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Topiara - Chapter 51
"I don't feel so good," Lyara whispered to Jilan as they snuggled together in the sleeping net designated for them by the tall Vri'ia'ani warrior Li'ish.
Jilan shifted so that he was holding her just a little more tightly. "I know. Where that fa'un was at my throat burns…"
"No." She shook her head. "It's more than just that… My leg feels as if it's on fire – and I can't bend my knee…"
"It could be a late reaction to the dart that they used to take you down yesterday," he whispered. "Remember, the only darts we've ever seen used were Farranby's – and they were a very fast-acting poison as well as a paralyzing agent."
Lyara moaned. "Don't remind me!"
Jilan frowned. He had to admit that she seemed to be getting warmer almost by the moment. "Yiren?" he called out finally.
"Hmmm?" A very sleepy voice sounded from the other side of the room.
"Would the darts the hunters used on Lyara cause fever?"
"I don't know," Yiren's voice sounded much more awake – and worried. "I've never heard of them causing much of a reaction before, but then, they normally aren't used on people… at least, not on people expected to survive a Fa'unshah…" There was the sound of shifting. "Are you going to be all right?"
"I don't know," Lyara said tiredly. "I could hardly walk by the time we came in here."
"I'll talk to the Ru'an in the morning, and see if he will summon the healer for you if you still hurt so badly. Or do you need assistance now?"
"No," Lyara replied, "as long as I don't move much, I'll be all right for the time being."
"I worry about her fever – it's climbing too fast," Jilan grumbled worriedly. "Do your people not believe in blankets?"
In the darkness, it sounded as if Yiren snorted in derision. "Under most circumstances, it's too warm here to consider blankets, Jilan. You should know this by now."
Jilan's arm tightened about Lyara as he felt her shiver against him. "I hear a 'but' in that…"
"But most h'sun and h'suni'il do have one or two for when sickness overcomes one of us." There was the thud of Yiren's feet hitting the woven vine floor. "I'll go see if I can find one for you." With the lack of moonlight, only the sound of her soft step told Jilan that she'd gone to see what she could find.
"How am I going to be able to travel this way?" Lyara asked around her sudden inclination to chatter her teeth.
"Don't worry about that right now," Jilan soothed. "I'm sure the Chi'uchi healer will have something to help you in the morning. We just need to be patient, Lya."
She nodded miserably and clung to him, wishing she could push herself even deeper into his warmth. The burning at her throat from where the fa'un had lain was now agonizing, and it was getting harder and harder to swallow. From head to toe, her skin felt as if small pests were crawling incessantly, making her shift often and wish that she could use her fingernails to strip the skin itself away.
Topiara was trying to help, she knew – bringing her visions of the warm and soothing water baths of her old home with Vandor to try to distract her. She clung to that inner vision as if to a piece of floating wood in a storm-tossed sea and tried to rest.
It seemed like forever, but finally Jilan could see a dim light moving through the shelter towards him. "Jilan?" Yiren's voice came closer. "I brought Hodi'ia, the healer." Soon both a gentle-faced middle-aged woman was looking down at the foreign-looking couple in the sleeping net, with Yiren peeking over her shoulder. "Is it right that she should be suffering so?"
"From the fa'un, no," the healer shook her head and then touched Lyara's leg, which caused the young woman to draw in a hissed breath of pure pain. "But her body fights the ipsi'il from the dart – and the fa'un burn isn't helping." The woman moved back slightly and sat down on the floor – gesturing to Yiren to sit with her.
"Bring the light closer," Hodi'ia instructed with a soft voice of command. Yiren brought the stone lamp down to the floor, where the healer had unpacked her bundle of packets of dried herbs and ointments. Showing no pause or hesitation, the healer selected pinches of ingredients and opened a packet of pure grease until it lay flat in front of her. With her fingers, she pulled the grease into a sizeable lump in the middle of the thin, flexible birdskin and then dumped the healthy palmful of crushed herbs over it. She worked the herbs into the grease with practiced fingers. Then, very carefully, she picked up the four corners of the skin and held it a short distance above the flame of the lamp until the grease heated and the scent of herbs could be detected in the air. She put the square on the floor, laid it out flat and spread the melted grease evenly over most of the surface area of the skin.
"This should help," she said with a grunt as she rose, with Yiren again carrying the lamp to provide light. Hodi'ia wiped her fingers against the sheen of grease and very carefully put a thin coat of the herbal mix on the raised and angry welt that was where the fa'un had rested against Lyara's throat. Lyara twitched beneath the gentle touch but didn't make a sound. Hodi'ia then repeated the coating movement on the raised knot that was where the tranquilizing dart had penetrated Lyara's leg, again making Lyara twitch nervously beneath the touch.
Jilan waited and watched, and then raised his eyes in surprise and gratitude when he felt Lyara take a deep breath and relax into slumber against him. The older woman merely nodded knowingly and then carefully rolled the birdskin over the remainder of the grease and tied it with a length of braided thread. "Morning, midday and nighttime, a light coating to both wounds," she counseled, handing him the little roll. "This will help control the fever and discomfort. But…" The healer's green eyes glittered in the light of the small lamp, "it is possible that the combination of the ipsi'il and the fa'un will not be defeated by my concoction."
"What do we do then?" Jilan asked softly, so as not to awaken Lyara.
"It is said that you desire to visit the mountains of fire and ice. Is this true?" Hodi'ia asked.
"Lyara knows more about our quest than I," Jilan admitted, "but I believe so…"
"There is a plant that grows in great plenty around the edges of a lake half-way up the side of that mountain. It has broad leaves…" Her hands spread apart to indicate almost the width of his thigh. "…of a darker green than everything else around it, and it grows hair on those leaves. You will need to pick those leaves and collect water from the lake to boil them down into a paste. Spread the paste on the wounds and let her eat five bites of it – no more, no less. Her dreams that night will be wild ones, but in the morning, the power of the ipsi'il and the fa'un over her spirit will have waned."
"Will she be able to walk that far?" Jilan asked, astounded. "The mountains are still far away, I understand."
Hodi'ia's mouth formed an 'o', and then she squatted down next to her pile of bundles and pouches. She selected another very tiny pouch of the cured birdskin and put a healthy amount of yet another mixture of herbs into it. "This is kulu weed. Put one scant pinch in a cup of water four times a day," she directed. "She will need to drink it straight down before eating anything, and then let it sit on the empty stomach for a short while before breaking a fast. It won't completely eliminate the pain, but added to the ointment, will make it possible for her to travel on her own." She squatted again after handing Jilan the little pouch. "The journey may take longer than anticipated because you should not push hard to walk far or fast, but there should be enough of both medicines to get you and her safely to the mountains of fire and ice."
"Thank you," Jilan said softly, his gratitude making his voice shake with sincerity. "I would rise and bow to you as would be most proper, but…"
"If you have reason to pass Chi'uchi again, and have the means to bring back some of the broad and hairy palan leaves I told you about…" Hodi'ia mentioned with a wistful tone. "Not many Vri'ia'ani will go near the mountains, much less actually climb to the lake. The herb is powerful for many things – and my pouch has long since emptied of the last bit of dust from the bravery of others many years ago. To bring back enough to gift the healers at the h'sun and h'suni'il you visit afterwards each with a leaf would be a great sha'adrah you would perform for many."
Yiren grinned, impressed. "Between that an your fa'uni'il, sheltering you and Lyara would honor every Vri'ia'ani you encounter," she nodded.
Jilan nodded carefully. "I'll see what I can do – but I'll make sure that if this leaf is as powerful as you say and cures her, I will bring you back a goodly supply for your future cures."
Hodi'ia smiled at him as she rose, her bundle very quickly reassembled and tied up tightly again and under her arm. "Sleep well, then, Jila'an of the chan'vrii – and care for your i'ilim. She needs her rest more than I need your obeisance." She turned to Yiren. "A light to show my way back to my net…"
Yiren cast a look over her shoulder as she held the little lamp aloft for the healer showed that Jilan had returned his entire attention to the woman sleeping in his arms. Lyara's fevered trembling had ceased, and she watched with a pang in her heart as Jilan smoothed back a tendril of short, dark hair ever so tenderly and lovingly. She shook herself and busied herself with lighting the healer's way, as requested.
She needed to get home – get to Tala'anru'an – and let the handsome yellow-hair and his dark i'ilim continue on their way and over time become memories before she herself dishonored the sha'adrah they performed for her and damaged her vri'i beyond all repair.
"What is this?" Lyara wrinkled her nose as she perched and swung on the edge of the sleeping net, looking down into the carved wooden cup Jilan was offering her.
"The healer said to drink this straight down and then wait a while before eating," he replied, nudging a hand with the little container. "It's supposed to help take the pain in your leg away so you can travel."
Topiara whispered in the back of her mind, and Lyara slowly turned her hand over and accepted the drink. She closed her eyes and tossed the entire amount back into her throat quickly, before she could think twice about it – and then made a sour face handing him back the cup. "How often do I have to do that?" she asked, working her tongue to try to clean the bitter herb taste from her mouth and teeth.
"Four times a day," he replied, nesting the cup atop the water carrier that he'd managed to finish carving the evening before. He proceeded to unroll the little square of cured birdskin. "And three times a day, I'm supposed to put some of this on your throat and leg."
Lyara sat very still while he spread more of the oily herbal mix on the burning spot at her throat and then on the knot in her leg. "It feels better," she remarked in surprise after only a few moments.
"The ointment took your fever away very quickly last night," Jilan informed her, rolling the little skin up again and tucking it safely into his netted bag. A touch confirmed that the small pouch with the rest of the kulu weed was hanging with his vri'ih'sun and the pouch containing Rodayn. "How does your knee and leg feel?"
She tipped forward in the net until her feet were just touching the floor and slowly moved until she was putting weight on the leg. "I think it's a little better," she remarked and slipped out of the sleeping net entirely. Gingerly she picked up her sore leg and flexed the joint. "It still aches, but it's far more bearable."
"Good," Yiren bustled into the area looking very much prepared to move on. "I would suggest we move along before the whole h'sun is up. I was hearing rumblings last night of several of the older hunters who were very displeased at the way in which the Ru'an handled your questioning – we should leave before we witness something others might not want us to."
"Maybe a spot of rebellion?" Jilan asked with raised eyebrows as he seated his bow over one shoulder and his quiver over the other. He watched as Lyara shouldered her own netted bag and touched sword and the objects about her neck just to assure herself of their security. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'm going to get, I suppose," she replied in as gung-ho a tone as she could muster. She still ached in every bone and joint, and her skin could still feel as if small pests were crawling over her from time to time - but she could travel again, slowly.
The walk across the main platform of the h'sun quickly gave evidence as to the kind of speed they'd be able to expect from now on – Lyara was still limping, and her steps seemed to drag as if heavy weights were attached at the ankles. Jilan looked up and behind him and happened to catch sight of Hodi'ia's face looking down at them as they departed from one of the upper level shelters, and he gave her a jaunty wave before turning back to Lyara. "Yiren, you go first down the ladder – and then Lyara, you come down right behind me so that I'm just below you in case you trip or miss a step…"
Tala'anru'an never seemed so far away as it did that morning.
The trek was moving far more slowly. Lyara was having to keep her entire concentration just on moving one foot ahead of the other and steeling herself every other step for the sharp ache of putting weight on her damaged leg – and feeling guilty when Jilan deliberately hung back at her side when he'd be normally darting momentarily off the path and onto substantial branches in search of nicely cupped leaves filled with the morning's allotment of dew and rainfall from the night before with which to restock his water container. Yiren kept herself busy gathering as many of the tuffets of fuzz from the chu'ichi flowers and ripe fruit as she could to keep her hands busy when their walking ended that evening.
Lyara was particularly unhappy when, after Jilan simply announced the end of their exertion for the day, they hadn't traveled but a little more than half the distance they normally did. Having Topiara remind her, when she was feeling the most guilty, that the cause of her distress came when she'd refused to relinquish her sword when it was demanded didn't help her mood at all. At the end of the day, she slumped to a seat with her back against the nearest tree, aching legs splayed out in front of her.
Jilan crouched down next to her and took the little cup from the top of his water carrier. He inserted his fingers into the tiny pouch at his neck and put just a bit of the herbs within into the cup and poured water into it. After swirling it a bit so that the herbs would mix, he tried to hand it to Lyara.
"No," she shook her head and fended him off. "That stuff tastes hideous."
"At least you could walk today," he reminded her. "C'mon, Lyara. Just dash it down."
"Easy for you to say," she grumbled, taking the cup very reluctantly, "YOU don't have to drink the stuff."
I would, if I thought it would help," he told her gently; and she looked up at him with contrite eyes before closing them and throwing the entire amount of liquid against the back of her throat and swallowing.
She handed the cup back to him, smacking her lips in distaste, and looked at Yiren, who sat down next to her. "Do you want to spin or braid?" the Vri'ia'ani asked her injured escort, opening her bag in the dimming light to show the amount of fluff she'd gathered that day.
"Braid," Lyara said tiredly. "Braiding doesn't take any concentration." She stared fixedly down the path. "Two more days to Tala'anru'an?"
"Two or three," Yiren nodded. "By tomorrow, we should be passing h'suni'il that are beholding to Tala'anru'an." She worked the fuzz she was holding so that it began to mix with the ends of fuzz attached to the spindle and then began to twirl it. "When I spoke to the Chi'uchi Ru'an, he told me that my Uncle holds the title now. I may not have a home to return to."
"Would they refuse to take you back in?" Lyara asked sympathetically.
"I don't know," Yiren answered with a catch in her voice. "I've been gone… a very long time." She pulled another tuffet of fluff from her lap and added it to her work. "I don't know what I'm going to do if they won't accept me back into the h'sun."
"I'm sure we'll figure out something," Jilan reassured her, while Topiara chose that moment to flash alarm and warning in the back of Lyara's mind.
"What about going to another Ru'an – or even going back to the Rotal? Surely she'd allow you a home there…"
Yiren didn't lift her face. "Perhaps," she allowed. That was a good idea, she admitted to herself, to head back for I'ilansru'an. The Rotal knew her story – and she seemed a kind and compassionate leader.
Lyara exchanged glances with Jilan in the rapidly fading light. Neither one of them had been anticipating Yiren not being welcomed home – and neither of them had planned on her continuing to accompany them beyond Tala'anru'an. What was to come after was, if their power objects were correct, something very private.
They would have to figure something out before Tala'anru'an – and figure it out without too much further ado.
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