Quest for Freedom Page 5

  He had a point. “All right. Vala, take Lance with you. If you’re not back by sundown, we go the mountain route.” She paused a moment. “Without you.” She said this not knowing if she would actually be able to follow through with that threat. But her duty was to the group and getting them to safety. If her scouts didn’t return, chances were the Morgee would have them and come looking for others.

  Vala nodded her acceptance of the terms and Lance imitated the Aknidean girl. The two scouts covered themselves with dirt and mud and headed out.

  Janai’s stomach knotted up. What if it’s a trap? What if something happened to one or both of them? She busied herself by checking Penny’s wound and asking Blal’k and Sarah to prepare a meal. A cold one this time. They couldn’t take a chance on using heat stones to cook with, since all that sheltered them from sight were a few thick bushes.

  Blal’k knelt down beside her and leaned close to her ear. “I understand why you sent Vala. She’s a good tracker. But why Lance? Why not me? I’m a skilled hunter.” His liquid eyes widened slightly. “Lance isn’t either one.”

  “Exactly.” Janai gave him a cold look. “We can’t afford to lose you.”

  Blal’k silently moved back to Sarah.

  8 ~ Invisible Threat

  Sarah wound her way past the sleeping, younger children to Janai. “It’s almost dark.”

  “I know.” Janai tried not to let worry color her voice. A rustle on the other side of the branches caught her attention.

  “It’s them,” Blal’k said, and he scrambled with the others to greet them.

  Lance half-carried the Aknidean girl, who was slumped over and semi-conscious.

  “What happened?” Janai demanded as she, Blal’k and Ash helped lay Vala on the ground.

  “She caught her arm on some sort of fence,” Lance said, between quick breaths. “It was sharp and hot and ripped right into her skin. I couldn’t touch it for more than a few seconds, and she bled a lot before I finally got her free.”

  Krav’n was delivering Janai’s sinsabe as she carefully ripped what was left of the sleeve off the girl’s jumpsuit. Vala’s left hand and areas of her lower arm were raw and several black streaks ran up her arm, stopping just below the elbow. Janai had no idea what caused the streaks, but they didn’t seem to be too serious. “I need clean rags,” she called out. “Wet some of them.”

  A thick, light-brown liquid, that she knew to be Aknidean blood, seeped from the cut area on Vala’s wrist. The age rings were now almost indistinguishable from the rest of her arm. Sarah arrived with a bulb fruit bowl of wet and dry rags. Janai tied a dry strip just above Vala’s elbow then pressed a moist one into the wound to stop the bleeding. Vala let out a yell and tried to break free.

  “Hold her down!” Janai commanded.

  The boys pushed the flailing girl to the ground and practically sat on her to keep her from moving about.

  Janai crooned a lullaby her mother used to sing, until the girl settled, then placed a hand on Vala’s forehead and willed her to sleep. Then she turned to Sarah. “Make some pain tea. And bring me a bowl of water and another clean cloth.”

  Sarah moved off to do those chores. Krav’n, Penny, and the silent Tish were now up and gaping at the unconscious girl.

  “You three,” Janai said to the young trio. “Go work on your paintings.” When she got no response, she gave them a hard gaze. “Now.” The three scurried away. Janai inspected the wound again. “The bleeding’s slowed but she’s got a large gash in her wrist. I’ll have to sew her up.” She pressed the cloth back onto the wound.

  “Here’s the tea.” Sarah held a cup out in front of her. She placed the bowl of water on the ground and handed over the cloth.

  “After I wake her, get as much of that pain tea down her as you can.” Janai searched through her sinsabe for one of the bone needles and animal-gut thread she’d made from Blal’k’s hunts. With a heat distributor, she carefully sterilized the needle. When she removed the bloodied cloth again, more of Vala’s life liquid oozed out. She pressed the cloth back onto the wound and looked at Sarah. “I need you to wipe while I sew.”

  The nervous Earth girl went pale and backed away shaking her head. She almost spilled the tea.

  “I’ll do it,” Ash said quickly. And he made his way to Janai’s side.

  She began sewing the wound. Ash kept the area clean as she worked. He would make a great healer’s apprentice, very steady hands as well as nerves, and the blood didn’t seem to bother him. She finished stitching the cut and tied off the end of the thread. She then took a large sap-leaf from her bag, snapped part of it open, and gently spread the orange sap over the raw flesh. Blal’k offered her a fresh mender-leaf, and she secured it over the stitched area then carefully wrapped Vala’s seared hand and arm in wet rags.

  She looked to the boys. “Be prepared to hold her down. She’ll be in a lot of pain until the tea gets into her system.” They took their places around the unconscious girl. Janai placed a hand on Vala’s forehead, willing her to consciousness. The Aknidean girl jolted with a scream. “Hold her!” Janai ordered. “Get that tea into her, Sarah.” She struggled to keep Vala’s head from thrashing about.

  This time Sarah did as she was told. It took some work, but they finally got Vala to swallow a good amount of the tea. In a few moments, the patient was quiet.

  “She’ll sleep for a while,” Janai said. “Let’s get her onto a sleep skin and cover her up. I don’t want her to get chilled.” Her attention turned to Lance. “When we’re finished, I want to know what the two of you found out there.”

  They gently carried Vala to her sleep skin and made sure she was well covered. Then they heated some rocks, put them in skin pouches, and placed the pouches around the girl’s body.

  Janai gave her makeshift hospital a satisfactory look. She took her instruments and the bloodied cloths to a large washbowl and began cleaning them, when she noticed Sarah standing near her. Anger swelled. “What?”

  “I’m sorry, Janai.” Sarah looked at her feet. “I just couldn’t—”

  “You would’ve had a hard time explaining that to Vala if she’d bled to death.” She knew she was being hard on the girl but her anger needed to go someplace. And Sarah was the nearest target.

  Sarah crouched as far from her as she could get in their small hiding place and cried.

  Blal’k narrowed vertical eyelids on Janai. “You didn’t have to be so mean to her.”

  “Leave me alone.”

  “No problem, Healer.” He walked toward the sobbing girl.

  Lance made his way to Janai’s side. “Well?" she said in a harsh tone. The hurt on his face registered and she softened her voice. “I’m sorry, Lance. What did you and Vala find?”

  “We could see the rockdome but we couldn’t get close.” He dipped his hands in a separate bowl of cool water and began gently washing them. “There’s some sort of fence, like I told you before, only we couldn’t see it.”

  “It was hidden?” Janai sat and tucked the clean needle and remaining gut thread back into her sinsabe.

  “It was invisible.” The Earth boy sat on the ground next to her, his hands still dripping with water. “I could feel it hooked into Vala’s skin but I couldn’t see it. Every time I touched it, it shocked me and gave off a red glow. I have no idea how far it goes around the rockdome.” He spread his hands.

  That’s when Janai noticed his fingertips were red and blistered. She reached for his hands, but he pulled them away, tucking them under his armpits.

  “I’ll be okay.” He grimaced. The others had made their way over and were sitting close.

  “At least let me put something on them to help them heal.” When he didn’t answer, she added, “I’ll be gentle.”

  “Like you were with Vala?” He stiffened and wrinkled his slightly upturned nose.

  “She’s burned and was losing blood, Lance. I put her to sleep as soon as I could.”

  “Then why didn’t you just let her sleep?”


  “If I let her sleep too long, I wouldn’t be able to wake her.” She hated that about her powers but shook it off and looked into his eyes. “Your hands could get infected if you don’t let me put some sap on them.” He didn’t answer. He simply stared at her. “Someone else can put it on if you like.”

  “I’ll do it,” Ash said in a soft voice.

  Lance nodded, so Janai took the sap-leaf from her bag and snapped off a piece for Ash. He began gently rubbing the orange liquid onto Lance’s burned fingers.

  Janai watched for a moment. “What about the rumble?”

  The boy winced slightly at Ash’s touch. “I think it’s coming from the rockdome.”

  “Do you think you can remember where Vala got caught?”

  Lance looked over at the sleeping girl then back to Janai. “I’m sure of it.”

  “What are you thinking?” Ash’s lavender eyes looked bruised underneath as they focused on Janai.

  “Maybe if we can figure out where this fence is, we can go around it without anyone else getting hurt. There might be an opening somewhere that’ll let us get past the rockdome.” She looked over at Vala and silently worried about infection and permanent scarring. Her mother had treated a patient with severe burns only once that she knew of. The patient lived but lost his legs. And Mother is an excellent, experienced healer. Was. No, is. She’s still alive. She has to be.

  9 ~ The Storm

  With Vala injured and the invisible fence somewhere out there, they didn’t have much choice but to stay put last night. Janai changed Vala’s bandages frequently in hopes of keeping away infection. The tea helped with the pain and the girl seemed to rest quite peacefully. She didn’t know if Vala would regain full use of her arm and hand. All she could do was wait. She hated not knowing and dreaded the day she might have to give Vala awful news.

  They ate a cold meal of jerky, dried roots, bread, and water, then quietly slipped onto their sleep skins to rest. They kept close together with pouches of heat rocks to stay warm. Sarah still hadn’t spoken to Janai, so she kept her distance. Blal’k, who was protective of Sarah, had only uttered one or two words to Janai since she told him to leave her alone. The silent Tish slept next to Vala with one small hand on the girl’s good arm and refused to budge whenever Janai changed the bandages.

  Krav’n had snuggled onto her lap and she realized just how much she’d become attached to him. She stroked the boy’s head ridges then leaned against a boulder and fell asleep to the low and incessant rumble of the rockdome.

  Wind rustled through the brush and she woke. Krav’n still slept and she gently laid him on the ground. Janai stood to rub feeling back into her legs and buttocks, gritting her teeth at the sharp needle-like pain. She could just make out the landscape through the bushes. The first sun would be rising soon. Vala moaned in her sleep.

  Janai grabbed her sinsabe and made her way to the girl. Ash was sitting quietly staring out through the bushes. She put a hand on his shoulder as she passed. “You okay?”

  He looked up at her. “I’m seeing colors when I close my eyes.”

  “Your mind gift?”

  “I think it’s starting.”

  “Congratulations. Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.” She squeezed his shoulder and smiled. He’d gained muscle during his time with her and the hardened shoulder felt good beneath her touch. Oh, stop it, Janai. Get a hold of yourself. Each passing hour seemed to bring her attention to him more and more. We can’t possibly start courting rituals out here. Not now. She fought a grunt and shoved away those distracting thoughts. Janai went to check on Vala. Tish slept with both arms wrapped around Vala’s good one, like a baby clinging to its mother. Janai carefully pulled the bandages away from the injury.

  Vala flinched and opened her eyes. “It hurts,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “I know. I’m sorry. But I have to keep the wound clean.”

  “How bad is it?” Vala’s yellow eyes were pale.

  Janai forced a smile. “You’ll be fine.”

  “I want the truth. You know I’ll pester you until you tell me. Or until I find out for myself. So you may as well fess up.”

  Janai forced herself to keep the concern from her face. “You’re hand and part of your arm is burned, and you have a large cut on your wrist. I stitched the cut, but the burns will take a while to heal.”

  Sarah rolled off her skins. “I’ll make you some pain tea.”

  “Thank you,” Janai said as the girl passed and she held out a bundle of herbs. Sarah took the bundle without looking at her. “Sarah?” Her anger had now subsided and guilt gnawed at her. “About last night—”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  She turned back to Vala and helped her sit. Tish awoke and wrapped arms around the older girl’s waist. Not wanting to cause any more trauma than she had to, Janai waited until Vala drank some of the pain tea before tending to the wounds. The black streaks that ran up the injured arm were slowly fading. The yellow of Vala’s eyes went almost white when she looked at the exposed burns, and Janai feared for a moment she would pass out. But she didn’t.

  “I won’t be able to hunt for a while, will I?” The color seeped back into the Aknidean girl’s eyes.

  Janai almost laughed in relief. “Not for a while.” She put Vala’s newly bandaged injury in a sling of skins.

  The rest were waking and stretching in the dim light of early dawn.

  “We can’t stay here,” Blal’k said. “The soldiers will find us.”

  The Ronarian was right. And Janai wondered why they hadn’t seen any Morgee in a while. They hadn’t exactly been quiet when Vala was injured. Then she remembered her father’s voice telling her to take luck without question. Is this really luck, Father?

  Vala needed more time to heal but they couldn’t wait another day. Any luck would run out for sure. They would have to travel by daylight to get around the fence that surrounded the rockdome. With what they’d learned, it seemed safer that way.

  “I don’t want them to find us,” Penny said, almost in tears.

  Janai pulled the girl close and stroked her dirty, red hair. “We’ll travel to the rockdome together. Today.” Most gave her shocked looks but no one said anything for a long moment.

  “What about Vala?” Blal’k said. His liquid eyes looked worried.

  “We can make a litter.”

  Vala shifted on her skins. “That would take too long. I’d rather walk than stay and chance a Morgee attack.” The girl had a good point, but Janai was worried about her strength. “I’m Aknidean,” Vala said, as though she could read Janai’s thoughts. “We’re very tough.”

  “She can use my crutch,” Penny said. “I don’t need it anymore.”

  In all the confusion with Vala, Janai had completely forgotten about Penny’s injury. “Let me see that.” She inspected the bottom of the girl’s foot. “You’re right. You’ve healed nicely.” She smiled and Penny reached up and stroked her hair.

  ****

  Janai led once again, with Lance guiding the group to the invisible fence. Vala was stronger after her meal, and Janai had given her pain herbs to chew on whenever she needed them. The herbs were better when diluted with water, but they didn’t have that luxury, so she instructed Vala to chew small amounts, and only when she couldn’t tolerate the pain. Vala had agreed and Janai trusted her judgment. She had thanked Penny for the offer of her crutch, but Vala’s legs were strong enough, and Blal’k had hidden it near the last hideout.

  Suddenly, Lance stopped. “It’s just ahead.”

  Janai wiped at the sweat on her forehead and shielded her eyes from the full brightness of the suns. She could make out a small piece of Vala’s gray sleeve on the ground a few yards ahead of them. The rumbling seemed to emanate from the rockdome.

  “Now, what?” Lance turned to Janai. His clear blue eyes questioned her.

  She picked up a good-sized stick that lay near her feet. “Now, we find out just how b
ig this fence is.” She tossed the stick toward the gray piece of material but her throw fell short. Blal’k handed her a stone, which she lobbed in the same direction. A red glow emanated from nowhere, as the rock seemed to stop in mid-air then fall to the ground. Janai sucked in her breath. Vala swayed, until Ash caught her and Janai forced her to sit.

  “We should mark the area so we’ll know where we’ve been?” Blal’k said.

  Janai was still watching Vala. “What?” She looked up at the Ronarian. “Oh, yeah, good idea. But be careful.” She looked past Blal’k to the sky behind him and noticed gray clouds in the distance. “We’d better not waste any time.” The others followed her gaze when faint thunder rumbled overhead.

  Blal’k and Ash jammed sticks into the ground a couple of feet from Vala’s cloth. Blal’k used another stick to pull the gray material away from the invisible fencing and put the scrap in his pack.

  Janai could see the top of the rockdome above some of the trees. A shiver ran down her spine and she wrapped her arms around herself. Smaller arms encircled her middle as Krav’n huddled against her. She put a hand on his head ridges. “Let’s keep going.”

  Vala insisted she was all right, and Ash helped her to her feet. The group walked a few yards and tossed stones and sticks in the direction of the rockdome then marked near the spots where they made contact with the fence. They continued in this manner, hiding behind brush, trees, or tall grasses to keep from being spotted.

  After a while, Sarah stopped abruptly. “This is ridiculous.” She dropped her handful of debris on the ground at her feet. “This thing just keeps going in a straight line. How’re we ever supposed to get around if it doesn’t turn anywhere?”

  “There must be a turn somewhere, Sarah.”

  “How would you know?” the girl snapped back.

  Janai bit her tongue to keep the anger from her voice. “Look, why don’t we go a few more yards in this direction, and if we don’t have any luck, we’ll go back to the first marker and head the other way.”