* * *
“Child! Wake up!” Kira’s eyes opened slowly. Her head was still clouded and she felt hot. She looked up at the person hovering above her. It was Yamara.
“Are you all right, child? You were having another nightmare,” Yamara said with a worried look.
Kira looked around. She was in her hut, lying in her bed. There were bandages on her arm and her foot was elevated, resting on a stack of furs. It was still purple, but seemed to be less swollen than before. Suddenly remembering the purpose of her journey, she blurted out, “How is my father?”
Yamara smiled, “Shhh child, don’t worry. Your father is doing just fine. Felmar just gave him a second dose of the medicine and he seems to be getting better. Frankly, I’m more worried about you!”
“Me? Why?”
Yamara’s smile faded. She looked over at Kira’s arm and said, “I’m afraid your wound is infected. You’ve been battling a fever ever since they carried you through the gates.”
Kira looked at her arm again. She tried to move it but was immediately punished with excruciating pain.
“No. Don’t move it; that will only make it worse.”
Seeing Yamara’s worry, she reached out with her good arm and grabbed her hand, squeezing it affectionately. Yamara looked at her with a smiled. As she did, the door to the hut opened and Kaya walked in.
“You’re awake!” Kaya cried out, rushing over to the bed and dropping to her knees.
Kira smiled drowsily, “You sound like you missed me.”
Kaya nodded, “After you fainted in the fields I wasn’t sure you’d wake up again.”
“Nor was I,” chimed in a familiar voice. Felmar, who had been sitting quietly next to her father’s bed, stood up and walked over to them. Peering down with a look of what could only be described as bemused disdain he asked, “How are you feeling?”
Kira hated the sight of the man. Even just looking at him made her feel worse. She wanted to come back with something smart to say, but she was too weary. “I feel… awful. Hot and tired.”
“As one might suspect after such a journey,” Felmar replied curtly. “But before you doze off to sleep again, I have a few questions I’d like to ask the two of you.”
“Questions? What kind of questions?” Kaya asked, exchanging a knowing look with Kira. Yamara didn’t speak, but seemed to tense up.
“The kind that require both of you to answer. Specifically, how did you come to find so many flowers? And how did you manage to survive whatever creature did that to your arm?” Felmar asked in a cold voice, pointing at Kira’s wounded arm.
“What? Didn’t you expect us to return, Felmar?” Kira asked spitefully.
Felmar didn’t say a word, merely scowling at Kira. Her words had hit a nerve and whether he’d say it or not, that had been precisely what he had hoped would happen.
Before he replied, Kira interjected, “Well too bad for you, my sister came with me. If it hadn’t been for her quick thinking we wouldn’t have gotten as many flowers as we did.” She smiled at Kaya, who blushed at the compliment.
Shifting his weight uncomfortably, Felmar asked again, “But what of the creature who attacked you? How did you survive that?”
Kira hesitated. She wondered if he would believe her if she told him what really happened. She wasn’t sure she even believed it herself. “Well… someone helped us.”
Felmar’s eyes squinted until they were the tiniest of slits; making his face appear snakelike in the dim light. “Someone helped you?” he asked incredulously.
Kira shook her head. “I don’t have enough energy to tell this story more than once. Yamara, I want you to call the village elders and my uncle. They should hear it firsthand. I don’t want this serpent twisting my words for his own benefit,” Kira said, glaring up at Felmar. Yamara looked back and forth between them. Unsure of what to say, she stood and left the hut.
After several minutes their home was filled with murmuring people, exchanging confused looks. More than just the elders had come, but Kira didn’t mind; the more people that heard this story, the better. Heruncle Druin was standing at the foot of her bed, looking quite worried as he eyed her wounded arm. She smiled at him, trying to console him without words.
When everyone was settled in and the murmuring died down, Kira whispered to Kaya, “Do you still have the thing we found? Will you bring it to me?”
Kaya nodded and moved towards her satchel. She pulled the metallic cylinder from the bag and handed it to Kira. Everyone in the hut seemed quite astonished by the device and a few of them gasped and whispered to each other.
“While we were searching in the Black Wood, we found this.” Kira told them the entire story: meeting up with Kaya, the storm, finding the object, and the strange building. She told them of the sabercat and finally, the woman who had come to their rescue. She told them of how they had fled when the wolves attacked. When she finished her story no one said anything for several minutes. The hut was silent as everyone seemed to be in awe.
“Ludicrous!” Felmar broke the silence. “This whole story is absurd! She is clearly deranged from her fever.” The group of people began to murmur again, some nodding in agreement while others looked skeptical. Druin didn’t move or say anything; he stood still, watching Kira closely.
“She’s telling the truth! I was there! I saw all of it, and I’m perfectly healthy!” Kaya protested. The murmuring came to a stop for a moment.
“Of course the younger one will back up the older sister’s fantasy. Why is her word any more trustworthy?” Felmar spat indignantly. The murmuring began again. Most of them seemed to be agreeing with Felmar, making Kira angry.
“Fine! I’ll prove it!” Kira shouted. Everyone hushed, wide eyed. Kira grasped the object and pressed the first symbol with her thumb. Immediately the device began to hum and glow green. After a few seconds the large projection of a map burst forth and hovered in the air. The hut was filled with gasps of awe. No one spoke, not even Felmar. In fact he seemed to be more shocked by the development than anyone else.
“Do you believe us now? We aren’t lying. We really saw the stone building and the glowing woman in the forest.”
“It must be the spirits!” Yamara cried out, having remained silent up to then. “What else could it be?” Her words seemed to break the spell of the projection, and everyone began talking to each other loudly.
Kira’s head swam again as the room seemed to be collapsing in on her. She didn’t feel well and all the arguing was making it worse. She just wanted to close her eyes and rest. Druin must have read her mind, because immediately he bellowed, “Everyone out!!” The hut went quiet, but no one moved. They all stood awestruck, staring at Druin, who continued, “She needs rest. We can argue about this in the main hall. Perhaps my other niece would care to join us to help answer these questions?” He glanced at Kaya and she nodded sheepishly.
Without any more fuss everyone poured out of the hut, except Yamara and Felmar. Yamara gently patted Kira on the shoulder and went to leave. Felmar didn’t move. Pointing at the metallic cylinder he whispered, “Give me that object, child.”
Yamara stopped and turned back, glaring at Felmar. She walked over to Kira and put out her hand. “I’ll take it, child. I’ll keep it safe, I promise.” Kira nodded and handed it to her. Felmar seethed with anger and stormed out of the hut. “Now you rest. I’m sure they’ll have more questions later,” Yamara whispered.
As Yamara left, Kira looked over at her father. He looked better than she remembered. His face had more color and he didn’t appear to be in pain. Kira smiled to herself and, closing her eyes, drifted back to sleep.