The Scourge (A.G. Henley) - By A.G. Henley Page 0,56
but somehow he’s not intimidating. I like him right away; he reminds me of Bear. Derain, Kora, and Darel wrestle after we eat. The children giggle as their father pretends to be felled like a tree by their punches. Kora and Arika ask if I’d like to help them with the laundry duties. I agree—reluctantly—when I learn the anuna hang the wet laundry to dry up in the sunlit trees.
We take the ascending platform, and they lead me to a wide, sunny area wedged between the triangular points of three sturdy trees. Somehow it feels safer than the narrow walkways, and I relax. Ropes crisscross the space, giving me something to hang onto. My ribs barely ache now as I raise my arms to hang clothes over the ropes to dry. Other men and women join us, sharing news about their families as they work. They steer the conversation to other topics when I ask about the sick ones, but there’s no undercurrent of fear as there is at home. I’m struck by how easily the people of Koolkuna live.
Later, Kadee and I sit by the fire and eat our dinner. I tell her about my day, and that I’m worried I haven’t heard anything about Peree.
“You said he’s not one of your people, that he belongs to the other group. Yet you clearly have a connection with him.”
“I thought I’d hate him, before I met him. I wanted to hate him. Everyone despises the Lofties. But,” I struggle to put my feelings into words, “I feel different about him now, and different about the Lofties because of him.”
“I see,” she says, in a way that tells me she understands more than I’m saying, maybe more than I know myself. It makes me want to change the subject.
“So I’ve told you all about my family, but you haven’t mentioned yours.” I’m surprised she lives alone. She sounds younger than Aloe, but certainly old enough to have a partner, and children.
“I did have a family once, but I . . . lost them.” She hesitates. “You see, I haven’t always—”
The door bangs open, making us both jump.
“What is it, Kai?” Kadee says.
The girl speaks in a flat, clipped voice, the words spilling out like dried beans from a sack. “Nerang sent me to tell the lorinya to come quickly. Her friend is awake.”
I hurry through the night, not waiting for Kai to guide me, trusting my sense of direction. When I reach the shelter I shove open the door without knocking. I can still smell a trace of the burning herbs.
“Peree? Nerang, is he okay?”
“Yes, young one, come in. I hope Kai didn’t alarm you. I wasn’t sure how long your friend would be awake. As it turns out, he’s refusing to ever sleep again until he sees you.”
“Fenn.” Peree’s voice is raspy, but lucid. I rush over to him. My fingers flutter over his face and smooth his hair. I blink back tears of relief. He catches my hand and pulls it to his lips.
“Well,” Nerang says with a small cough, “I’ll be outside if I’m needed.” He closes the door as he leaves.
“How are you?” I ask, pressing my hand to Peree’s cheek.
“Never better,” he croaks.
I kneel next to the bed, and feel him stiffen. “Who did that to your face?”
I sigh. “I did.”
He touches my forehead. “You look terrible.”
“And that’s a terrible thing to say to a girl.”
He chuckles. “You’re really here? I’m not dreaming?”
“Not unless I’m dreaming, too,” I say.
He shifts his body, and sucks in a breath through clenched teeth. “I sincerely hope your dreams aren’t this painful.”
My smile vanishes. “I’m sorry. What can I do?”
“Nothing. Reminds me I’m still alive . . . because of you.”
“Nerang saved your life, not me.”
“Who is Nerang? And where the hell are we?” Peree whispers.
“He’s an herbalist. Wait until you hear about Koolkuna, you won’t believe it. It’s protected. I don’t know how yet, but Wirrim said he’d show us soon.”
“Back up—who are Koolkuna and Wirrim? Start at the beginning. The caves are the last thing I remember. My head feels like it’s crammed with dandelion fluff.”
“I’ll tell you as much as I can, but we may not have much time. Nerang is big on resting.”
I describe our short, treacherous ride in the underground river—“Part water dragon, like I said,” Peree teases—and how Kora found us. I tell him the story of the anuna. He’s as astonished as I was to hear that Koolkuna is safe from the Scourge,