struck his back to help him choke out the water.
Air. Johnis coughed out the last of it and glanced at his hands.
Still turning Scab.
"Silvie, did you see her?" He got his feet under him, looked around.
In the desert.
In the water.
Hostage to Shataiki.
The woman in the pool ...
"The point of an imaginary friend is that no one else can see her." Silvie folded her arms. "I've half a mind to throw you back in there."
"She had to have come up first, Silvie. Didn't you see her?"
Silvie's icy glare was answer enough.
His throat stung.
Water.
Johnis crouched and took a greedy drink, letting it fill his mouth. A coppery taste flooded against his palate, between his teeth, under his tongue. Coppery and sweet. His cheeks puffed out.
The woman. She'd almost killed him. Or had she saved him?
Then he swallowed. Cool water slid down his throat and into his stomach.
Silvie looked on in silent horror, with wide blue eyes and pallid skin.
Johnis shivered. By Elyon, the water was cold. He shook his head like a dog, slinging droplets all over Silvie.
"Johnis!" She jumped up. A hitch in her hip stopped her movement, though. She rubbed at the joint. "So now what? We sit here and wait to see if it kills you?"
"It won't take more than a few minutes, I should think." He drank again. Despite his teasing, he knew the pool could still be poisoned. Could still kill him. And even if Scabs didn't do it, Shataiki could.
Or time could have simply soured the pool. Natural contamination. Was that even possible?
Anything is possible. Anything.
Johnis scooped more water into his palm and drank. Whatever was done was done. He stripped off his shirt and wrung it out. "We'll know in a few minutes. For now we wait. And decide. Last night we said we'd go after Darsal. Stick with the plan? Or find water and Thomas first?"
"We don't know of a lake close enough." Silvie curled up on herself and continued to gawk at him. "We'd have to strike out across open desert. Maybe try to make it to one of the other forests."
Johnis shook his head. "Thomas wouldn't take to the desert unless he had to. If he's in the desert, the forests fell to the Horde."
Silvie didn't comment.
"And if Darsal's been caught, she's got less of a chance than we do."
"She'd kill us if we didn't go to Thomas. He has to have scouts, spies, something to keep him on top of the Horde. We find them, we find the Horde."
"Agreed." Johnis mulled over what they had overheard the day before. Not much, but enough to chill the bones. "Well, we could always follow the Horde."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard. They're on a search-and-destroy mission. The Guard's gone deep. We want to find Thomas; we could follow the hunters."
"Or wait for Thomas to attack."
"It doesn't sound like he's been doing much of that." He paused. "Of course, there is the woman. She might ..."
"I am not interested in some imaginary woman of yours."
"You weren't interested in Roush, either," Johnis snapped. "But they were there all the same!"
Silvie ground her teeth.
"Shataiki all around, where the eyes cannot tell ... the River, the R i v e r , and a l l between, echoes with t h i n g s unseen ... "
A soft punch. Silvie.
The desert.
All the answers were in the desert.
"What if she needs help? What if she's trying to help us? `Aid me,' she keeps saying. `In the desert.' And Thomas is in the desert."
"We can find Thomas without your beautiful woman."
Beat.
Johnis let his head clear before speaking. He hated yelling at her, but sometimes she just wouldn't listen.
"I'm not sure Thomas wants to be found." He paced. "I think we have to assume we're on our own. Thomas likely thinks we've either defected or died out there anyway by now."
That thought made him stop pacing. And reminded him of the strange woman's pleas to join her in the desert.
"So we really are alone," Silvie spoke slowly.
"You and me. And Darsal."
Wordless, he slipped off, out of the circle of spider trees and over the threshold into the
Air. Johnis coughed out the last of it and glanced at his hands.
Still turning Scab.
"Silvie, did you see her?" He got his feet under him, looked around.
In the desert.
In the water.
Hostage to Shataiki.
The woman in the pool ...
"The point of an imaginary friend is that no one else can see her." Silvie folded her arms. "I've half a mind to throw you back in there."
"She had to have come up first, Silvie. Didn't you see her?"
Silvie's icy glare was answer enough.
His throat stung.
Water.
Johnis crouched and took a greedy drink, letting it fill his mouth. A coppery taste flooded against his palate, between his teeth, under his tongue. Coppery and sweet. His cheeks puffed out.
The woman. She'd almost killed him. Or had she saved him?
Then he swallowed. Cool water slid down his throat and into his stomach.
Silvie looked on in silent horror, with wide blue eyes and pallid skin.
Johnis shivered. By Elyon, the water was cold. He shook his head like a dog, slinging droplets all over Silvie.
"Johnis!" She jumped up. A hitch in her hip stopped her movement, though. She rubbed at the joint. "So now what? We sit here and wait to see if it kills you?"
"It won't take more than a few minutes, I should think." He drank again. Despite his teasing, he knew the pool could still be poisoned. Could still kill him. And even if Scabs didn't do it, Shataiki could.
Or time could have simply soured the pool. Natural contamination. Was that even possible?
Anything is possible. Anything.
Johnis scooped more water into his palm and drank. Whatever was done was done. He stripped off his shirt and wrung it out. "We'll know in a few minutes. For now we wait. And decide. Last night we said we'd go after Darsal. Stick with the plan? Or find water and Thomas first?"
"We don't know of a lake close enough." Silvie curled up on herself and continued to gawk at him. "We'd have to strike out across open desert. Maybe try to make it to one of the other forests."
Johnis shook his head. "Thomas wouldn't take to the desert unless he had to. If he's in the desert, the forests fell to the Horde."
Silvie didn't comment.
"And if Darsal's been caught, she's got less of a chance than we do."
"She'd kill us if we didn't go to Thomas. He has to have scouts, spies, something to keep him on top of the Horde. We find them, we find the Horde."
"Agreed." Johnis mulled over what they had overheard the day before. Not much, but enough to chill the bones. "Well, we could always follow the Horde."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard. They're on a search-and-destroy mission. The Guard's gone deep. We want to find Thomas; we could follow the hunters."
"Or wait for Thomas to attack."
"It doesn't sound like he's been doing much of that." He paused. "Of course, there is the woman. She might ..."
"I am not interested in some imaginary woman of yours."
"You weren't interested in Roush, either," Johnis snapped. "But they were there all the same!"
Silvie ground her teeth.
"Shataiki all around, where the eyes cannot tell ... the River, the R i v e r , and a l l between, echoes with t h i n g s unseen ... "
A soft punch. Silvie.
The desert.
All the answers were in the desert.
"What if she needs help? What if she's trying to help us? `Aid me,' she keeps saying. `In the desert.' And Thomas is in the desert."
"We can find Thomas without your beautiful woman."
Beat.
Johnis let his head clear before speaking. He hated yelling at her, but sometimes she just wouldn't listen.
"I'm not sure Thomas wants to be found." He paced. "I think we have to assume we're on our own. Thomas likely thinks we've either defected or died out there anyway by now."
That thought made him stop pacing. And reminded him of the strange woman's pleas to join her in the desert.
"So we really are alone," Silvie spoke slowly.
"You and me. And Darsal."
Wordless, he slipped off, out of the circle of spider trees and over the threshold into the
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