Page 120 of Earthbound

Her fingers slipped between the roots and earth, deeper and deeper until she could feel the ghost of the curse beneath her fingertips. Then she urged Mosima to grow.

Shoots began to burst from the soil around her, the sight of it leaving her giddy.

More, she thought, and green began to fill her vision.

I have this, I have my strength.

Careful, Furi, Amnan said, from a short way away where he was foraging with Pila. This is draining what little vigour you have.

I feel fine, she said, even as his voice began to fade. More, she urged the land.

Thump, thump, thump. The sound of her blood filled her ears as her vision began to blacken.

Strange, my heart is pumping so slowly…

‘Furi!’ Something hard knocked into her and she fell sideways, hitting her head hard against the magnolia trunk. She lay dazed, looking up at the sparse magnolia flowers.

Yeeran’s face filled her vision, because of course it had been Yeeran who had saved her once again.

‘Why are you scowling? I just stopped you from draining yourself completely,’ she said.

‘I wasn’t going to die.’

‘You were turning blue,’ Yeeran said. She looked haunted, as though recalling a memory.

The ground vibrated against her skin with the distinctive beat of an obeah’s footfalls.

Amnan came thundering into the woodland, his eyes wide with panic. Pila followed in his shadow.

You began to disappear from my mind, he said as he nuzzled into her hand.

‘I’m all right.’ She soothed him as he whined quietly.

Yeeran sat down next to her. ‘You went too far, Furi. You need to give yourself time to heal.’

‘We don’t have time, our food stores will only last so long.’

‘Rayan will do it, he has to be enough.’

There was no blame in Yeeran’s tone, but Furi felt ashamed that she wasn’t able to help him in her weakened state.

Satisfied Furi was all right, Amnan and Pila both sauntered away, leaving Yeeran and Furi sitting content on the ground. Furi didn’t want to admit that she wasn’t able to get up by herself, but Yeeran must have sensed she needed the rest.

‘Will I ever fully recover?’ she asked.

‘Lots of people recover their health entirely.’

She tangled her fingers with Yeeran’s. ‘That’s not what I asked.’

‘I’m not a medic. You should ask Jay.’

‘I’m not asking Jay. I’m asking you. You and Rayan are the only two people in Mosima with any real experience of this disease.’

‘I…’ Yeeran turned to her side to face Furi. ‘I don’t know. You took the cure so late, a lot of damage had already been done.’

Furi looked away before Yeeran could see the tears burning in her eyes.

‘Is this what it was like with Lettle? And don’t lie to me.’