Cora sighed as she opened her eyes again. It was her mother’s skill as healer that had allowed her to learn. Although Cora thought that Teven was a healer, they didn’t appear to have the same level of skill, and it might not be that easy. She climbed back to her feet, groaning a little from the effort. Then she realised she needed to lean over to collect the stick. When she straightened, she wondered if she could search out the memory of Darring learning to transition. It might not be hers or her mothers, but he was Penna. There was a connection to each of them, if she could find it.
She leaned heavily into the stick, the rough end pushing into her hand. Perhaps her mother was right and she did have some skill after all. She just had to find a way to tap into it. She looked around her again. Teven appeared to have left her behind, so she was either free to find her own way back or stay longer.
Something moved in the shadows of the trees. She turned slowly, trying to keep her balance and pick up what it was. It seemed to disappear as she turned. She could see it in the corner of her eye, sense it at her back, yet she couldn’t see anything.
Panic started to close her throat, the constant movement hurting her leg. If only she were a healer, she might actually be able to do some good for herself. She sucked in a breath, surprised at how ragged and scared she sounded, even to her own ears. And then Teven was standing before her.
‘Come,’ he said.
She shook her head, unsure which way was safe.
He looked around then, and she felt safer with him there. Whatever was in the trees wasn’t a dragon. She could sense something dark. Her transition was still in place as she tried to see what it might be, but Teven had her quickly up in his arms.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘There is nothing there,’ he said as he continued quickly through the trees.
‘I have lost the stick,’ she said.
He stopped and turned to look back the way they had come. He sighed, but he maintained a tight hold on her. The shadows had stopped moving, but she knew there was something else out there.
‘You can put me down,’ she said.
He shook his head, his grip still tight, and turned back for the cavern. ‘I’ll find you another stick.’
‘Can we come again?’
He didn’t answer as he stopped at the edge of the trees. She could see the cavern ahead of them, Rhali standing by the opening, looking out for them.
‘Can you take the armour off?’ he asked in a hoarse whisper. ‘He shouldn’t know.’
‘He might already. He knows that I would have had the skill.’
‘But he doesn’t know it has returned.’
Cora nodded and allowed the transition to slip. She felt instantly warmed against Teven’s chest, and she could feel the tension in his arms. ‘Should you put me down?’
Instead of answering, he marched towards the cavern. Rhali looked instantly relieved at the sight of them. When she pulled the heavy hide back to allow them entry, sticks and wood were piled inside the door. Cora wondered if that was what Teven had done when he’d left her alone, finding a reason to go into the woods.
The woman who had brought the water to him the day before stood just inside the cavern. She bowed low as they passed her, although Teven didn’t appear to acknowledge her at all. He continued towards the hearth, sat Cora down on her sleeping mat and then disappeared.
Rhali appeared beside her and handed her a hot cup of water. She sipped at it slowly as the younger woman looked her over.
‘You are a mess,’ she muttered in the end. ‘Why he would allow you into the trees is beyond me. You would be of no use in your state.’
Cora simply nodded agreement and focused on the water. The shadows didn’t move strangely within the cavern, and she wondered again what might have happened in the trees. She hadn’t felt quite so scared once Teven was there, but she shivered at the idea all the same.
‘Where is your stick?’ Rhali asked.
‘I lost it,’ Cora said with a sigh. ‘It was hurting my hands anyway.’ She held out her hand and the girl muttered something under her breath that Cora thought was about her brother’s stupidity.
‘I have something that might help,’ she said. ‘I want to check your leg and change the dressing.’
Cora nodded. She really just wanted to sleep.
She lay back into the cushions and allowed Rhali to do as she wanted. It was not going to make much difference; she would still be sitting here for some time, unable to use her leg and unable to go home.
As she ran her hand over her ribs, Rhali sighed.
‘I’m sorry,’ Cora muttered, sure that she was the cause of the girl’s issues.
‘I have not done enough for you.’ Rhali hung her head as Cora looked up.
Cora reached out and took her hand. ‘You have done more than I could expect,’ she said, trying to smile. ‘You could have left me where I fell.’
Rhali shook her head. ‘He would never have allowed that,’ she whispered.
Cora let her hand go. ‘The chief is in control of so much.’
‘Not him,’ Rhali snapped, then glanced around. ‘Teven. He wouldn’t leave you.’
‘Why?’ Cora asked.
The girl sighed again. ‘It is just who he is. And it will get him killed one day.’
Cora studied her for a moment. ‘What else does he do that puts him at risk?’
Rhali ignored the question and pulled Cora’s hand closer, running her fingers over Cora’s palm. ‘This is not so bad,’ she murmured. ‘I want to re-strap the leg, but I’m not sure I can do it alone.’
The boy who had visited with them after the death of the girl and her child appeared behind Rhali. As Rhali chewed on her lip trying to determine what she should do, Cora watched the young man. He opened and closed his mouth several times as though trying to speak, but then he clenched his fists in frustration and turned away.
Cora called out, ‘He can help.’
Rhali turned with surprise. Her features became sad, but she nodded, and the young man’s face lit up.
She helped Cora from the makeshift tunic and held out a sharp knife. It made Cora a little uneasy, but Rhali was quick and careful as she cut along the material. Cora took some of it and felt the texture, a finely woven cloth. She wondered where the weavers were. There didn’t appear to be activity within the cavern to produce much of anything. The pale cloth was dirty from Cora’s lying against trees.
Her leg was pale and still bruised. A large tear across the upper thigh indicated she had done a lot of damage as she fell. It also explained the blood seeping through the bandages early on. She ran her hand over the mark and closed her eyes. She sighed, seeing the damage to the muscle beneath the skin with more clarity than she had before.
Her hand became cooler as the muscles tried to pull themselves back together. It was exhausting, and her hand slipped away as she leaned back.
‘Do you not like the sight of blood?’ the boy asked.
She shook her head and looked back to her leg, not sure what he meant. It appeared just the same, but it didn’t hurt as much. She was sure that although she hadn’t done very much, she had made it better. If only she could do the same for the bone. But she hadn’t seen that far, and it would take her some time before she had the energy to try again.
It seemed strange that her less-than-adequate healing skills were still so much better than what these people had. Rhali smeared an ointment over the cut on her leg and some of the smaller scratches, then asked the boy to hold the stick in place so she could secure them back with fresh material. She tried not to flinch as he pushed against her. But then he released his hold, and Cora looked up to see Teven physically removing the boy.
‘You can’t be here,’ he whispered.
‘She asked me to help,’ the boy said, pointing at Cora. There was a similarity between the two of them as they faced each other. Although the younger man was closer to Cora’s height, looking up at Teven. The taller of the two nodded on
ce but still waved him off.
Teven took his place, lifting her foot onto his knee before taking the stake and holding it against her skin. She leaned back and closed her eyes. He was muttering something at Rhali, who murmured back in response as she wound the strips of cloth around Cora’s leg. Once they had finished and Teven had lowered her leg to the ground, they waited in silence.
Cora didn’t open her eyes. She wanted to be far away. In a world she knew, where people knew her and talked to her. Why would these two not let anyone close?
The hand on her ribs made her jump, and she swatted it away as she sat up.
‘I will need to look at those too,’ Rhali said softly.
‘I am fine,’ Cora said.
‘You broke three ribs.’
‘I am breathing easily now.’
‘There were other injuries, scratches and the like across your back and arms. I want to check for infection.’
Cora looked up at Teven and then back to Rhali. ‘I don’t want to do this here.’
‘You will need to do it somewhere.’
‘I could carry you back to the other cavern,’ Teven offered.
Cora shook her head. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be out there either.
‘Let the girl do as she must,’ the chief said, appearing before her. Cora nodded once. ‘Carry her out and make sure you return her. I told you not to take her out.’
Teven bowed his head. With an apologetic look, he picked her up and carried her out into the cool air. The cavern still smelt of coppery blood, and she tried not to focus on it as he sat her on a fresh mat. He left, Rhali entering as he disappeared.
Cora tried not to sigh as she tried to remove her tunic but couldn’t raise her arms. Rhali helped her out of it, then looked over the woollen singlet she still wore beneath it. The girl was quick to pull that off too. The cool air of the cavern wrapped around her, and she realised the fire was not lit.
‘I’ll be quick,’ Rhali murmured, running her hands over Cora’s back. There were some tender spots, but nothing significant. Then she felt around her ribs, and Cora cried out as she pushed against her.
Teven raced back into the cavern, turning his back immediately.
Cora sighed. Although it hurt her to do so, she reached for the singlet and pulled it back over her head. She put her hand to her side and closed her eyes, then took a deep breath and tried to look. All she could see was muscle damage and significant bruising. Again, she tried to will the muscles back to where they should be. She shivered at the cold, her eyes still closed. She was relieved that the muscles were healing, although not as well as her mother might have managed. Maybe she was getting better.
‘I’m sorry,’ Rhali murmured. ‘It will take some time.’
‘Can you help me with the tunic?’ Cora asked, watching Teven’s back as he stood rigid by the door. She held up the short top, the hide heavy and thicker than what she was used to wearing.
‘Where does this come from?’ Rhali asked, gently touching the shoulder of her singlet.
‘Wool from a turvie. They are good to eat, and it is cold where I come from. The animals have developed thick covering to keep warm. Like the fur.’
She nodded and ran her fingers over it. ‘It is warm, but it would not keep you dry.’
‘True,’ Cora murmured as Teven turned and gave her a little shake of his head. ‘We have other coverings for that.’
Rhali helped Cora into the short tunic, and then Teven had her back up in his arms. ‘Will you make me another stick?’ she asked.
He shook his head as he carried her out and back to the other cavern. No one watched them enter, and the chief was nowhere in sight when Teven placed her carefully on the sleeping mat. As she lay back against the cushions, he pulled the furs up and over her. She ran her fingers through her hair, and they snagged on a snarl that had developed.
Without a word, Teven moved behind her and gently untied her braid. With what she assumed was the brush, he began to pull through her hair. It was similar to the sensation when Lalina brushed it, only his touch was gentler. Cora could feel the tears welling. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to allow him to finish.
She shivered at the sensation of his fingers moving against her scalp as he braided her hair. And then he was gone. She twisted to see him climb silently into his sleeping mat. With his back to her, he remained still.
Rhali stood at the end of her bed, looking sad despite the smile she tried to give Cora. ‘He looked after me as a child,’ she said as explanation, then turned and walked away.
The light had dimmed in the cavern, and Cora thought it might be night. The lack of movement of other clan members confused her, and her stomach growled. Teven rolled quickly up to the fire, scooping something into a bowl, but she shook her head.
‘Take it,’ he murmured.
‘You haven’t eaten,’ she said, wondering just how these people survived.
He took a gulp from the bowl and then held it out to her again. She didn’t want to cry, but the exhaustion was catching up with her.
‘It is not so bad,’ he said softly.
She nodded and held her hand out for the bowl. He squatted down beside her again, handing it over. She took a gulp and then handed it back. They passed it back and forth, and when he handed her the last part, she pushed it back to him. He sighed but took it, finished the contents and then sat the bowl down by the fire.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘He sees far more than you know, and he can make sure you see what he wants you to,’ Teven whispered.
‘The shadows,’ she murmured.
He nodded once and turned back to the fire, sitting beside her. She closed her eyes.
She thought back to the trees, to the shadows she knew were there and yet couldn’t quite see. Was he able to scare her during the day in the same way he could reach into her dreams? She tried to focus on the shadows she thought she had seen, and she saw the shining yellow eyes of a dragon in the dim light of the trees. She could sense something behind her. When she turned, she saw the same green eyes she had seen when she’d dreamt of Teven. Then they were lost to the darkness that suddenly enveloped her.
Chapter 11
Cora felt less stiff when she woke. She stretched her arms out and then winced. She wasn’t quite as well healed as she would like. As she put her hand to her ribs, she looked up at the chief standing by the fire.
‘It is time for you to show me what you have,’ he said.
‘I am not what you think. I am not as strong as you hope.’
‘But you are stronger than you know.’
‘How do you know anything of me?’ she asked, sitting forward.
‘I was drawn to you, and it appears you were drawn to me. You will come to my cavern.’
He stalked off, and Cora threw the furs back. Teven was already gone, and Rhali still slept—or at least pretended, unmoving. The young man, who appeared to be a younger version of Teven, appeared before her, grinning.
Cora glanced at Rhali first, then looked back to the young man. He held out a stick, and she reached forward to take it. It was a similar length to the one she had lost in the woods, but he had smoothed the end into a soft bulb shape.
‘Thank you,’ she said, bowing her head to him. ‘Teven said I wasn’t allowed another.’
‘The chief wants you to go to him; this is the best way.’
‘Can you tell me your name?’
‘I could, but I have not been given the permission yet.’ He glanced towards the far end of the cavern. ‘We will meet.’
He held out his hand to help her to her feet, and she leaned into the stick. She nodded once. He bowed his head before he disappeared again. She tried not to sigh as she made her way out of the hearth and between the others towards the chief, who was seated by the fire.
She paused, unsure whether she really wanted to be here. But she knew there was no choice while she stayed in this man’s cavern. She had no options regarding whom she spoke to
and what she did.
‘You enjoyed the trees,’ the chief said matter-of-factly.
She nodded as she made her way closer. Her strange dream might have been an indication that he was in the shadows she had seen. ‘It was like home,’ she said.
‘Really?’ he asked, looking up.
‘The trees are different, but the sense of the forest is the same.’
‘It is different.’
‘Not as cold,’ she murmured as she tried to lower herself to the mat beside him. ‘What do you want?’
‘I want what I know you have.’
She looked at him closely. ‘What do I have that I could give you?’
‘You will see.’
She tried not to sigh. This man was going to give her nothing clear she could work with. He must be mistaken about who and what she was. ‘I am not my mother.’
‘I know that,’ he said. ‘You are so much more.’
Cora shook her head. It was already hard enough to live up to the legend that her mother was, the skill she had, and the help she provided to the Penna. She had saved them all from the shadows, after all.
‘How do you know about my mother?’ Cora asked.
‘I can see much further than others.’
She looked him over closely as he stirred something in a pot. Was it like the call she thought she had heard from Arminel, searching her out? Had this man searched her out through her dreams? She looked at him again. ‘What skills do you have?’
He ignored her and continued what he was doing.
‘You must have some skill to understand mine,’ Cora said. ‘Or think that you do.’
He glanced at her and shook his head. He poured the contents of the pot into a cup, then held it out to her.
She sniffed at the bitter contents and leaned back.
‘You will drink it,’ he said.
‘Will it help me heal?’
‘It will help you see what I do.’
She was reminded of Arminel again, how he could climb inside her mind by simply holding her hand when she allowed it to happen. What might this man do once he was inside her?
The Heart of Oldra Page 8
