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When the sound of hooves grew distant, Tethina’s eyes turned to Dasen. They ran up and down his body, inspecting him as carefully as they had the canopy above a moment before. "Can you move?" Her distaste was clear, but the strength in her voice was betrayed by the shaking of her hands.
The immediate threat past, Dasen really looked at Tethina for the first time since the crash. Her face was bright red where it was not smudged black, her hair was singed, and her dress was marked with burns and soot. She had obviously not fared much better than he, and it made the pain that racked him seem less significant. “I’m pretty miserable, but I think I can stand.” His voice sounded slow and distant even to his own ears.
“Alright, then.” Tethina sighed. It sounded like she might collapse. “Hopefully, your friends think we are still in the coach, but that doesn’t mean we can stay here. Though you’d deserve it, your screaming would certainly bring them back, so I’ll warn you not to stand up in here. This is a serpent bush. The leaves are coated with poison. It won’t kill you, but once it soaks into your skin, you may wish you were dead.”
Dasen could not restrain his shock. Tethina chuckled only to have the pain of her burns transform it to a wince. “Remember that bandit's reaction? Imagine that all over your body. I’ve seen men brought to my aunt delirious from the pain." She did not say anything further as she moved to her hands and knees and led the way out of the bush.
Dasen rolled onto his stomach, but even that simple movement made his head swim. His entire body protested. Spots danced before his eyes. His head felt like it would burst. He closed his eyes to gather himself and waited until the dizziness had passed then kept them closed as he rose to his hands and knees. He forced his eyes open – they felt as if they would explode from their sockets – and fought against the spots to follow the path Tethina had taken. He crawled out of the serpent bush and through a different bush that had given them access to the first until his head hit Tethina’s knee.
His head bumping her knee shifting her attention from the road. “It’s clear for the moment. We have to go.” Her tone did not suggest that there were any alternatives to that plan.
“Everything is spinning,” Dasen moaned as he shifted from crawling to sitting.
“Well, I’m not staying here, so you can either join me or crawl back under that bush. It’s your choice.”
Dasen looked at her with distaste, but she was watching the road, literally bouncing with anxiety, her feet set as if to run. Obviously, she was serious. He considered staying under the bush – surely she’d send someone for him when she got to the village. But if something happened to her on the way, he’d be alone in the forest with no idea how to find the village. Besides, could he send his wife off to find help while he lay under a bush? On their joining day? Given their already rocky start, that wasn’t likely to improve his standing. His only chance to mend their already broken relationship was to prove her perception wrong, and he couldn’t do that from under a bush.
That decided, he took a deep breath and brought his feet under him. His head pounded as he rose until he was certain that it would burst. The spots dancing before his eyes began to merge into solid black. The world spun faster and faster until he could not tell if he was still moving up. He fell back to the ground, sitting with his back against the tree and his head between his knees.
A few moments passed. Dasen failed to rise, but a succession of condemning puffs from above told him that Tethina was growing impatient. “We have to go!” she hissed when that thin patience gave out. “I know you are used to having everything handed to you, of taking or buying whatever you want, but there are no servants here, your guards are gone, your father’s money means nothing, and there are no books that will tell you how, so you’re going to have to try doing something on your own. I know it’s scary, but most of us do it every day.”
Dasen looked at her with contempt and found even more reflected back. He thought to protest, but it was clear that words would only further her claim. So he decided to prove her wrong. He took a deep breath and held it as he pulled his feet beneath him. A rush of pain hit him. His world was swirling black and pounding agony, but he fought through the darkness to a crouch. He closed his eyes – they were not seeing anything but dancing spots. The whole world felt like it was spinning, but he braced himself, took another deep breath, and pushed himself up. He came to his feet but was falling backward with nothing to stop his momentum.
Strong hands on his wrists arrested his fall. He wavered, but the hands did not let him go until he was steady. Dasen opened his eyes. The spots were still there, but they were fewer and remained at the borders of his vision. The world was still spinning, but it was slower, more manageable. Tethina released his wrists with a huff. His hand went to his head. He squeezed his temple to ward off some of the unbearable throbbing. Tethina came slowly into focus standing in front of him with a look of concern. She held her hands near his, ready to catch him.
“I'm okay,” he assured, but the words were distant. “Everything is spinning, and my head feels like the town bell on Teaching Day. We should go. I don’t know how much longer I’ll last.”
Tethina looked deep into his eyes, placed her hand on his chest over his heart, and felt his neck and head with her fingers. “I've seen worse," she declared without the slightest sympathy. ”You'll probably be back to your pompous asshole self tomorrow."
Dasen opened his mouth.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Tethina cut in. “Not here, not now.” She turned and searched the forest. “There should be a trail nearby that will take us back to the village. Follow me and try to be quiet. Your friends may still be out there somewhere. And don’t even think about touching me.” She glared at him, a visual blade as sharp as the dagger she held, then turned from the road and led them into the forest.
Dasen recoiled but knew better than to argue. He followed her at a distance. As they left the cover of the trees that blocked them from the road, he was aware of an intense heat warming him even beyond the already hot sun. He looked back and saw a towering inferno a dozen paces away where the coach had ended its course against an ash tree. The coach was little more than a cinder as the flames consumed the great tree. Smoke rose in a black column and drifted slowly away from them. For now, the surrounding trees, damp from the days of rain, resisted the fire that climbed almost straight to the sky on the windless day.
He watched the fire consume what remained of the coach for a long moment. He did not tax his muddled mind with the countless unexplainable events he had witnessed. When they made it to the village, there would be time for questions and answers. Looking back one last time at the coach, however, he thought about Esso. Though he had practically wished for the driver’s head, he had not deserved to die like that. And the horses. The guards. If the bandits had made it to the coach, they were all certainly dead. The thought made him retch. He knew that he was not thinking clearly, but he made a promise that whoever did this would pay. They would face justice for their crimes, and they would pay.
The thought brought him back to his escape. A look at Tethina’s bare arms showed the price she had paid to save him. They were deep red, matched only by the red of her face. He was not much better, his face and hands burned, but the pain was distant compared to the pounding in his head. His jacket was little more than tatters and nearly black with soot and ash. He ran his hand through his hair and felt it crackle as the acrid scent of burnt hair wafted around him. “Thank you for pulling me out,” he mumbled once he pieced together what had happened. “Especially after . . . well after what you said. You . . . you know I could never do those things. I . . .”
Tethina stopped and looked at him with disdain. "Stuff it! I said I didn’t want to talk right now. Now let’s go before I change my mind and throw you back in that fire.” She scowled then winced at the pain. Dasen c
ould only sigh and follow.