Page 14 of Hope Forged
With a laugh, she gathered the dirty blankets, a toweling cloth, her spare garments, and a wooden bucket, then headed for the lake. Mist hovered above its surface, adding an unwelcoming air to the dark waters. She stripped, tossing aside her tunic, leggings, and boots, before dipping a foot into the cold waves lapping the shore. Sand squished between her toes the deeper she waded. Her skin tightened in protest, sending out bumps. Her nipples puckered, worsened by a morning breeze chillier than the water. Taking a deep breath, she jumped in, bedding and all, making sure she wasn’t near the deep side.
She cried out when she rose to take a breath.
“Of all things Elorach, this is…insane! What I’d give for a ray bath.” Everything within her demanded she leave…now.
She smiled. And Mudya used to bribe her. She flicked aside an escaped tear and swept her gaze east. Without anyone to help her, she squared her shoulders and scrubbed, then rinsed the blood from the threadbare blankets and her worn garments. When done with one, she left it to float while she tackled another. Wringing water from each item took its toll, and by the time she spread the last one over nearby boulders, her arms trembled. All of this was done amid grumbles, complaints, and curses. Speaking to herself kept her sane.
“And now for me.” The cold water didn’t bother her anymore when she waded in to wash herself. With handfuls of sand, she scrubbed her body. A glance at the sky showed the passing of hours. When she at last faced the bank, her stomach gurgled. Which had her searching for the biggest ceazas. In and out she ventured, stacking three in the makeshift bucket. The thought of a hot, salty fish sent renewed energy through her.
With the toweling robe wrapped around her hair, and her dry, clean garments on, she lugged the bucket to the dying fire.
“I can’t believe you’re still sleeping,” she teased her friend, curled into a ball on the pallet beside the fire.
A muted rumble reached her ears. She crouched beside him and ran her hand through his thick white fur, all while assessing his wounds. His purring intensified when she rubbed the tip of an ear.
Creeping across the clearing, she lifted the bucket on the way to the flat rock and started cleaning the fish: one for her, two for Seba. His nose twitched when she squatted beside the pit to stoke the coals and build the heat. A tisane would be wonderful. Something hot to warm her belly. On one side of the fire, sheboiled taisra leaves in water; on the other, she roasted her fish. The latter would take moments.
“I’m not feeding you, Seba. Quit being lazy.” She hitched her thumb to where she’d left his fish and chunks of hers. And yet, she gathered the raw fish onto a plate and carried it to him. He didn’t budge except for rolling his eyes open. When she held a handful of fish to his mouth, he slurped it up, swiping his forked tongue across her fingers.
“So lazy,” she teased, giving his ears another scratch.
He purred and shifted his great bulk to rise, sticking his ass out as he stretched. Only then did he lumber on six paws to the rock and finish his meal.
A little while later, she hummed, her belly full and the sun mid-sky. “No time to look for Padya today,” she said, sadness dipping her chin.
Seba gazed at her, circled the fire, then hesitated on the edge of the clearing. His two tails flicked in agitation.
She sighed. “Go on. Do what you must.”
And just like that, she was on her own. With tears pressing the backs of her eyes, she went about her chores: checking Oz’s batteries and the sol shields, restocking the med-kit’s herbs and ointments, and studying Padya’s sketched map of their area in hopes he’d left a clue. She returned to the lake to clean her plate and gather fresh water and the dried blankets. Downhill she trudged, her arms overburdened.
The sun was setting when she climbed the closest chagla tree to check an avar trap. Something other than fish would be a pleasant change. And since Seba might return to her that night, she’d have to get more ceaza.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and paused on a branch far off the ground to study the crevice that was nothing but a dark scar on the distant rock.
“Are you still alive, Padya?” she asked.
Twenty-three days without water or sustenance was a death sentence. Flicking a gaze to the east, she pinched her lips. She didn’t have the vines needed to make a long enough rope.
Fear chilled her.
It was time to explore the eastern forest.
Chapter Five
Allright,Ziameewasprocrastinating. She’d spent the day doing chores instead of planning a trip east. She was being silly, but alone, if something happened, she could die or be stranded. The possibility of getting herself or Seba killed was high. No, she had a right to be cautious. She needed to prepare for the unknown. Food, water, warmth, and her trusty fish-skinning dagger? Would that be enough? And maybe leave a note with Oz in case Padya returned?
With the refilled bucket between her legs, she sat on a boulder to fix an unraveled braid. She’d lost count of how many braids she had. They were too unruly, but tying her hair up this way kept it from being a nuisance. She’d get around to hacking at it soon enough.
The setting sun glimmered off the surface of the lake. Peace saturated the air, the scents of chagla blossoms and fresh ceaza adding to the moment. And a strange hum? She raised her gaze and studied the horizon. Could it be another kind of avar?
She angled her head. No, the sound was mechanical. And it wasn’t coming from theHaile. She leaped to her feet when a black shape shot across the sky. A blink confirmed she wasn’t imagining things when it circled the lake and headed toward her position. Excitement exploded in her chest.
We are rescued!
But her instincts whispered,Why now; who are they; what do they want?And worse, she was alone—vulnerable.
Cursing, she stared at her bare feet, then at the hovering ship. Had it seen her? Did it know she was there? Wiggling her toes, she started to unwrap the strips of leather that made up her boots, preparing to put them on. The ropes holding them together splayed outward. She had no other footwear; leather soles with ribbons tied around her calves were her improvisation. Abandoning covering her feet when it was too time-consuming to put her boots on, she padded barefoot toward the tiny spaceship now hovering above her.
