Darkness of Time, page 22
“Maybe you need a different kind of food,” Marcellious said as he returned to where we’d rested last night. His hair hung in wet curls around his shoulders from his morning ablutions in the creek. “I’ll see if I can find a small deer to kill.”
He left Emily and me and took off on foot.
I curled around my cramping stomach while Emily prepared more broth over our campfire.
A small creek burbled nearby, singing its cheerful tune as it tumbled over stones.
I tried to focus on the sound of water, wishing it would soothe me.
“You need a doctor or a proper healer,” Emily said as she spooned a mouthful of nourishing liquid into my mouth.
“No doctors. I’ll be fine,” I said as my stomach shook its meager contents.
“You keep saying that, but you’re not fine,” she said, a set to her mouth. She reached out and felt my forehead. “At least your fever is gone.”
“See?” I said as my insides pinched and contracted. “I’m fine.”
Dry heaves took over, preventing further speech. I managed to rise onto my hands and knees and wretched while Emily held my hair away from my face.
“Oh, God,” I moaned once the violent heaves had subsided. I crawled away from my sick and fell to my side.
“I’m worried,” Emily said, patting my shoulder. “You can’t keep anything down, and I don’t know what to do.”
She wrung her hands.
“I’ll be fine once we find the tribe. You’ll see.”
With the morning sun warming my body, I fell into a drowse.
Sometime later, the smell of blood awoke me. I opened my eyes to see Emily and Marcellious slicing the flesh from a small deer, as Marcellious had promised.
They worked efficiently, side by side, carving the muscle from the bone and removing organs.
They smiled, laughed, talked, and teased as they labored, sharing an easy camaraderie.
I marveled at the friendship they’d developed.
Marcellious looked over at me. “You’re awake. This fare will keep us for many days. We must remain here while everything dries, and Emily and I prepare the hides. This is the perfect place for you to rest until we are ready to depart.”
He said that as a command, not a suggestion.
I acquiesced and fell back into a drowse.
I awoke sometime later to the smell of cooking food.
The sun hung directly overhead, turning my skin pink.
I sat up, groggy but well-rested, to find Emily stirring something over the coals of our small fire. “What are you making?”
Emily smiled. “Marcellious showed me how to stuff the intestines with meat. It’s a delicacy his tribe used to prepare for him. It’s almost ready. Would you like to try it?”
Surprisingly, my stomach didn’t protest. “Sure.”
“Feeling any better? You slept for a long time,” Emily said.
“A little, yes. But I’m anxious to get moving. We can’t afford the luxury of waiting around for me to heal. I need to find that journal. Every day that passes means another day Roman could be dead or dying.” I tried to lurch to my feet but fell back on my rump.
“We’ll get started in the morning,” Emily said. Her lips pressed into a crisp line. “We’re drying all the meat for storage. We’ll secure it to the horses we’re not using. You’ll be grateful when we don’t have to go for days without food.”
“I’ll be thankful when Roman is freed, and we’ve found that blasted journal,” I said. “I’ll be thankful when I can keep something down.”
I knew I behaved like a brat, but I didn’t care. I had a mission, and I’d do it or die trying.
“Honey,” Emily said reprovingly, “all we’re asking is one day to rest and restore. Then, I promise, we’ll get moving again. This sleep you had has already improved your mood. You’re now merely cranky instead of miserable.”
She winked. “I think this is a good sign.”
She lifted a packet of blackened intestines stuffed with deer muscle using one of the utensils we’d found.
I looked at it, waiting for my stomach to protest, but it stayed calm.
Emily dropped the meat onto a tin plate and brought it to me. “Here. Try and get some of this down when it cools. Marcellious said the trick is to leave the undigested grasses in the guts before stuffing them. He said this is one of the most nourishing meals you can eat. It’s loaded with nutrients.”
I mused at Marcellious and Emily’s blooming friendship. Maybe that was what had improved his mood. Whatever it was, I didn’t care as long as it continued. Kinder Marcellious was far more pleasant to be around than Asshole Marcellious.
After a decent night’s sleep, we awoke at dawn, broke down our camp, and took off in the direction Marcellious had determined was the “right way.”
I continued to ride on his horse, holding onto his back. Although I’d rested well and kept the food down for once, I still felt weak.
“How long until we find the tribe?” I asked. “You made it sound like it was an easy task to find your fellow Native Americans.”
“Who said it was easy?” Marcellious said evenly. “I realize you’re doing poorly, but I am efficiently doing my job, looking for and following signs.”
“Then why haven’t we found them yet?” I said in a whining voice.
“Because they are moving swiftly, and we are moving slowly in an attempt to take care of you,” Marcellious replied.
We both fell silent.
Then, Marcellious said, “Emily was right.”
“About what?”
“She said you’re improving since you’ve begun to complain.” He snorted.
My cheeks heated to a fiery warmth. I didn’t mean to grumble and grouse, but I was tired of this endless journey. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s all right. We should find the tribe by nightfall,” he said, urging his horse to a trot.
“Really?” I released my grip on his shoulders and sat tall.
“Really. See?” He pointed to somewhere in the tall grassland.
“No, I don’t. What am I looking at?” I peered into the sea of golden grasses.
“See how there’s a line of broken stalks?” He pointed again, his head inclining.
“Oh! Yes, I do see!”
“That’s the tribe. They’ve passed through recently.”
“How do you know it’s not soldiers?”
“Because,” he said, tapping his temple, “I know.”
True to his word, an hour later, tendrils of smoke wisped into the air in the distance, and the comforting sight of teepees met my eyes.
“Hurry!” I told Marcellious. “You found it!”
Emily and Marcellious urged their horses to a canter.
I bounced along behind Marcellious.
When we entered the encampment, tribal people spilled from their dwellings and surrounded us.
“You’re back!” someone said in Sioux.
“We knew you’d return safely,” said another.
I glanced at Emily. “They’re acting kindly toward us. I wonder what happened while we were gone. They wanted us out of here.”
“I know. I don’t quite understand, but I’m happy,” Emily whispered.
Earth Bear stepped from the chief’s teepee and lifted his hand in greeting. “A-ho, friends!”
He helped Emily and me from the horses, then Marcellious dismounted.
“We are happy for your safe return,” Earth Bear said to Marcellious, warmly embracing him.
“As am I,” Marcellious said, returning the hug.
This Marcellious, this lovely warm guy, was far different from the Marcellious who had left the tribe with us. I glanced at Emily, but she stared straight ahead.
Something had happened between Marcellious and Emily while I was away with Roman. But now was not the time nor place to ask her about it. Roman was in danger, and I needed answers.
“Where is Swift Hawk?” Earth Bear asked.
“Roman is held captive. It’s a long story, and Olivia will have to explain it to you,” Emily said.
“The chief is waiting for you,” Earth Bear said to me. “Come.”
My weak legs shook as I followed him into the hide-covered dwelling.
The chief peered at me through his rheumy eyes inside the dimly-lit dwelling. “Olivia! You are unwell. You need to see a healer.”
“No, no. What I am is desperate!” I fell to my knees before him. “We haven’t much time, chief. Roman may already be dead.”
I clasped my hands before me.
Grey Feather frowned. “What has happened?”
“Roman’s been captured. We both were, but Balthazar let me go with the promise he’d keep Roman safe until I returned with my mother’s journal! I have no idea where it is, or where Roman is, or—”
The chief put up a gnarled hand and patted the air before him. “One thought at a time, please.”
“You lied to me!” I blurted. “You knew Fierce Wind was my mother. And you withheld information from me that could have saved us all! Now Roman may already be dead!”
I shook with emotion as the words tumbled from my throat. “We went on this journey to find answers, only I learned horrible, despicable things about my mother. I saw her doing disgusting acts with countless men. She was Balthazar’s lover, and she had another child beside me. She tried to kill me in her womb and poison me. I’m disgusted by her and no longer love her. I’m disowning her. She is nothing to me!”
The chief looked to Earth Bear, who stood behind me. “She is speaking too fast, and I can’t understand everything she is saying. Can you get her to slow down?”
“Olivia,” Earth Bear began, but I held up my hand to silence him.
“I get it. I get it! I’m to slow down in my speech. But I’m upset.” I exhaled a long breath and started again. “We all returned to Emily’s home and found her father’s journal. He was in love with my mother, and she bore him a child. Emily is my sister! And my mother kept this journal that everyone wanted me to find. And then Balthazar arrived, and he took Roman and me to his demon’s lair and tortured us. He broke Roman’s ankle and released cockroaches on us and—”
The chief lifted his arm to shush me. He looked past me to Earth Bear and said something in Sioux.
Earth Bear repeated what I said in his native tongue.
Grey Feather nodded, then turned his attention back to me. “Please continue.”
“I have met the darkest of the dark, Chief Grey Feather. I have met Balthazar. And now he’s got Roman and is holding him captive. Balthazar assured me he would keep Roman safe, but I don’t believe him. I don’t trust a word he speaks. He is despicable, capable of treachery far worse than I can comprehend. And had you not lied to me, all of this might have been prevented, and Roman might be safe by my side.” My hands shook with rage. “You’ve kept secrets from me, and now Balthazar is watching me. He kept my dagger and is using it to monitor my every move.”
I leaned forward. “I implore you to tell me everything you know! You owe me this!”
Grey Feather let out a long, heavy sigh. “You’re badly injured, Olivia, as well as ill. You need to heal. You need to rest.”
“I don’t need to rest! I need answers!”
“And I don’t have them,” Grey Feather said.
The words hung between us.
“What do you mean you don’t have them?” I said, dumbfounded.
“I don’t have the answers you are seeking.”
“How can that be? Surely you must know something!”
“I’m sorry, child, I don’t. I don’t know where the journal is nor where the sun and moon daggers are. It’s up to you to find them. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” He paused before saying, “Forgive me for not telling you about your mother. I worried how you would feel when you heard the truth.”
My stomach churned with disgust and hatred at my mother. Despair rocked through me like an earthquake. Everywhere I turned, I hit obstacles. And now I would surely soon lose Roman, the love of my life.
“If I rest and heal, Roman will die!” Sobs wracked my lungs in huge, heaving waves. And then a stab of pain, sharper than a knife blade to the gut, sliced through me. I let out another cry like a wild animal whose leg had been caught in a trap and collapsed in agony.
Earth Bear hurried from the teepee.
“Come quickly,” he said outside.
He returned with Marcellious and Emily on his heels.
“Pick her up and take her to Leaping Deer’s teepee. She needs healing at once!” Earth Bear said.
Marcellious crouched, slid his arms beneath me, and stood. He shifted me in his arms until I felt steady and firmly held. Then, he hurried through the door flap and raced toward Leaping Deer’s dwelling.
Emily sprinted by his side.
I moaned in Marcellious’ arms, my entire body feeling on fire.
Emily whipped open Leaping Deer’s door. “Please! We need your help!”
Leaping Deer looked up from whatever task she was performing by her fire. She bolted to her feet and gestured to a pile of bison furs.
“Place her here,” she said in Sioux.
Marcellious did as indicated, then stepped back.
“I can’t be in here,” I wailed. “I’ll lose Roman. He’s my life! I can’t live without him, don’t you see?”
“Hunting Wolf, you go,” Leaping Deer said. “We’ll take it from here.”
Marcellious backed out of the teepee, his face pinched and drawn.
In the care of women, I fell unconscious, thankful to be far away from my tortured body.
A damp cloth dabbed at my cheeks and temple. I frowned, eyes closed, wondering where I was. Then, I heard Emily’s and Leaping Deer’s voices murmuring.
“She’s coming around,” Leaping Deer said, pressing the cloth to my eyes and forehead. “Can you hear me, child?”
“Yes,” I said, pushing up to sit. “What happened? All I remember is a huge pain and then collapsing here.”
“You are badly injured everywhere. Emily and I have tended your wounds, applying poultices and bathing you.” Leaping Deer frowned as she studied me.
I glanced at my body. I was no longer wearing the deerskin clothes. Instead, I lay naked, surrounded by furs. A pungent, acrid smell wafted from the poultices plastered upon my skin.
“Here. Drink this.” Emily held a stone carved into a basin up to my lips.
I tipped back my head, and Emily slowly poured fresh water into my mouth.
It tasted divine, like liquid gold. I drank until the basin was empty.
Emily dipped the stone into a large basket and refilled it.
Then, I drank again.
“Thank you, Leaping Deer,” I said. “Thank you for tending to my wounds. But I admit to being surprised. When we left, you were all frightened of us.”
Leaping Deer bowed her head. “Our chief explained that the darkness could have come at any time, whether you and your friends were here or not. Dancing Fire had his own demon to contend with, but he was…he is a much-beloved part of our family. We accept his demons, and we must accept yours. It is our collective fate as a tribe, and rather than cast you aside, Grey Feather urged us to embrace you should you return. You may be the one to vanish the evil ones and keep our tribe safe.”
I reached for her hand, and she gave me a warm squeeze.
“It is unfortunate that Laughing Maid was killed. She was my daughter.”
“Oh, no!” A fresh wave of tears assaulted my eyes. “I am so, so sorry, Leaping Deer! I never would have come here had I known the darkness would follow me.”
“Shh,” Leaping Deer said. “What’s done is done. We have sent Laughing Maid’s spirit to the sky where she shall continue to watch over me.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Now I am compelled to heal,” I said fiercely. “I must focus on healing so I can fight once again.”
Leaping Deer and Emily exchanged a glance.
“What?” I said. “What are you not telling me?”
Emily scooted closer and clasped my hands in hers. “Oh, Olivia. We’re afraid you mustn’t fight for a time.”
My spine stiffened. “What do you mean I mustn’t fight for a time. Why not?”
Again, Emily and Leaping Deer side-eyed one another.
“Tell me! I don’t like secrets! Secrets led to me getting so badly injured,” I said, waving my hand around my torso and head.
“You’re pregnant, dear,” Leaping Deer said, her mouth forming a gentle smile.
I sat as stunned as if she’d picked up a rock and slammed it into my forehead. “I… I’m what?”
“You’re with child, Olivia!” Emily gushed. “Isn’t it exciting?”
“How far along do you think I am?” I asked Leaping Deer.
“About three months,” she said.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” Emily said, clearly more enthusiastic than I was.
In all these months, I hadn’t thought twice about missing my period, figuring the hardship of the journey had had its way with my body.
No, this was not welcome news. I was in danger—we all were—until we could find a means of destroying Balthazar. But mostly, my heart howled for Roman. Where could he be? How could I possibly find him? Was he even alive?
While Emily tittered and exclaimed her excitement, I fell hard into a pit of despair.
New life grows in my belly, yet I am in danger, possessing the worst luck of anyone I know.
Olivia
I sat in Leaping Deer’s teepee, covered with poultices to heal my many wounds. But nothing could touch the stun I experienced at learning I was pregnant. Me. I always anticipated being a mother someday, but my circumstances were too dangerous to even entertain bringing a child into this world.
All my female notions of preventing an unwanted pregnancy had slipped my mind. I was consumed with getting used to the different periods I found myself in. Now, I didn’t have a choice unless I adopted the practice of beating my stomach with a rock like my mother had. But I would never do something like that. I could never be my mother and kill my child. Roman would be a fantastic father, but the danger around me was too dire.
