Page 24 of Spirit Rites
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”
His eyes meet mine, and he nods. Even though I’m in a ton of pain, I appreciate that he’s being honest with me. “Yeah. It’s going to need to be set...in multiple places.”
I close my eyes and swallow back the nausea. When I open my eyes, he’s right there. “Let’s find a place to settle for a few hours.”
I don’t bother arguing that it’s too wet. I can’t focus on anything right now except the pain; it’s an all-consuming kind of pain. I follow Kaldar, even as black spots start to dot my vision. I take a few more steps, and the world tilts on its axis. “Kaldar,” I manage to get out, right as the world spins out of focus. His wide eyes are the last thing I remember before everything goes black.
When I open my eyes sometime later, the first thing that hits me is the pain in my arm. Not only does my arm hurt, but it seems to be radiating through my entire body. I must make a small sound, because Kaldar’s there a minute later. “Hey,” he says softly. I’m afraid if I open my mouth, I’ll throw up. I meet his eyes instead. His are full of compassion. “Here. Bite on this.” I move just the slightest bit, and pain rushes through my body. My eyes tear up as I stare up at him. “This will help with the pain.” I have no idea what it is; I don’t even ask. If it will help, I’ll do it. He puts something that feels and tastes like tree bark in my mouth. My wide eyes find his. “Just chew on it,” he says softly. He watches me carefully, and I do as he says. When I don’t feel anything but agonizing pain, I nearly spit it out. He must see because he puts his hand on it, keeping it in my mouth.“Keep going. It will work.” I keep chewing. I’m in so much pain that even chewing hurts. Tears well up in my eyes again, and I can feel them drip down my cheeks as I close my eyes. I feel a feather-light touch on my cheek. “Keep chewing. Relief is coming. I promise.” I don’t open my eyes; it hurts too much. A few minutes later, I realize the pain isn’t as agonizing. I keep chewing, and the pain seems to lessen even more. “There you go.” I hear Kaldar’s voice, but it sounds so far away. “It’s going to make you sleepy. Don’t fight it. Sleep and let your arm heal while you do.”
I want to open my eyes, but they feel too heavy. I try to open my mouth and tell him thank you for the blessed relief, but I can’t do that either. I feel myself slipping away. There’s another light touch on my cheek, and he says something. But I don’t know what, because I’m already drifting.
Chapter 12
I try to open my eyes several times, but they feel weighted down. Finally, I push through. I stare up at the tree branches above me, and it takes a moment to remember where I am. I try to sit up and hiss in pain. I glance down at my arm as everything comes rushing back. My arm is wrapped tightly in some kind of green leaves, and Kaldar’s shirt is still acting as the sling. I test it, and pain shoots down my arm. It hurts but not like before. Now, it’s more of a throb. Before, it felt as if my arm was on fire. I use my good arm to push off the ground and stand up. I step out of the shelter I know Kaldar made and look around for him. I don’t see him anywhere, but it doesn’t alarm me. I figure he probably left in search of food. I wander over to the fire and sit down next to it. It looks like sunset is upon us, and I wonder absently how many hours I slept. I pat the ground and marvel at the fact that it dried up from that awful storm earlier.
It takes a while for Kaldar to come back. When he finally does, he stops in surprise. “You’re awake.”
I manage a smile. “I am. Thanks for wrapping my arm and for the shelter and everything. I’m sorry I slowed us down today. How many hours did I sleep?”
He drops two fish onto a stone next to the fire and works on skinning them. “Two days.”
I stare at him, wide-eyed. “What?”
He keeps skinning the fish. “You were out for two days.”
I look up at the trees above us and then back to him as if I’ll find answers there somewhere. “I’ve been out for two days?” Panic creeps into my voice because I know what happens when you stay still. He told me it’s not good to stay still.
“The root I made you chew is a pain blocker, but it also acts as a sedative. Because you were in so much pain, I let you chew on too much.”
“I appreciated the break from the pain. I’m sorry I slept so long, though. What all did I miss?”
“Not a lot.”
I know he’s not telling me everything. I don’t know how I know; I just know. “What did I miss?” I repeat the question. “Just tell me.”
“There were...spiders.”
I blink because that was not was I was going to guess. “Spiders?”
“They came after us. I picked you up and ran.”
I blink and stare at him. “You carried me? And ran? From spiders?”
He looks over at me. “They were big spiders.”
“Were they?” I can’t help the laugh that pops out. His eyes narrow on me, and I cover my mouth with my hand. “I’m sorry. I must be delirious still.” But then another laugh slips out before I can stop it. “I’m sorry,” I say before he can say anything. “Just the thought of you picking me up and making a run for it because of spiders makes me laugh.”
“Laugh it up. You didn’t see them. I can guarantee if you did, you wouldn’t be laughing. They were almost as tall as you.”
The smile instantly drops from my face. “What?”
He points at my face. “See? That's the appropriate response.”
“Are you kidding right now?”
“I wish I was. Those creatures are going to be in my nightmares for a long time.”
I feel sick to my stomach. “I’m so sorry, Kaldar. I can’t believe I teased you. Were they really that big?” He nods. “How many were there?”
