Page 31 of Mated By the Pack
I feel a tremor of hope. I swallow hard and smile, then spread the paste across her ribs, her cheek, and along each scrape I can see. If there’s anything else that needs treating, I can’t do it with this. I can’t rub paste on her concussion.
After a few minutes, the glow begins to spread. It radiates across her whole body like a flash, and she exhales. Her eyes open, she looks at us—then she settles into the dirt and immediately goes back to sleep. Her wounds haven’t healed, but they still have a light red shimmer. This isn’t science, or anything I’ve encountered in nursing. This is something much different.
“I-is she okay?” Fiona whispers.
“I think she will be,” I answer, daring to let out a breath of relief. “We’ll let her sleep just a while longer, then see if she’s able to walk. Then we’ll go as far as we can until it gets dark again.”
“I hate to bring this up,” Brenna sighs. “But I’m really hungry and if I don’t get some water soon, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep walking.”
“We need food and water,” I admit, looking around. “We’ll try to find higher ground. Look for a stream—anything. We’ll prioritize water, but keep an eye out for berries too.”
“Wish I had been more interested in rations and a canteen than the gun,” Brenna mutters, and I feel like the failure falls on my shoulders. I should have thought of it.
“We’ll find something,” I sigh.
I reach down and rub the bracelet on my wrist.
Hopefully it won’t let me eat something that will send me straight to The Aether.
An hour later, we’re moving through The Tangle. Nara isn’t fully recovered, but she seems to be healing. Everyone is taking turns letting her lean on us for support when needed. Even Fiona. She’s stronger than her size would indicate.
“Oh, no, what was that?” Fiona squeals, spinning around when a loud crash echoes to our right. “That’s the direction we’re going!”
“Not anymore,” I mutter, cutting toward the left, and motioning for the others to follow me.
I’ve got an uneasy feeling, and it isn’t because we’ve made it this far into The Tangle unharmed. It’s because weshouldn’thave.
Frank was on edge the entire time we were moving through the underbrush, trying to follow the old, broken road. We lost the road yesterday, and we haven’t seen anything remotely dangerous except plants, and they seem to be leaving us alone. Out of the corner of my eye, I’ve seen some get close—like they’re watching, but scared to approach.
I’m trying to keep us moving in the general direction of Haven North, based on the stars I saw last night. That’s difficult when we have to steer around everything that sounds dangerous. Unfortunately, out here,everythingsounds dangerous.
“Up that hill,” I say, motioning ahead. “We need to get a look at our surroundings and that’s the highest peak we’ve seen in a while.”
“The highest peak we’ve been able to get to,” Brenna mutters.
“Nara, are you okay?” I ask, glancing over at her.
“Getting better,” she gasps, leaning on Tansy for support. “Let’s keep moving.”
We climb the embankment, which proves difficult for Nara, but she manages. When we get to the top, our eyes widen like saucers. There’s a pond below us with water so clear I can see some kind of large fish swimming around in it. Near the pond are several trees with fruits I recognize from Haven North—apples, oranges, and even pears, which are only sold in the Upper District.
“Am I dreaming?” Fiona whispers.
“No, you’re not dreaming!” I say excitedly. “Let’s go down there, but carefully. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves if anything is around.”
For a brief moment, I wonder if The Tangle somehow provided this, but I’m too hungry and thirsty to dwell on it. We make our way down to the pond where we find a soft patch of grass for Nara to rest on.
“Let me try it first,” I say, kneeling by the water. “It looks clean, but you can never be too sure.”
I lean forward, gather some water in my hand, and let it drizzle to my bracelet. The bracelet hums for a second and the water vanishes into the vine. I guess we’re both thirsty. I cautiously sip the water, a sweetness flooding my mouth.
“This is better than the water in Haven North,” I say. “It should be safe, but drink it slowly. You’ll throw up if you drink it too fast because of how dehydrated we are.”
After a few sips of water, I make my way over to the fruit. My bracelet doesn’t give me any warning signs, so I test the applefirst. The taste is more vibrant than anything I’ve ever eaten before. I quickly gather some for the others, not even bothering to check the other fruit.
“You have to try these,” I say, kneeling by Nara and dumping the apples on the soft grass.
We each take an apple and for the first time since we were taken from Haven North, every single one of us is smiling. The oasis is providing a brief respite, along with the sustenance we need to continue our journey.
