nodded. He looked nervous. “Okay. I will knock.”
“Thank you.”
Tauran settled back, watching Jinhai go.
Kalai stirred beside him. “Is it now?” His voice sounded rough.
“No. I sent Jinhai to ask.”
Kalai leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.
“Headache?” Tauran rested a hand on Kalai’s back. He felt too hot.
“Yeah.”
“We can go back down. Do this another day.”
“No.” Kalai straightened. His hand shook when he pushed the hair back from his face. “It’s not the height. The height just makes me feel dizzy before I faint. This is the doroxian.” He groaned, leaning his head against the wall. “I’m sure knowing I can’t just take another pill is tricking my mind into thinking I feel much worse. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“Uh-huh.” Tauran wasn’t so sure, but he didn’t want to argue with Kalai when he was looking so miserable. “Pretty sure fainting won’t make it any better.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kalai said. “Right now, a few hours of obligatory rest doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Obligatory rest,” Tauran repeated with a huff. That was one way to put it.
Tauran nearly flinched when a group of two men and a woman dressed in long plain gowns rounded the corner and paused in front of them. They spoke several sentences to Tauran in Sharoani. It wasn’t until Tauran looked over his shoulder at Kalai that Kalai seemed to remember that Tauran couldn’t understand a word.
“The Eldest is very sick,” Kalai said. “They’re saying we have to understand that she must rest a lot, and will speak to us as soon as she feels strong enough.”
Tauran parted his lips to deliver a firm reply, but then remembered everything he said had to go through Kalai. He sighed. “Do they think she’ll be well enough within the next half hour?”
“Uh…” Kalai took a moment to translate Tauran’s words.
The assistants didn’t answer straight away. Instead, their gazes lingered on Kalai, one of them whispering to the others.
Tauran’s impatience boiled over and he stood, towering over the three assistants. He wouldn’t normally use his height to intimidate like this, but for Kalai, he was willing to do just about anything. “What is the problem?”
Jinhai squeezed past the assistants to Tauran’s side. “Kalai-Ahala is sick,” he whispered. “It makes them… uh…”
“Nervous,” Kalai said, exhaling deeply. He hung his head.
Realization struck Tauran. “No, no.” He took Jinhai by the shoulder. “It’s not that kind of sickness. He isn’t contagious. Tell them. It’s fine. He’s not a threat to the Eldest.”
Jinhai blinked, lips parting, clearly struggling to understand Tauran’s quick words.
“Tau.” Kalai’s voice was strained. “I can’t...”
Tauran whipped around.
Kalai’s eyes rolled back, his body going limp. Tauran reached out just in time to stop Kalai going head first onto the stone floor. “Whoa, hey. You’re okay.” He propped Kalai up against his own chest. He was dead weight. Already unconscious. Tauran didn’t know if it was the pills or his condition or a combination of both, but whatever it was, they couldn’t stay here.
He looked up. The assistants had retreated several paces, covering their mouths and noses with their sleeves. Only Jinhai was still beside him, shifting anxiously from foot to foot. “Jinhai,” Tauran said. “We need to go down. Will you help me?”
Jinhai nodded eagerly. “I will help!”
Together, they pulled Kalai up between them. Thankfully, the elevator wasn’t far. They sat Kalai on the floor of the cage and Jinhai stood to turn the crank. Tauran sat beside Kalai, cradling his head in his hands. “Any moment now, darling,” he murmured. Kalai’s episodes were always brief. Minutes, he’d said, never much more than five. Tauran glanced at his watch. “Jinhai.”
Jinhai whipped around, hands fast on the crank. “Yes!”
“We will need a place to rest. Sleep. A hostel, maybe?”
Jinhai nodded. “I will care for it.”
“Thanks.” Tauran said. The kid was sky sent. “You don’t happen to know an old woman named Iako, do you? She’s a basket maker.”
“Iako?” Jinhai shook his head. “I will ask.”
“It’s okay,” Tauran said. Kalai hadn’t gotten around to telling him where she lived. Maybe it had been intentional, not wanting her to see him like this. Tauran knew the feeling. Swearing quietly, he leaned against the wooden bars. The moment Kalai started to look unwell, he should have insisted they go back down. He’d promised he would have Kalai’s back, and he’d let him get to this point.
He checked his watch again.
* * *
Once at the bottom, they helped each other carry Kalai to the