Botanicaust (19 page)

T
here was no way he could get to Tula in time to help, even if he tried. If she was in the ravine when the water hit, she was gone. A shudder rolled through him.
“
Lord have mercy on her soul.
”

The water eventually lowered to a muddy trickle, leaving behind scoured clay walls and muddy debris. Removing the bright yellow robe, he scrubbed it against the edge of the ravine to disguise the color. Orange streaks of mud hid the yellow, but it still felt glaring to his eyes. He did the same with the gray blanket around his waist. The welcome cool of the damp fabric against his skin didn
’
t last long in the drying wind.

The dust could take all day to settle. He looked at the sun again and decided he might as well choose a direction, wrong or not. God would lead him. Clambering to his feet, he followed the wind north. But he kept looking over his shoulder at the ravine.

Why did he feel like he was abandoning Tula? There was nothing he could do. To the left, a pinprick flashed and disappeared on the horizon.
One of the Blattvolk flying machines?
Was that a figure waving?
Tula
. His feet moved a step that direction, then froze. What if it was a search party?

But it was a single person. Definitely waving. She stumbled and went down, disappearing from his sight. Without thinking, he ran toward her.

She collapsed into his arms, her breathing ragged. Strips of gauze tangled about her head but didn
’
t cover her mouth and nose. In one hand she held a crumpled water bottle.

“
Tula, what happened?
”

“
Vitus,
”
she said,
“
wants me dead.
”
Her blue eyes were dilated in spite of the bright sun.

He squeezed her tighter, his attention going to the southern horizon. A dark spot marred the hazy sky. Settling her upright, he pointed that direction. She followed his finger and gasped, drawing closer against him.
“
Duster.
”

He grasped her hand. They had to hide. But the expanse of the plain in all directions didn
’
t lend itself to hiding.

In spite of his hopelessness, he tugged her west. The sky had a faded, dusty cast, but he thought he saw mountains that direction. Leading up to mountains would be foothills. And foothills meant a possible place to hide.

Tula faltered, coughing, and he realized he
’
d been nearly dragging her. Her lips were pale and cracked with blood. Concern overwhelmed him.
“
You need water.
”

She gulped the offered water bottle desperately.

Returning the empty container to his carry-sack, he glanced into the distance. The pinprick had gained definition, forming the snubbed nose and long sweep of a tail fin. The flyer followed the line of the ravine. His gut clenched and his legs shook.
“
We
’
re out of time.
”

She swayed. Her attention shifted to one of the umbrella trees with pale, almost white leaves. Sobbing, she babbled as she pointed. The frightened look on her face was worse than the sight of the flyer. He tried to keep her moving, but she collapsed to her knees, a tiny wail rising from her lips like a ghost. Dry air filled his mouth and nose and he realized he was panting as he scoured the area for ideas. They couldn
’
t outrun the flying machine. Was that what she was saying? Why had she pointed to the leaves? She must want to camouflage them with leaves.

“
Good idea,
”
he said. But to hide them both, he
’
d have to use the blanket as well as the robe.
No time for modesty
. He jerked the blanket free and plucked some pale branches from the tree. Funny. He
’
d never seen the leaves so white. Still, they would make a good camouflage over the rusty splotches on the robe and blanket.

Self conscious of his nude body but desperate, he opened the first aid kit and retrieved the scissors. Poking holes in the fiber of the blanket and robe, he forced branches and leaves into the fabric.

By the time he was satisfied with the results, the duster was close enough for him to see silhouettes through the open side.

Tula sat on the desert floor clutching her knees against her chest, face slack and eyes glazed. She babbled the whole time he worked. He assumed she was offering directions, but since he couldn
’
t understand, he didn
’
t pay attention. He draped the blanket over himself like a cape and held out the robe toward her, leaves and branches rattling in the stiff breeze. Her eyes widened and she skittered backward.
“
No, no.
”

“
Tula, we have to hide.
”

She shook her head vehemently. The duster sped closer. Had he and Tula been spotted?

“
Tula. Hide!
”
He tried to put the robe over her. She cried out and scurried away, moaning.

What was wrong with her? The flyer was nearly upon them. He pounced on her and dragged her to a beat-up stand of amarantox. Pushing her backward to the ground, he settled on top of her to hold her still. Her struggles didn
’
t make covering them with the blanket and robe easy.
“
Tula, stay still,
”
he said against her cheek.

She sobbed and relaxed her limbs, but her whole body trembled violently. Panting against his shoulder, she moaned his name.

“
Shhhh. Tula.
”

They waited. How long until the search party came their way? Beneath the blanket the air grew stuffy. The smell of evergreen filled the space, and he became embarrassingly aware of how close they were. Pressed against her skin so intimately, they might as well be making love, he couldn
’
t help his arousal.

Save me from temptation
…

The drone of the duster drew nearer.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
he murmured. His hips ached to press tighter against her. Her hands crept up his sides, gripping the small of his back.
Lips against his shoulder.

Stiffening, he said,
“
God, Tula, no.
”

The fabric over them rustled in a breeze, halting his protest. The humming flyer passed directly over their position.

Seemingly unconcerned, her tongue caressed the skin at the edge of his collarbone in lazy circles. What was wrong with her?

“
Tula, we mustn
’
t.
”
The same words he
’
d spoken to Sarah so many times.

The whirr of the craft faded, but he resisted the urge to move. They could still be nearby.

She pulled his head toward her, lips against lips. The hint of wintergreen filled his mouth.

A shiver raced to his toes as the world spun out from under him, like after drinking too much apple wine. The soft warmth of a woman seemed like a dream, smooth skin beneath his fingertips, a subtle sigh of sweet air against his cheek. His body took over, and suddenly the duster didn
’
t matter. The hard, dry earth beneath them didn
’
t matter. The only thing in his world right now was the willing woman beneath him.

Her legs parted, encouraging his hips between them. He could hardly breathe beneath the blanket. Tasting her lips again, his head spun with drunken desire.

Her fingers bit into the flesh of his buttocks, pulling him deeper, closer, as her heels locked his thighs in place above her.

No turning back. Waves of mind-numbing pleasure crashed around him and he let go, primal need claiming him. The release was exquisite, lasting forever and over too soon. Palms planted against the baked earth, he lifted, allowing a cool rush of air to flutter beneath the blanket. She was so beautiful, the light turning her skin green.
Green?

His head swam as he raised his face to the horizon. What had just happened, here? She was Blattvolk.
A temptress of the devil.
And they were supposed to be hiding from the search party.
“
What have you done to me?
”

She didn
’
t speak, just traced his lips with her index finger. His vision wavered again. Drugs. She
’
d drugged him. This must be a trap.

Levi woke as the sky shifted from lavender to purple. The blankets lay in a heap at their feet, the robe bunched as a pillow beneath Tula
’
s head. She lay with her back against him, breathing deeply. His shoulder hurt from gravel digging into his flesh. His naked legs throbbed with sunburn.

He sat up and searched the sky. No dusters. Just the looming mountains he
’
d seen to the north, now in stark contrast to the fading light. What had he done? His disjointed memories reminded him of his first mid-winter cider festival; the hard cider had gone to his head, and he ended up singing naughty lyrics at the hymn-sing, giggling like he was twelve instead of eighteen.

Only this new incident involved multiple layers of sin. First, he lay with a woman out of wedlock. Again. Second, the woman was an abomination.

He looked at her profile cradled atop the gold robe. The smooth arc of her cheek, the dark lashes against her green cheek. The smell of their lovemaking lingered on his skin.

“
God forgive me.
”
He lifted his face to the mountains in the distance, unable to muster a better prayer. His head pounded, and his body ached from the hard ground. He reached for the water bottles and sipped. How long would this water last? Already he was dehydrated from the hiking, the sunburn and the
…
activity with Tula.

He shook his head. Even though it was a sin, his body wanted more of her. He had to continue his journey.
But what about Tula?
He looked over his shoulder, longing taking hold at the sight of the curve of her rump. She was beautiful and alien all at once.

He couldn
’
t desert her.
Even if she was a temptress.
Before waking her, he pulled the blanket around himself, leaves and all.
“
Tula.
”

No response.

He leaned closer to her ear.
“
Tula.
”

Still no response.

This time he shouted, but still she didn
’
t budge. If he hadn
’
t been able to see her chest rise and fall, he might have thought she was dead.
“
Tula?
”
He reached out and shook her, gently. The familiar warmth of her skin under his palm made him queasy.

When she didn
’
t rouse, he bit his lip and frowned. Something was wrong. Shaking her harder, he rolled her onto her back. Her jaw was slack and she breathed slightly through her mouth.

Why wouldn
’
t she wake? Perhaps he hadn
’
t been the only one affected by the strange loss of control. Had the Blattvolk drugged them from the air, hoping they would show themselves? The thought of blaming someone else for
their
actions eased his mind.

But what about Tula?
He couldn
’
t leave her here. No matter what happened between them, she
’
d saved his life.
At an exorbitant cost to herself.
He owed her an escort to a safe place.

After easing the robe from beneath her head, he pulled the sleeves over her arms and tied the waist, trying to keep his eyes from her breasts.