Chapter 12
I try to open my eyes several times, but they feel weighted down.
Finally, I push through. I stare up at the tree branches above me, and it takes a moment to remember where I am.
I try to sit up and hiss in pain. I glance down at my arm as everything comes rushing back.
My arm is wrapped tightly in some kind of green leaves, and Kaldar’s shirt is still acting as the sling.
I test it, and pain shoots down my arm. It hurts but not like before.
Now, it’s more of a throb. Before, it felt as if my arm was on fire.
I use my good arm to push off the ground and stand up.
I step out of the shelter I know Kaldar made and look around for him.
I don’t see him anywhere, but it doesn’t alarm me.
I figure he probably left in search of food.
I wander over to the fire and sit down next to it.
It looks like sunset is upon us, and I wonder absently how many hours I slept.
I pat the ground and marvel at the fact that it dried up from that awful storm earlier.
It takes a while for Kaldar to come back. When he finally does, he stops in surprise. “You’re awake.”
I manage a smile. “I am. Thanks for wrapping my arm and for the shelter and everything. I’m sorry I slowed us down today. How many hours did I sleep?”
He drops two fish onto a stone next to the fire and works on skinning them. “Two days.”
I stare at him, wide-eyed. “What?”
He keeps skinning the fish. “You were out for two days.”
I look up at the trees above us and then back to him as if I’ll find answers there somewhere. “I’ve been out for two days?” Panic creeps into my voice because I know what happens when you stay still. He told me it’s not good to stay still.
“The root I made you chew is a pain blocker, but it also acts as a sedative. Because you were in so much pain, I let you chew on too much.”
“I appreciated the break from the pain. I’m sorry I slept so long, though. What all did I miss?”
“Not a lot.”
I know he’s not telling me everything. I don’t know how I know; I just know. “What did I miss?” I repeat the question. “Just tell me.”
“There were...spiders.”
I blink because that was not was I was going to guess. “Spiders?”
“They came after us. I picked you up and ran.”
I blink and stare at him. “You carried me? And ran? From spiders?”
He looks over at me. “They were big spiders.”
“Were they?” I can’t help the laugh that pops out.
His eyes narrow on me, and I cover my mouth with my hand.
“I’m sorry. I must be delirious still.” But then another laugh slips out before I can stop it.
“I’m sorry,” I say before he can say anything.
“Just the thought of you picking me up and making a run for it because of spiders makes me laugh.”
“Laugh it up. You didn’t see them. I can guarantee if you did, you wouldn’t be laughing. They were almost as tall as you.”
The smile instantly drops from my face. “What?”
He points at my face. “See? That's the appropriate response.”
“Are you kidding right now?”
“I wish I was. Those creatures are going to be in my nightmares for a long time.”
I feel sick to my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Kaldar. I can’t believe I teased you. Were they really that big?” He nods. “How many were there?”
“Enough.”
“How did you get away?”
He shrugs. “I ran and kept running until they were no longer behind me.”
I swallow hard. “And you carried me?”
“You weren’t exactly in running shape.”
I take in everything he’s saying. “You should have just left me.”
He scowls. “Would you stop with that already?”
“I can’t believe you ran with me, though. It’s hard enough to outrun something in this cursed forest, let alone to be carrying a full human!”
His lips quirk. “As opposed to a half human?”
I scowl at him. “You know what I mean.” I shake my head. “Well, thank you. What else did I miss?”
“There was a sort of windstorm, but we survived that. That was a few hours ago, so hopefully we’re going to get a break for a little while.”
I take in his words and look around us. I can see what he means.
Many trees are bent at odd angles, and lots of tree branches litter the ground.
“It’s going to make walking more difficult,” I point out needlessly.
He nods but doesn’t say anything else. Soon, the fish is ready, and I down my portion quickly.
“I should have caught more; I forgot how hungry you’d be after not eating the last two days. Here.” He tries to hand me his fish, but I push it away.
“I’m fine.” I stand to my feet, wincing in pain as I do.
“I have that bark if you need it again.”
I wave him off. “I can’t afford to sleep for two days again.”
“Just don’t chew on as much.”
It’s tempting, but I decline for now. “If the pain gets too bad, I will later.” I look around our little campsite. “Do you think we need to move, or do you think we’re good here for the night?”
“I think we’re fine to stay. That windstorm should count for something, and we should be able to sleep in peace tonight.”
“I hope so, for your sake. I’ll take watch tonight, so you can sleep.”
“Just for a few hours,” he says as he stands and stretches.
“No, I’ll take the full night. I was out for two nights; that means you didn’t get sleep,” I say pointedly. When he doesn’t argue, I know I’m right.
“Wake me if there are any threats.”
“I will.” He starts towards the shelter he made. “Kaldar.” He stops and turns back. “Thank you for everything you did for me.”
I can’t really see the expression on his face, because he’s too far away from the light of the fire. “You’re welcome, Kinsley.”
He settles in to sleep, and I stay at the fire.
I try to move my arm and wince as pain shoots down my arm.
I give up and leave it close to my stomach.
I stare into the darkness. I can’t believe I slept for two days.
I need to ask Kaldar how many days it’s been then.
We have to be closing in on five or six soon, not that it means anything.
Kaldar's rites may have only lasted six days, but he also said some guy’s lasted for eighty-some days.
That thought makes me sick, but I refuse to think about it.
I have to believe we’ll get out soon, or I’ll lose hope.
The hours pass slowly, and I spend the time imagining what the Jaguar Kingdom is like and what my future is going to look like.
A few times, I doze off, but I always jerk back awake again.
There’s no reason I should be tired, not after two days of sleeping.
But my body doesn’t seem to get the memo.
I get up and pace our small camp several times, keeping my steps soft so I don’t wake Kaldar.
Finally, the sky begins to lighten in color.
Relief filters through me. It’s almost morning.
Kaldar wakes up soon after that and joins me at the fire. “You should have woken me.” His voice is lower than usual.
“You needed the sleep after the past two nights.” I stand and stretch, wincing when my arm moves slightly.
“I’m going to go catch something for us to eat, and then we can get going.”
“I can do it,” I offer, but he just shakes his head and disappears.
He’s back a few minutes later with fish again, but I don’t mind.
Food is the difference between life and death in here.
It’s a quick breakfast, and then we’re moving again.
My enthusiasm wanes pretty quickly. The walking jostles my arm, and I do my best to ignore it.
Eventually, I settle into a sort of numbness.
I follow Kaldar’s back for hours. I don’t allow myself to think about anything but the next step.
When we finally stop, I settle on the hard ground after looking for any creeping things and drop my head onto my knees.
“I’m sorry. I should have stopped more often,” Kaldar says from behind me. I don’t lift my head; my entire body aches.
I hear him mutter something, but I don’t quite catch it. “I’m going to go catch something for us to eat, and then I’ll work on a shelter.”
I have no intention of making him do all that himself, I just need to gather some strength.
When he comes back, I stand to my feet and gather kindling for a fire.
He tells me not to worry about it, but I want to pull my own weight.
Soon our fire is going, and there’s small game cooking over the fire.
My stomach growls in anticipation of the fresh meat.
He starts making a shelter for the night, and I walk over to help him. “I’ve got it.”
I lift my chin. “I want to help.”
“I know. You can help by sitting and letting your arm heal.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works.”
His lips tug into a smile. “Sure, it does.”
Because I’m in so much pain, I don’t argue with him. I head back to the fire, but then I hear him curse a moment later. I whirl around, forgetting about my arm. I hiss in pain as I hurry over to him. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
I look past him when something moves and catches my attention. We both watch as a small bright yellow creature hops away. “What was that?” I ask.
“A mireling.”
Something about his voice has me turning to him. “What is a mireling, Kaldar? I’m assuming you have those in your kingdom?”
“We do.”
“And?” I prompt when he says nothing more. He turns to me, and I startle at the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“A mireling’s bite has enough poison to take down a full-grown emberstag.” He stares down at me, and horror fills me at what he’s trying to convey.
“It bit you, didn’t it?”
He nods, and I feel like I’m going to be sick. “Where?”
“On my hand.”
“Let me see.” He holds out his hand. There’s only a tiny red ring.
“What do we do?”
“I don’t know.” His voice is solemn.
“Well, what do you do in your kingdom?”
“Every home has an antidote on hand.”
My panic is rising with each word that comes out of his mouth. “Well, what’s it made of?”
He runs a hand over his head. “I don’t know.”
I stare at him. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I don’t know.” He raises his voice just the slightest bit, and it surprises me. It’s the first time he hasn’t been perfectly cool, calm, and collected since I’ve met him. “Everybody just has the antidote. I’ve never studied what makes up the antidote.”
“Okay. What happens without an antidote?”
“The poison will spread.” He doesn’t say anything more, and he doesn’t have to. I know exactly what he means. The poison eventually will reach his heart.
“How long?” I ask.
He meets my eyes. “Twenty-four hours.” I feel the air dissipate from my lungs. “Or less.”