“
But we have to assume that everyone will get sick,
”
Rafe said.
“
Everyone who had water from the stream since yesterday morning,
”
Olyva said.
“
We still have water stored in the pots, don
’
t we?
”
“
Yes,
”
Filsa said.
“
But not much. There was no need for it.
”
“
We can
’
t keep drinking the water here,
”
Lexi said.
“
We
’
ll run out of clean water soon,
”
Te
’
sumee added.
“
There is a river, but it is a full day
’
s walk that way,
”
he said pointing.
“
We can
’
t get everyone there if the whole camp is sick,
”
Rafe said.
“
Then we
’
ll have to bring the water here,
”
said Lexi.
“
I can make a draught that might help,
”
said Olyva.
“
If I have fresh water.
”
Everyone looked at her with shock. She didn
’
t know how she knew what to do, but instinctively she did. The sap from the little stems could be used to ease pain, but the rough patches that looked like bark could be shaved away and used to fight sickness. Those shavings, if soaked in water, had healing properties.
“
What are you talking about?
”
Rafe asked.
“
I think that if we soak this,
”
she said touching a rough patch on her leg,
“
in water over night, it will help.
”
Lexi looked down, trying to hide the look of disbelief on her face, but Olyva saw it. She felt a little exposed, as if the others were seeing a side of her that was meant to be kept private. She couldn
’
t explain how she knew what to do, or that it would work, but somehow she did.
One of the girls came running back.
“
She
’
s right,
”
the girl said.
“
Many people are sick in the camp.
”
“
Alright,
”
Rafe said.
“
Do what you have to do, Olyva. Lexi and I will go for more water.
”
“
What if you get sick?
”
Filsa asked.
“
We
’
ll just have to push through,
”
Rafe said.
“
If Olyva
’
s idea works, we may only have to make one trip.
”
“
Don
’
t let him die,
”
Lexi said, her voice tight with worry.
Olyva wasn
’
t sure who Lexi was talking to, but she understood her friend
’
s worry. It struck Olyva that she wasn
’
t really friends with Lexi. In fact, she wasn
’
t really friends with anyone except Rafe. She chided herself silently that she had been so self-centered that she had missed opportunities to connect with the people around her. In her old life, keeping her position among the people at court had cut her off from having close friendships. Even when her father bargained her away to Earl Aegus and she was forced to leave the only home she
’
d ever known, no one really seemed sad to see her go except her mother. She had always thought that if things were different, she would make friends, but now things were different and she hadn
’
t made friends or real connections with the people around her. She resolved in her mind to change that, but first they had to survive the sickness that was rampaging through the camp.
“
May I borrow your dagger?
”
Olyva asked Lexi.
There was look of distrust in the smaller girl
’
s eyes, but she handed over the Wangorian dagger without protest. Olyva looked at the slightly curved blade. It was razor sharp and she guessed it would do the job nicely.
“
I need a bowl,
”
Olyva said.
“
Something to catch the shavings with.
”
One of the girls helping watch over Tiberius emptied a bowl of water onto the grass, then handed it to Olyva. She bent down on one knee and kept the other foot flat against the ground. She set the bowl down and leaned her knee slightly so that the rough patch of skin on her leg was directly over the wooden bowl.
“
Are you sure about this?
”
Rafe asked her.
“
Positive,
”
she said.
Then she raked the dagger
’
s blade across the patch of skin that looked like bark. Flecks of what looked like wood shavings fell into the bowl. She repeated the process over and over until the entire rough patch on her leg looked red and irritated.
“
Okay,
”
Olyva said to Rafe.
“
Repeat that across every rough patch on my body. We
’
ll need as much as we can get.
”
She saw the look of distress in Rafe
’
s eye, but she didn
’
t give him any options. She couldn
’
t say how she knew, but she was certain she was right. The wooden flakes had healing properties, they just needed to be soaked in water, which could then be fed to the sick. Olyva turned her back to Rafe and lifted her shirt. There was a large, scaly patch on her back and soon Rafe was scraping at it with the knife. The pain was minor; she had experienced much worse from beauty treatments in Hamill Keep and Avondale.
Once Rafe finished scraping, Olyva showed him another place on her chest, just below her collarbone. She could see the mixed emotions in Rafe
’
s eyes. He still cared for her a great deal, but he wasn
’
t sure Olyva was still the woman he had fallen in love with. She wasn
’
t sure either. Being banished from Avondale had seemed like a fate worse than death, yet she was happier now than she had ever been before.
“
I
’
m still here,
”
she said, looking him in the eye.
“
I know I
’
m different, but I
’
m still Olyva.
”
“
I know,
”
he said, his voice barely a whisper.
“
I
’
m just not sure how to love you.
”
“
Am I so hard to love?
”
she asked.
“
Is it because I
’
m not as pretty as before.
”
“
You
’
re more beautiful than ever,
”
he said.
“
It
’
s not that. I feel so
…
lost.
”
“
Just come back to me,
”
Olyva said.
“
We can work everything out when you get back.
”
“
Alright,
”
Rafe said.
“
I promise.
”
The scraping took a few more moments. Olyva had another bark-like patch on her hip, but once Rafe was finished, Olyva took the bowl to one of the large clay water pots. The tribe only had a dozen left and most of those were empty. Olyva sprinkled the shavings into one of the last full pots.
“
We
’
ll need to stir this pot every hour,
”
Olyva said.
“
In the morning, we can administer the water to anyone who
’
s sick.
”
“
If they live that long,
”
Lexi said. There was a note of bitterness in her voice, but Olyva didn
’
t think it was directed at her.
“
Will it heal them?
”
“
It will help them heal,
”
Olyva said.
“
I think it can keep them from succumbing to the fever, but it won
’
t be like Tiberius
’
magic. They
’
ll still be ill and weak. We
’
ll need more water.
”
“
How far to the next watering hole?” Rafe asked.
“
It is a river,
”
Te
’
sumee said.
“
One day
’
s walk in that direction.
”
“
We better get moving then,
”
Rafe said to Lexi.
“
Be safe,
”
Olyva said as she knelt down beside Tiberius.
“
And Rafe.
”
“
Yes,
”
he said.
“
Hurry back,
”
she urged him.
“
You don
’
t have much time.
”
Chapter 31
Lexi
Quntah helped Lexi hitch the horses to the big wagon, but it was obvious the tribal horseman was sick. He looked pale and had very little energy. Lexi had never been around Quntah when he didn
’
t talk almost constantly, especially to the animals. This time, however, he was quiet. It gave Lexi a bad feeling. She couldn
’
t help but imagine returning to the camp to find everyone dead.
Rafe saw that the empty clay pots were loaded onto the wagon. By the time everything was ready, Rafe was sweating. It was warm on the plains and everyone was tense. The Hoskali had begun bringing their sick out of their shelters. Most couldn
’
t walk and had to be carried. Lexi felt a sense of dread and wanted nothing more than to flee the camp. Her initial reaction to the sickness was to get as far away from it as possible, but she couldn
’
t abandon Tiberius. As much as she wanted to protect herself, she knew he needed her and she would never be able to turn her back on him again.
“
Are you ready?
”
she asked Rafe.
“
I
’
m just waiting on someone,
”
he said, leaning against the side of the wagon.
“
Are you okay?
”
“
Fine, just tired, that
’
s all.
”
“
You look pale.
”
“
I
’
m a little unnerved,
”
Rafe said.
“
I hate fighting something I can
’
t defeat with a sword.
”
Lexi understood that feeling. Stealth and surprise had always been her allies, but she couldn
’
t hide from a disease.
“
I don
’
t understand what we
’
re waiting for,
”
she said.
“
We need to get moving and get back.
”
“
We will, I
’
m just checking on something.
”
“
What?
”
“
There
’
s a reason we
’
re all getting ill,
”
Rafe said quietly as he climbed up into the wagon and sat down on the wooden bench beside Lexi.
“
It seems underhanded to me.
”