The Defiance (Brilliant Darkness) by A.G. Henley

Author:A.G. Henley [Henley, A.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-07-20T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I'm lying on my bed brooding after dinner. Eland keeps asking me what's wrong, but I don't tell him.

What if Calli is right? Right now my community has plenty of people to do the many tasks that ensure our survival. If enough leave with us for Koolkuna, that won't be true. And that goes double for the Lofties, because there are fewer of them to begin with. We would seal the fate of the people who stay.

But I can't remain here, either. Not the way things are now.

There's a knock. At least someone still has some manners. Eland opens the door.

"Come on in, Marj," he says.

I sit up and greet our herbalist.

"I've come to check on my patient," she says briskly. "How are you feeling, Eland?"

"Better. That stuff you gave me helped."

"Any headaches? Lingering confusion?"

"Not really since the first night," he says. "When I was out there . . . with them."

My forehead bunches. "What stuff? Marj gave you something to take?"

"Some powder to mix in my water," he says. "Tastes awful, like when I ate the rabbit food on a dare that time."

"I've been tinkering," Marj says. "Trying to find something to help with the disorientation after exposure to the sick ones."

"What's in it?" I ask.

"Mostly herbs. Bit of this and that from my workroom." She's moving around the shelter, probably picking up. Eland and I aren't great about keeping things neat and tidy. I can't see the mess, and he doesn't care. Not exactly a recipe for cleanliness.

"How are you two doing without your mother?" Marj asks.

Her question surprises me, but I appreciate her bluntness. Most people tiptoe around the subject, which kind of forces me to do the same.

"Okay," Eland and I both say at the same time.

I try again. She asked, after all. "It's hard, you know. I really miss her. I don't know what I'd do without Eland." I smile at him.

"I'm sure it does help to have each other. You'll come see me, if either of you begins to feel low, or if you have problems sleeping, or with your appetite?" I tell her we will. "Right then, I'll be off. Eland, you don't need to use any more of the powder now that you're feeling better. Do you have any left?"

"Only a pinch. I used most of it," he says.

"Then you overdid it. I gave you much more than enough . . . but that is interesting. Perhaps taking more will shorten the effects of exposure." Marj sounds contemplative as she takes her leave.

"Why didn't you tell me she gave you something to take?" I ask Eland after she goes.

"Sorry, I forgot."

"I'm glad it worked, whatever it was." I lie back down.

Eland settles into his bed as well. "I lied, by the way. I still have more of the powder. I thought it might come in handy in case we run into the Sc—the sick ones—on our way to Koolkuna."

I nod. "Smart thinking. Especially if it actually works. What do you remember about that night? I mean, when you were outside with them?"

"Not very much.

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