The Scourge (A.G. Henley) - By A.G. Henley Page 0,28
don’t know where to look.”
“My Sightlessness is my only advantage! How long do you think a sighted person will last, wandering through the caves with no light and precious little sense of direction? And if the caves ever end, the fleshies will be there. What good would their sight be then?” The creatures let loose raw howls of longing and need. They repulse me. “What, do you think I want to leave my home, my family, to search for some mythical water?”
“No,” Peree says, keeping his voice even. “But I think you’d do anything, go anywhere, not to have to do this anymore.” He pauses. “I would, too, if I were you.”
My anger fizzles. He’s right.
“Promise me you’ll think this through,” he says. “What you face in the caves could be worse than the Scourge, much worse.” I don’t see how that’s possible, but I promise anyway. I’ve reached the caves, but I hesitate before going in.
“I know I don’t get a say, but I don’t like this,” Peree says.
“We have to try something."
“There has to be another way. Let me think about it. Give me a day.”
“The community’s meeting tonight to hear the Three’s decision. If I do go, I’ll probably leave tomorrow. Aloe said she would collect the water . . . so, I might not see you for a few days.” I want to tell him I’m scared. I want to tell him I’ll miss him. But of course I don’t. Coward. “Be well, Peree.” I sidle into the cave mouth.
“Fenn, please don’t go.”
To my horror I feel tears welling, so I hurry into the gloom of the tunnel. Later, I realize those were the words the hunter used as the cassowary woman flew away.
The decision is made. The Council will allow a volunteer to search for the Hidden Waters. We listen as Sable tells us what the lucky person will be in for.
“Don’t underestimate the caves. They were forged long ago by natural forces as powerful and as inevitable as time. The caves are free of the Scourge, but the cold and the lack of light can be equally unforgiving. Your torch may not last more than a few days, and the passages are deceptive. Some lead away from a cavern only to return to it, with you none the wiser. Others end, forcing you to backtrack. And still others grow smaller and smaller until you can go no further. People have been known to wander for days only to find they’ve barely journeyed beyond their starting point. And if you do find an exit, the Scourge may be there.”
“So what’s the downside?” Bear asks, to nervous chuckles.
“This is serious,” Aloe says. “If someone chooses to look for the Hidden Waters, they need to know exactly what they can expect.” I feel like she’s speaking to me, like somehow she knows what I’m contemplating.
“You must take adequate food and water, and leave a trail for yourself,” Sable continues. “It will help you if you get lost, and if the waters are found you can then make your way back quickly.”
I remember a story, from the old days, about two children who enter the dark forest, dropping bread crumbs along the path so they can find their way back home. Animals eat the crumbs, and the children become lost. Nothing edible to mark my trail, then.
“Is there a volunteer?” Adder says.
I take a deep breath and . . . Fox speaks. “I volunteer.”
I can’t decide if I’m relieved or disappointed.
“Fox–” Acacia pleads.
“Daddy, don’t,” Calli says. I haven’t heard her call him Daddy since she fell off a rock and broke her wrist a few years ago.
“Someone must go,” he tells them, his voice gentle.
“But it doesn’t have to be you,” Acacia says. She sounds a lot like Peree did.
“I’m afraid they’re right, Fox. We need you here,” Aloe says.
I’m not surprised. If the Three serve as the brain of the community, Fox is our heart. His optimism and good humor is infectious, even in the cheerless caves.
“Is anyone else willing to go?” Aloe asks.
No one speaks. I stand up, my heart hammering. “I’ll go.” The crowd murmurs, sounding dubious. “I work in the caves; I’m comfortable here. I’ve spent as much time exploring them as the oldest among us. I have as good a chance of finding the Waters as any.”
Sable says, “Child, thank you for your willingness to serve the community, but you must stay and collect the water.”