Taste of Darkness
Page 84
“Little Brother wished to be here.” Noak strode to the cave’s entrance and shouted for Little Brother.
Ryne and I exchanged a look. Kerrick had only mentioned that Noak had a sister and father. Curious. We waited.
After a few minutes, a thin figure half Noak’s size joined him. But he dashed past the large tribesman and headed straight for me. I glimpsed his face before he almost knocked me over as he wrapped his arms around me with rib-crushing strength.
“Danny!” Heedless of my ribs, I hugged him tight.
He squeezed harder and I gasped, “Can’t breathe.”
Danny let go and pulled back. “Sorry, but I didn’t quite believe Kerrick when he said you were alive until I saw you.”
“If you knew about Avry, why didn’t you tell Noak?” Ryne asked.
“’Cause I gave my word to Kerrick not to tell anyone. Is he here?”
Danny bounced on the balls of his feet as he glanced around, but he spotted the monkeys and they pounced on him. They ruffled his shaggy black hair and slapped him on the back. The boy had grown a foot since I’d last seen him over seven months ago.
Ryne dismissed the guards, ordering them to return to their positions. He invited Noak to join him to discuss strategy. Understanding the hint, the monkeys led Danny over to the main fire to catch up on the news. I trailed after, noticing that Noak kept an eye on his little brother and on me. When my gaze met his, a chill raced up my spine.
Danny recounted his adventures with the tribe. Most of the stories we’d heard from Kerrick, but it was fun hearing Danny’s side of the story. We ate our supper as we listened.
“...I got this funny, twisty feeling in my guts and I knew I needed to touch Kerrick, but he stopped me and told me to wait. We experimented later and—” Danny pulled up the sleeve on his right arm and pointed to a tiny scar near his elbow “—that’s my first scar. It’s Kerrick’s.”
We exclaimed over the faint line. Encouraged, Danny continued his tale. “...and after Kerrick left, I stayed and helped them. They were real sick.”
“Were?” I asked.
A huge smile spread on Danny’s face. “I healed them, Avry! I figured it out with your journal and with Rakel’s help, we cured them.”
“That’s wonderful. What ailed them?”
“They’d been eating cloovit leaves and slowly poisoning themselves.”
“Why would they eat cloovit?” Quain asked. “Everyone knows—”
“They don’t. It resembled a rare plant that grows in the Vilde Lander. One that is considered a delicacy.”
“How did you figure it out?” I asked.
Danny launched into a story about how he tried to treat the symptoms by finding herbs that might work. “Then I’m walking through the town and there’s this lady with an armful of cloovit leaves. I felt like a lightning bolt had just struck me. Then I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before.”
“Don’t let that upset you, Danny,” Loren said. “Quain feels like that all the time. Ow!”
Quain clocked Loren.
“I see those two haven’t changed,” Danny said, showing he’d grown in more ways than his height.
“I think they have a disease and are stuck in adolescence,” I said. “Do not look to them as role models.”
Danny grinned and glanced over at Noak.
Interesting. The gesture reminded me of another question I had for the boy. “Little Brother?”
“I’m tribe now.” He told them about healing Rakel, Noak’s sister, and challenging the tribe’s leader. “And that really put the pressure on us to find a cure. If the tribespeople kept dying, we would have had to fight Noak and his dad, Canute.” Danny hooked a thumb at Noak. “He’s a teddy bear compared to his father.”
“Kerrick didn’t know this, did he?” I asked.
“No way. The details of Canute’s abdication weren’t public knowledge. I didn’t tell him ’cause I knew Kerrick wanted to get back to you. He’d have never left me if he’d known.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” I said. “Plus you gained a valuable experience.”
“That I did, but I’ve lots to learn. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I also wanted to help with the wounded.”
“You were safer in Alga,” Loren said.
Danny gave him a mulish look.
Loren laughed. “Does his expression remind you of anyone, Quain?”
“I thought that stubbornness was learned at healer school, but it must be instinctive,” Quain said.
Danny chuckled. “Whenever I was being difficult, Kerrick said I reminded him of Avry.”
“Hey,” I protested, but it lacked heat. After all, we knew just how difficult I could be.
“Where’s Kerrick?” Danny asked.
We filled him in on our adventures.
“...and Kerrick should be back in two days,” I said.
“Good, I’ve lots to tell him.”
“So you intend to stay here?” Loren asked.
“As long as it’s okay with Avry.” Danny widened his eyes in a pretty-please, puppy-dog, I’m-so-cute-how-can-you-say-no look.
“It’s all right with me.” Another chill brushed my spine. Noak was staring at me again. “Will it be okay with Big Brother?” I inclined my head in Noak’s direction.
“Yep. Don’t let him scare you.” Danny gestured to the surroundings. “This is all strange to him. The tribespeople are used to flat, open land where you can see for miles. They’re uncomfortable in the woods and they almost panicked crossing the Nine Mountains.” He chuckled. “We had to travel at night so they couldn’t see down.”
Ryne and I exchanged a look. Kerrick had only mentioned that Noak had a sister and father. Curious. We waited.
After a few minutes, a thin figure half Noak’s size joined him. But he dashed past the large tribesman and headed straight for me. I glimpsed his face before he almost knocked me over as he wrapped his arms around me with rib-crushing strength.
“Danny!” Heedless of my ribs, I hugged him tight.
He squeezed harder and I gasped, “Can’t breathe.”
Danny let go and pulled back. “Sorry, but I didn’t quite believe Kerrick when he said you were alive until I saw you.”
“If you knew about Avry, why didn’t you tell Noak?” Ryne asked.
“’Cause I gave my word to Kerrick not to tell anyone. Is he here?”
Danny bounced on the balls of his feet as he glanced around, but he spotted the monkeys and they pounced on him. They ruffled his shaggy black hair and slapped him on the back. The boy had grown a foot since I’d last seen him over seven months ago.
Ryne dismissed the guards, ordering them to return to their positions. He invited Noak to join him to discuss strategy. Understanding the hint, the monkeys led Danny over to the main fire to catch up on the news. I trailed after, noticing that Noak kept an eye on his little brother and on me. When my gaze met his, a chill raced up my spine.
Danny recounted his adventures with the tribe. Most of the stories we’d heard from Kerrick, but it was fun hearing Danny’s side of the story. We ate our supper as we listened.
“...I got this funny, twisty feeling in my guts and I knew I needed to touch Kerrick, but he stopped me and told me to wait. We experimented later and—” Danny pulled up the sleeve on his right arm and pointed to a tiny scar near his elbow “—that’s my first scar. It’s Kerrick’s.”
We exclaimed over the faint line. Encouraged, Danny continued his tale. “...and after Kerrick left, I stayed and helped them. They were real sick.”
“Were?” I asked.
A huge smile spread on Danny’s face. “I healed them, Avry! I figured it out with your journal and with Rakel’s help, we cured them.”
“That’s wonderful. What ailed them?”
“They’d been eating cloovit leaves and slowly poisoning themselves.”
“Why would they eat cloovit?” Quain asked. “Everyone knows—”
“They don’t. It resembled a rare plant that grows in the Vilde Lander. One that is considered a delicacy.”
“How did you figure it out?” I asked.
Danny launched into a story about how he tried to treat the symptoms by finding herbs that might work. “Then I’m walking through the town and there’s this lady with an armful of cloovit leaves. I felt like a lightning bolt had just struck me. Then I felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before.”
“Don’t let that upset you, Danny,” Loren said. “Quain feels like that all the time. Ow!”
Quain clocked Loren.
“I see those two haven’t changed,” Danny said, showing he’d grown in more ways than his height.
“I think they have a disease and are stuck in adolescence,” I said. “Do not look to them as role models.”
Danny grinned and glanced over at Noak.
Interesting. The gesture reminded me of another question I had for the boy. “Little Brother?”
“I’m tribe now.” He told them about healing Rakel, Noak’s sister, and challenging the tribe’s leader. “And that really put the pressure on us to find a cure. If the tribespeople kept dying, we would have had to fight Noak and his dad, Canute.” Danny hooked a thumb at Noak. “He’s a teddy bear compared to his father.”
“Kerrick didn’t know this, did he?” I asked.
“No way. The details of Canute’s abdication weren’t public knowledge. I didn’t tell him ’cause I knew Kerrick wanted to get back to you. He’d have never left me if he’d known.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” I said. “Plus you gained a valuable experience.”
“That I did, but I’ve lots to learn. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. I also wanted to help with the wounded.”
“You were safer in Alga,” Loren said.
Danny gave him a mulish look.
Loren laughed. “Does his expression remind you of anyone, Quain?”
“I thought that stubbornness was learned at healer school, but it must be instinctive,” Quain said.
Danny chuckled. “Whenever I was being difficult, Kerrick said I reminded him of Avry.”
“Hey,” I protested, but it lacked heat. After all, we knew just how difficult I could be.
“Where’s Kerrick?” Danny asked.
We filled him in on our adventures.
“...and Kerrick should be back in two days,” I said.
“Good, I’ve lots to tell him.”
“So you intend to stay here?” Loren asked.
“As long as it’s okay with Avry.” Danny widened his eyes in a pretty-please, puppy-dog, I’m-so-cute-how-can-you-say-no look.
“It’s all right with me.” Another chill brushed my spine. Noak was staring at me again. “Will it be okay with Big Brother?” I inclined my head in Noak’s direction.
“Yep. Don’t let him scare you.” Danny gestured to the surroundings. “This is all strange to him. The tribespeople are used to flat, open land where you can see for miles. They’re uncomfortable in the woods and they almost panicked crossing the Nine Mountains.” He chuckled. “We had to travel at night so they couldn’t see down.”
