The Wittering Way by Nat Burns Page B

Sheadha of the lake. Three suns later, the atrebud would appear on the bank of the lake and the peyton would remove the fammie from the small atrebuds’s face, bringing both to full life.
    “I was heartily saddened to hear about the passing of my friends, your parents. Please remember that I am here for you and Ava, no matter what you need,” he said in his gruff, whispery voice.
    I squeezed his hand in gratitude. I thought of Avapeony then and my heart actually burned in my chest in a blaze of sorrow. My only hope was that she and Ronat had safely escaped the Brinc lands.
    “I’m worried about the burns on your back. They were severe and are healing slowly. How is the pain?” His fammie, Hinchigordy, connected with Afton to get a full report on my condition.
    “I will work on it, now that I am over the worst of it,” I said with conviction.
    “Turn, let me see,” he ordered. He helped me turn over and then, lifting my tunic, prodded the skin gently. I tried to ignore the pain of his stretching the burned skin as he changed the bandages, but it was a tough task.
    “This should help,” he said, plastering a fragrant mixture of pulverized herbs over the wounds. Herbs. I thought suddenly of my traveling companions.
    “Lemon. Saffron,” I gasped. “Afton, where are they? Where are the others? Where is Yewsy?”
    Afton had fallen into a somnambulant state and actually seemed to yawn before answering. “Lemon, Saffron, Yewsy, Capel, and Memo are fine.”
    I thought a moment. Wait. “RoseIII, Talew? You forgot two.”
    Broc touched me and I felt sleep take me over.
    WHEN I WOKE, I felt small, cool hands on my cheeks. Wind washed across me. “Wakey, wakey, little Meab.”
    I opened my eyes and was unable to focus on the green eyes made huge by proximity. A sudden gust of wind blew up my nose, and I heard the irritating hum of Jana wings.
    “I told you she was awake,” Tsisi said merrily. She hovered about my face, peering closely at me. “Are you well, Cleome?”
    I brushed her aside and rolled onto my back. There was pain still but it was almost nonexistent when compared with the earlier agony. I stretched, finding that sensation had fully returned to my hands and arms.
    Yewsy’s face appeared above me. She smiled gently and offered a hand. “Can you sit up?” she asked.
    “Maybe.” I took the offered hand and allowed her to haul me into a sitting position on the end of the raised pallet. The pain was blessedly bearable. I moved my hand in the pain easing gesture and it abated even more.
    Yewsy lifted my sleeve and ran one palm over the ragged, raised scar on my forearm. “Quite an adventure, we’ve had,” she said.
    I saw tears filling her crystal blue eyes.
    “Yews, what’s wrong?”
    The Jana raced between us. “She cries for Memo. Ohhhhh, it’s so sad, it is,” Tsisi said, wailing in sorrow as she flew away from us.
    I turned to Yewsy, my own eyes so full of sudden tears that I could barely see her. “Memo?” I squeaked.
    “She mourns. Her join Talew was taken. He died a warrior though, saving RoseIII’s life. And that of the others as well.”
    I took a moment to let this digest. “How?”
    “They saw our fall from the citadel and RoseIII raced back onto Brinc land to rescue us before seeing the fammies lift us. He wasn’t careful, of course, so was challenged by Givan soldiers who were coming for the games. They detained him and when he tried to use magic, they hit him. With their hands,” she whispered.
    “And Talew?” I swiped at tears that would not stop appearing. I thought of his sweet, smiling brown eyes, his need to be a powerful and mature Meab.
    “He followed and was caught up in the fray. They used their machines on him. He’s so small...” Yewsy dropped her head and sobbed. I pressed her hand, sending comfort. Sense filled me and I saw how she had been burned in the escape from Avapeony’s room. The burns were down her left arm. She, like me, would be scarred