexi said. “We need to move him out of the tent. It’s too hot in there.”
“I’ll get him,” Rafe said.
He started toward the tent, but then stopped and turned back to Lexi.
“I’m sorry.”
Lexi nodded, not saying anything. Rafe couldn’t tell if she was angry at his betrayal or if she was just worried about Tiberius. He got down on his hands and knees and climbed into the tent. It was hot and dark inside. There were pillows and cushions everywhere. Most of the women of Tiberius’ harem were asleep, but Filsa waved Rafe over.
“He is here,” she said.
Rafe found Tiberius mumbling in his sleep. One touch was all Rafe needed to realize his best friend was burning up. He took hold of Tiberius under his friend’s arms and pulled him back toward the entrance of the tent. It was difficult to move around in the small space, and even harder to pull Tiberius out through the small opening. Rafe had to crawl backward then pull Tiberius after him. Once Rafe got Tiberius out of the tent, he was able to pick him up and carry him to the blankets that Lexi had prepared. Rafe laid his friend down and from the dim light of the fire, he could see how pale Tiberius looked.
“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Rafe asked Lexi.
She didn’t answer. Instead she sat down by Tiberius and stroked his forehead.
“It is Sellado, the burning sickness,” Filsa said in a worried tone.
“Will he be okay?” Rafe asked, his voice louder than he meant for it to be.
“We will have to wait and see,” Filsa said. “All we can do is keep him cool and hope that he recovers.”
Rafe knelt down and took his friend’s hand. It didn’t seem fair. After all Tiberius had done for everyone else, there was nothing anyone could for him. He looked into Lexi’s eyes and saw the fear she felt. It was the same fear he himself felt. He couldn’t imagine losing Tiberius. They had been together their whole lives. They shared everything. He had meant what he said when he told Tiberius they were family. Rafe would gladly have taken the sickness on himself to save Tiberius.
“Is there nothing we can do?” Rafe asked again.
“Wait and see,” Filsa said solemnly. “Wait and see.”
Chapter 30
Olyva
With the dawn came the glorious feeling of the amber colored sunlight. Olyva stood and stretched, letting the light fill her with energy for the day. The patch of stems on her arm that Rafe had yanked out was healing nicely. The sap had covered the wound and it was now soft and pliable. She guessed that any day now she would see more of the little stems sprouting on her arm again.
She turned to see what was happening around her. The camp was quiet and she remembered that Rafe had fought in the Tuscogee. She felt a moment of intense fear for Rafe. The Tuscogee was a battle to the death, and if he lost he would be gone forever. She had wanted to stay awake, to watch over Rafe during the battle, but women were strictly forbidden from attending the Tuscogee and she could barely keep her eyes open anyway. So she had returned to their shelter and promptly fallen asleep, but now she could sense that something was wrong in the camp.
There was no one in the shelter, and none of the tribespeople were stirring after their night of celebration. Olyva might not have found that odd, except for the fact that she could smell something strange in the air. It was a putrid stench, but completely different than anything she had experienced before. With the awakening of her senses, she could feel things, like vibrations in the earth and changes in the air pressure. She could sense the magic around Tiberius, and smell things from miles away. This time however, what she smelled wasn’t far away, it was all around her.
She walked quickly through the quiet camp toward where the animals were kept. The oxen brayed softly as they grazed. She saw the horses standing quietly, watching her with their large eyes. They were beautiful creatures, so strong, so intelligent. But they weren’t what she was looking for.
She moved past the animals and finally saw a group of people huddled together in the distance. She walked to them, the odor growing the closer she got. When she was almost there, Rafe got up from the group and came to her.
“How are you?” he asked. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine,” she said.
He let out a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s Tiberius,” Rafe said. “He’s sick.”
“Show me,” Olyva said.
Rafe led her back to where Tiberius lay. They had moved his body in the night, partly to be closer to the water and partly to keep him away from the tribe. He looked pale, his skin covered with a sheen of sweat. Lexi sat next to him. It was obvious that she was exhausted and worried. The other women of Tiberius’ harem were gathered around as well, many of them sleeping.
Filsa, the oldest of the Trogooh, dipped rags into a bucket of water. Then she twirled them in the air and laid them on Tiberius’s forehead, neck, armpits, and stomach. Tiberius had been stripped of his clothes and only a light cloth covered his waist and thighs. One of the wives waved a large fan and another rubbed oils onto his bare feet.
Te’sumee sat nearby, watching the women work on Tiberius. Olyva could smell the strong scent coming from Tiberius, but also from Te’sumee.
“Is he sick too?” she asked, pointing at the leader of the Rogu.
“No,” Rafe said. “Just Tiberius.”
“I think many people in the camp are ill as well,” Olyva said.
Everyone looked up at her, some in surprise, others with stares of horror. Olyva was surprised that the group didn’t know, and a little embarrassed that she had obviously said something that offended the others. She sometimes felt as if the changes she was going through made her an outsider among the tribe. They revered her, but it was because she was different.
“What are you talking about?” Rafe asked.
“I can smell the sickness,” Olyva said. “On Tiberius, on Te’sumee, and in the camp too.”
Te’sumee looked shocked.
“We must see to the camp,” Filsa said. “Wake the others.”
The women of Tiberius’ harem were roused. They looked at Tiberius and then at the others around the little group. Olyva noticed one of the younger girls glaring at her with baleful eyes and Olyva didn’t understand what she had done to cause the animosity.
“Go and check on everyone in the camp,” Filsa told the group of women. “Everyone who is sick must be brought here so we can tend to them.”
“What is happening here,” Rafe said in frustration. “How can everyone be getting sick?”
“It is part of life among the Hoskali,” Filsa said. “I
t is why many tribes are so small. It is difficult to survive the Sellado.”
“And all we can do is bathe them with water?” Rafe asked.
Filsa nodded. “The fever burns hot and long. Many do not survive it.”
“We need more water,” Lexi said.
“I’ll get some,” Olyva said picking up one of the buckets.
She poured out the tepid contents and walked over to the small stream. The tribe had been camped near the little tributary and had enjoyed using the limitless supply of fresh cool water. Olyva had enjoyed it too. She stepped down into the tiny stream, wiggling her long, scaly toes in the cool water and letting them leech up what her body needed. She didn’t drink or eat anymore. She absorbed the water she needed through her feet and the sunlight nourished her. She could still consume food and drink, but she preferred to let the natural world replenish her strength.
It took a moment, but she soon realized that there was something wrong with the water. The fibrous growth on her long toes and feet filtered the water that she took in, but the water felt different than it had before. It was still cool, but there was murky feeling to it. She looked down at the clear water running over the tiny bed of pebbles. It looked fine, and she couldn’t smell anything different about the water, but something was wrong. The water was tainted somehow.
She stepped out of the stream and hurried back to the others that were gathered around Tiberius.
“The water’s bad,” Olyva said.
“What?” Lexi asked.
“It’s tainted somehow,” Olyva said. “I can’t tell what’s different, but I’m certain it is what is making everyone sick.”
“Let’s not lose our heads here,” Rafe said. “Are you certain, Olyva?”
She nodded, feeling a sting of anger that Rafe didn’t immediately believe her. What could she hope to gain by lying? There was a look of outrage on Lexi’s face, and Olyva hoped it wasn’t meant for her.
“We’ve been drinking the water from this creek all week,” Rafe said.
Draggah Page 22
