“I will share my food with her while she recovers, my queen. And if she dies, let her die among the people.”
Oh’na continued to hold Addie’s hand tightly, and her tears slowly dripped down on their joined hands.
Silence stretched.
“She can stay,” Qalae finally said.
Chemmusaayl shut up. Net’ok and Vuskas turned to Qalae and gave her questioning looks, but neither said anything to contradict her.
Meanwhile, people were settling down when it became clear that no more Wrennlins were coming. This one, a young specimen, appeared to have been a one-off danger, now eliminated.
“Do Wrennlins hunt in ones?” Addie wheezed.
“In ones, yes. In any kind of number.”
“What a scourge.”
“Hush, Addie. Speaking hurts you,” Melmie’s voice said from behind.
It did. Everything hurt her. But Zoark…
“Where did they take him?” she asked without calling him by name. They’d know who she meant. She was so tired, but she had to know.
“To Oh’nil’s tent, where he lives. Don’t fret, he’s fine, he’ll recover.”
“But he is so strong…”
Chele gently moved Addie’s hair away from her face. “The cripple can wield an axe, I’ll give him that. Rest now, let your body recover.”
Addie closed her eyes, bereft. Oh, Zoark… Life wasn’t fair. Not fair…
With great care, Chele and Illied helped Addie move to a pallet spread out by Melmie behind Chele’s teepee. Oh’na brought a large fur blanket.
“To cover you up from head to toe, Addie. Hicars are active at night.”
Oma appeared at her bedside with a bowl full of Jat sand, and Illied brought soft moss. Together, they gently cleaned the worst of the grime from Addie’s face and limbs. Their hands were tender, their fingers feather-light, and Addie cried. Stifling sobs that were too painful, she let the tears fall and fall, reduced to a lumpy ball of emotions not by fear of the Wrennlin, but by the attention of the women.
She had thought she would never experience compassion again.
Chapter 16
Addie had a rough night. The ribs made it near impossible to get comfortable, and the thin pallet over the hard ground offered little cushioning. It was stuffy under the furs, yet she couldn't open up the covers - Hicars were vigilant.
In the morning, Chele brought her dried Elm fruit and fresh berries to eat, and Addie accepted though she wasn't hungry.
She didn’t feel she was running a fever - an encouraging sign that her internal organs weren’t damaged. But her chest hurt like a mother. More importantly, she was quickly becoming dehydrated.
“I have a whole pot full of jerky in my teepee,” she told Melmie and Oh’na. “Can you bring it here? Oh, and a couple of tubers, if you can find them. They grow under Qom bushes.”
“We know,” Oh’na chirped, and they went off.
Addie stayed on the pallet and tried to sleep, but the chest pains and the noise of the busy settlement life distracted her.
The men stayed in today on the outside chance Wrennlins might return, and their heavier thread and loud voices brought Addie out of her slumber every time one passed near Chele’s teepee behind which she lay. No one accosted her, and few paid any attention to the pitiful form huddled under the blanket, but their collective presence made Addie uneasy.
The girls returned when the long day began to wane.
“Your blanket, Addie!” Melmie handed her the tight roll with her soft fur. “We brought all of your furs, just in case. When you get better, we’ll help you to put up your own tent.”
