by S. S. Segran
He held up a hand to stop her. “No. Don’t even go there. I’m not cut out for this. Besides, we’re friends. We’re equals.”
“Now don’t you give me that.” That earned her a sharp glare, but she pressed on. “We need you to take charge.”
Jag looked away, his throat working. Tegan felt her heart wrench slightly; she knew exactly where his reluctance stemmed from. The last time he’d taken responsibility for a group was a year ago when he convinced a few friends from school to go rock climbing. His friends had been new to the activity and he’d promised that he would take care of them.
“You know, I can still see it,” he said hoarsely. He lifted his hand as though touching a memory, fingers trembling. “It’s . . . vivid. I keep trying to erase it, but it just . . . it doesn’t go away. It’s just stuck there.”
Tegan softened. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened to Roderick. It was an accident.”
“An accident because I made a mistake up on the mountain—a mistake that paralyzed him for life. Cade almost decked out, too. If it hadn’t been for his safety harness . . .” Jag took in an unsteady breath through his mouth. “Roddy’s wheelchair-bound because of me, Teegs. His life hasn’t been the same since, and it never will be. And I’m responsible for that. I don’t think I want to be accountable for anyone else.” His voice cracked, and he clamped his mouth shut.
She slid her arms around one of his. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for this. It was an accident. No one could have known that cam was defective.”
Jag shook his head but didn’t pull away. “I can’t take the responsibility of leading our group.” He ran his hands through his hair, digging his fingers into the back of his head. “You guys are family. I don’t trust myself to lead you. Why would you trust me?”
Tegan rested her head on his shoulder. “As I said, whether you realize it or not, you’ve been the one leading us throughout the years we’ve been together. It’s only natural for you to take this up.”
He didn’t reply but rested his head against hers, and they returned to their own thoughts. Tegan looked over at the others as they slept and cracked a small smile. The group rarely ever napped; they didn’t like wasting their day sleeping when there was the nighttime for that.
Unbeknownst to them, the nights to follow would deprive them of more than a little sleep.
13
A knock sounded at the door.
Tikina opened it and was astonished to find an elderly woman rapping at it with her knuckles. The lady paused with her fist halfway to the door when the Elder appeared.
“Mitska?” Tikina said. “What is the matter?”
The woman had trouble speaking. Nageau appeared beside Tikina and gently ushered the older woman inside as his mate shut the door. Tikina got a cup of water and headed to the sofa where Nageau had seated their visitor. Offering Mitska the drink, she let the elderly woman catch her breath before asking, “Is something wrong?”
Mitska leaned against her for support, gratefully consuming the water. “My mate has become ill,” she said. “Normally the herbs I use work well, but this time, nothing is doing him good.”
Tikina shot Nageau a wary look. “What are his symptoms?”
Mitska ventured to tell them what had befallen her mate, describing his present condition. “Please, would you see to him?”
“Yes, of course.”
Tikina led the older woman outside by the hand then turned to Nageau, who had followed them. “Please warn the others, then join me. You know where the shelter is.”
Nageau nodded and smiled reassuringly at Mitska, and the two Elders parted.
Tikina accompanied Mitska as they crossed the bridge to the north side of the village and entered a neyra nestled cozily among tall fir trees. The elderly woman brought Tikina to her sleeping quarter. An old man lay on the bed, deathly pale. He was conscious and, when he spotted the Elder, tried to sit up. Tikina gently stopped him from wasting precious energy and sat by his side, stroking the back of his head. The man coughed and wheezed.
Without looking up, Tikina asked, “How long has he been like this?”
Mitska sighed. “He only became this ill last night, but it began four or five days ago.”
“And you are certain that you have tried all the herbs and roots at our disposal?”
“Yes. Nothing seems to be helping. I considered calling Huyani to check on him, but I thought perhaps he may need the assistance of the Elders.”
There was a rapping at the door. “That must be the others,” Tikina said.
“I will let them in.” The elderly woman bustled away, then returned shortly with the rest of the Elders.
Saiyu quickly made her way to Tikina. They talked in hushed voices, then Saiyu turned to the others. “We should move him out.”
The men understood and agreed.
“Did he have any contact with Fiotez?” Tikina asked Mitska.
The older woman shook her head. “They rarely ever see each other. After all, Fiotez lives on the other side of the river. The only occasions when we meet would be during our community gatherings, and we have not had one for a while now.”
“Then I do not think he contracted this sickness directly from Fiotez, though the symptoms appear to be similar . . . but we will not be able to tell for sure until we study further.”
* * *
The Elders brought Mitska’s mate across the river to the convalescence center, careful not to attract too much attention. Huyani, who had been tending to Fiotez, was now checking on the old man. The Elders and Mitska left her to it, softly closing the door behind them.
“What exactly has your mate been doing the past few days, Mitska?” Saiyu asked. “We would like to know, to see if there is a link between what came over both him and Fiotez.”
The old woman closed her eyes briefly and spoke. “A few days ago, before he became sick, he took our grandson on a trip to one of the lakes outside the valley. They both recounted that they had fun on this outing. However, during their return, it seems my mate was moving quite slowly as they drew closer to the village. Even though he is getting on in years, he is normally quite vigorous.”
Nageau frowned. “So something obviously happened during that time that caused your mate to fall ill. How is your grandson faring, Mitska?”
“From what I know, he is fine. Perhaps you would like to speak with him?”
The Elders nodded.
“Come, then.” Setting off at a surprisingly brisk pace, Mitska grabbed the folds of her long skirt and headed back to the north side of the river with the Elders in tow. When she halted in front of a particularly large neyra, she knocked on the door. A young man opened it. When he saw Mitska, he broke into a smile and gave her a warm hug. Mitska quickly told her son about his father’s condition and the smile on his lips vanished. He looked past her to the Elders, then called for his son.
A bubbly young boy pranced to the door, munching on a fistful of roasted sweet potato. He had an adorable smile plastered on his face that showed a gaping hole where he had lost a baby tooth. He gave his grandmother a tight hug and bowed at the Elders as his father invited them in.
As they sat in the living room, Tikina asked the six-year-old to recount what had happened during his trip.
“Grandpa and I went hunting near that shallow lake outside the valley. We have been there a few times before.” He stopped to munch on his potato.
“And what happened while you were there?” Nageau prompted.
“Grandpa showed me how to set a snare and we waited and waited but we did not catch anything so we went further into the forest. Grandpa made me my own bow and taught me how to use it—I nearly shot a squirrel out of a tree!” Clearly pleased with himself, the boy beamed.
“What else did you do out there?” Saiyu asked.
“I collected lots of berries, and Grandpa showed me what berries are good to eat and which ones were bad. He threw away a bunch of bright red ones that I had found an
d told me that they were poisonous. Then he showed me how to put up a tent.” He paused thoughtfully. “Grandpa snored a lot. I heard something outside during the night but I think it heard Grandpa’s snores and ran away.” He had an innocent, sweet expression, but there was a cheeky spark in his eyes. The Elders had to try hard not to chuckle.
“Tell us more,” Tayoka prodded. “Did you do anything different from the last time you were there with your grandfather?”
The boy shook his head. “Nothing, really. It was a bit hotter by the lake than the last trip and Grandpa ran out of water a couple of times. I was not as thirsty as him, so I did not have to refill my water pelt.” He pouted then. “But Mama was not happy when she found out. She said that I should always drink enough water.”
“And right she is,” Saiyu said, smiling a little. “Please continue.”
The little boy tilted his head sideways, seeming not to have heard Saiyu’s prompting. “How is Grandpa? Father says he is ill. Why?”
“That is what we are trying to figure out, but do not worry,” Nageau assured him. “We will do our best to make him better.”
“Is there anything else that you remember?” Tikina asked. “Perhaps when you first noticed that he did not feel well?”
The boy pondered for a while. “We went for only two days . . . and on the second day—on our way back—he looked like he was having trouble walking. And his breathing was very noisy. He kept coughing, too. We stopped many times to rest when returning home.”
Tikina noticed Tayoka looking out a window, his mind appearing to be elsewhere. His gray eyes had an absent look to them. Then he stiffened. Quickly regaining his composure, he smiled at the little boy and jovially ruffled his hair. “Well, thank you,” he said, a little too cheerily, and the other Elders caught it. “I think we have enough information for now. Keep praying for your grandfather and Fiotez.”
The little boy nodded earnestly and padded off. Tayoka hurried out of the shelter, his companions following him closely after waving goodbye to Mitska and her son.
“Tayoka?” Saiyu asked worriedly as she caught up to him. “What is it?”
Tayoka rubbed his face. With a pained look, he said, “The water.”
“The water?” Ashack repeated.
“Yes. It is the source of the illness. When Fiotez succumbed, it was after he drank from a stream. His friends did not drink the water, thus staying healthy. The boy’s grandfather drank from the lake, but the boy himself did not. And who winds up falling ill?”
The Elders stared at Tayoka for some time, letting the words sink in. “The water is unsafe to drink?” Saiyu shuddered. “For ages our people have lived off the water from the rivers and lakes around our valley, and we have never had any problems. What has changed? What is causing this?”
They gazed at each other, thoughts swirling. If the water was unfit to drink . . . where did it leave the people of Dema-Ki?
Nageau broke the quiet. “Right now, this is only an assumption. We cannot announce it to our people just yet—”
“Why not?” Tayoka interjected. “They have a right to know. It concerns them greatly.”
“You are right, they do. But we have the responsibility to be certain.”
“How?”
“We need to test the water immediately, starting with Esroh Lègna.”
14
Mariah woke with a start and found herself outside the boys’ neyra. She lifted her head from Tegan’s shoulder and looked at her friends groggily. Jag was leaning against the outside of the shelter, fast asleep. Tegan’s head rested against his arm and she too, was in slumber. Kody, who had dozed off next to Jag, had slumped down, giving him the appearance of the Disney version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mariah cocked her head and giggled at the comical sight. Aari was at their feet, lying on his side on the cool grass and snoring softly.
She was more than surprised to see the sun already slipping behind the mountains of the valley. Deciding that it was time for the group to get up, she tousled Tegan’s hair with one hand and Jag’s with the other. As the two started out of their nap, she went over to Kody and tickled him until he woke up laughing hysterically. The laughter roused Aari, who had to snicker when he saw the sight.
When the laughter died, Aari took a good look around. “We fell asleep!” he exclaimed.
Jag yawned. “It’s not like we have anything better to do, anyway.”
“I’m feeling a little ripe,” Kody said. “And my head itches a tad. I need a shower, pronto.”
“While we’re on the subject, have you noticed that they have hot water piped to most of the homes?” Aari asked. “Like in Huyani’s place. How do they do that? And the stove in her kitchen—it lights right up when she strikes a flint. How’s that possible out here in the middle of nowhere?”
His friends were not surprised by his observations. They simply hadn’t paid attention to it, although it did intrigue them a little.
They were so deeply engaged in their chatter that they did not notice Akol sneaking up on them. Without so much as a warning, he pounced and grabbed Mariah by the shoulders from behind, hollering, “Mariah!”
Mariah shrieked and jumped to her feet. She whirled around and saw Akol grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Why you . . . !” With what was left of her dignity, she swatted him on the head and he accepted his punishment.
Rubbing his crown and still grinning, Akol bowed to her. “My sincere apologies, Mariah. I could not resist the temptation.”
“Yeah, right.” Mariah pursed her lips and threw her arms up. “Guys are the same everywhere.”
Kody gave Akol a thumbs-up. “Kudos, my dude. Way to keep that girl on her toes.”
Mariah gave him a look. “Do you want to get hit on the head as well?”
“Uh, no. Sorry. I’ll shut up.”
“Please and thank you.”
Akol smiled at the friends. “Huyani and I have a few interesting table games that we can play before the evening meal.”
Tegan tilted her head. “Table games? Like board games or something?”
“Something like that. My sister and I sense you are a little bored, so we thought perhaps you would enjoy some entertainment.”
“Could you dance like a monkey and tell some really funny jokes?”
Akol stared at Tegan, chagrined. “I cannot promise you the jokes, but the monkey thing, I can try.”
The friends laughed as they stood and followed him to Huyani’s neyra.
* * *
Aari watched his friends sit on either side of a wooden board. To him, it resembled a chess game except it was twice the size. The square quadrants were over a beautiful painting that showed an aerial view of a forest. There were game pieces representing wild animals and the elements, all artistically carved and vividly colored.
Akol was guiding Jag, Kody, Tegan, and Mariah as they played. Aari left them to join Huyani, who was preparing their meal. He passed by a shelf that held a few rolled up parchments. Jag had spotted them earlier and asked what they were. Akol explained them to be maps that outlined the valley and the surrounding areas, and that Huyani used them to mark spots where she could gather certain herbs. Aari had seen the glint in Jag’s eyes as he listened intently to Akol.
Huyani glanced at Aari and gave him one of her charming smiles. “Are you here to help me cook?” she teased.
“Sorry, that would be Kody’s department. I’m a lousy cook.” Aari leaned against one of the two counters. “Actually, I’m curious about something.”
“Oh? And what might that be?”
“How do you get hot water running in here?” he asked.
Huyani’s smile widened. “I did not think anyone would be interested. The answer is simple: We have pipes leading from our hot springs to almost every building in this valley.”
“Hot springs?”
“Yes. Perhaps we will show you where they are located sometime.”
“That would be great. But out here in the middle of nowhere,
where do you get your pipes from?”
“Well, we make them.”
“Make them—here?”
Huyani chuckled. “We may be isolated . . .” She paused, as if trying to form the right words. “. . . but what you call utilities are not lost on us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mm, nothing,” she backpedaled.
“I hate being kept in the dark.”
“I apologize. That was not my intention. If it helps to allay your curiosity, the pipes are made of clay that is glazed.”
“Glazed clay! Hey, that would be like the terracotta pipes people in ancient times used.”
“Yes. My ancestors used clay to make pipes as well as other things. A lot of the workings that you see in Dema-Ki exist thanks to their insights and the handing over of that knowledge from one generation to another.”
“That explains the hot water, but I’ve got more questions.” Aari pointed at the stove. “How do you start the fire up so easily like that? It seems to work like the gas stove I’ve got back home. And I noticed glass being used in windows. Also, that humongous building across the river seems to be made entirely out of glass, too. How’s that possible? How do you get that here? Don’t you need machines to make it?”
Huyani smiled again. “My, you are a curious one, are you not?”
Aari raised an eyebrow.
Huyani put down her spatula and turned to him. “When the time is right, I am sure you will be shown how things work around here.”
Aari rolled his eyes. “Here’s that expression again: ‘When the time is right.’”
She didn’t respond to his remark. Instead, she gave his arm a comforting rub and returned to her cooking. “Please call the others. Let them know that the evening meal will be served shortly.”
* * *
They were enjoying their meal when a sharp knock sounded from outside. Huyani left her meal and opened the door only to be met by the handsome faces of two of her fellow villagers. Her eyebrows rose in astonishment but she smiled sweetly at them. In her native tongue, she said, “Ah, what a surprise. Hutar, Aesròn, what are you both doing here?”
