Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,310

future. It felt nice to pretend like we could plan for our lives together. It was well into the afternoon before we were ready to emerge from the tent. My body felt relaxed yet tender from our time together. I was surprised that no one bothered us but thankful too. Taking a few hours to escape into our love gave me the resolve I needed to dive into the day and approach all the problems we faced with a clear head.

I was headed towards the campfire when I saw Jacob. He was wearing a knowing smirk stretched so broad that it made me blush. “The just fucked looks good on you,” his mindspeak said. He didn’t even bother ripping it from his ears despite Jules’ gags and Thurst’s shiver of discomfort. I loved the public display of affection. I’d spent my entire life hiding my feelings for another, so having men that were so open about their love and attraction to me was addicting.

I still patted Jacob on the shoulder with a laugh. "Where are the others?" I asked. Thurst put a pot of water over the fire before responding.

"They went back to Dormas to look for a few more supplies. I had a small fever last night, probably from all this deadlands water. He thinks there might be a fever-reducing serum at the abandoned clinic still.”

Memories of my time at the camp with Lilly filtered through my mind. I quickly started scrounging the wooded area we were staying in, looking for the plant I knew would be just as effective. “What are you looking for?” Kemper asked.

“Willow, meadowsweet, or cramp bark. It helps with fevers and inflammation,” I answered distractedly. From the corner of my eye, I saw a proud grin cover his expression as he searched with me. Soon, I found a cluster of meadowsweet and brought it back towards the fire. It was abundant in the area.

I pulled the boiling water from the fire and poured some into a cup, then I removed the makeshift tea strainer I found from an abandoned home a week ago and put the herb in it before pouring the boiling water over it. “Let it cool, then drink it all. If you need more, let me know,” I said before handing the cup to Thurst with a small smile.

Jacob had been watching me, and his mindspeak spoke up. “Damn, I love this woman.”

My eyes flickered to Jules, and I half expected her to roll her eyes or make a quip about my abilities, but she looked introspective. “Could you teach me about that?” she finally asked while getting up to get a better look at the leftover herbs in my hands. “Could be good to know.”

“Yeah,” I replied in shock. Jules and I had slowly become friends, but she’d never outright asked for my help with anything. It made me bloom with an appreciation for Lilly once more. She had taught me a lot during my time in the deadlands, and I desperately wanted to know how she was doing.

“Don’t look so surprised. I like learning,” Jules replied while rolling her eyes before heading back to her seat beside Tallis.

Once we were all settled around the campfire, I watched Thurst with trepidation. I was dying to know what had happened to Hope. I could feel my concern for her burning in the back of my throat, but instead of asking, I went a different direction.

“Do you know anyone from the Water Scavengers? I asked while sliding forward on my seat. Jacob was sitting beside me, rubbing little circles of reassurance on my lower back. “That’s actually where I learned how to do that. A woman named Lilly was a healer there and taught me.”

I knew I was clutching for whatever lead I could get. Thurst gave me a quizzical stare before glancing at Tallis like this conversation was unexpected. "I'm very familiar with that camp. We were on a supply run last week, and some of them had been captured."

At that, Tallis jerked his head up to stare at Thurst. "What do you mean captured?"

Thurst frowned. "I don't know what they're doing with them, but the last of Cavil's guards have been rounding up Scavengers and taking them. It’s...it’s what happened to Hope. Rumor has it that they're searching for someone. We were camped by the Dormas river when five of them overtook Bowden and me. They’re targeting children and anyone that’s a Water camp. They...they beat us within an inch