Botanicaust (24 page)

But she had nowhere else to go.

She hung back, sitting on the dusty ground with her knees drawn up to her chest. The long line of water stretched from east to west as far as she could see. If Levi intended to cross, she had no way to follow him. And he didn
’
t seem inclined to teach her how to swim.

What if he left her here, all alone? Could she survive by herself? All she carried was the robe with a nearly empty water bottle in one pocket. The remaining pills were in her other
pocket
. Two more doses and she
’
d be at the mercy of the sun unless she found shelter during the highest points of the day. The Protectorate might be a mercy
—
if they killed her, it would be quick and humane, not rotting alone in the sun. The scar on her arm mocked her in the orange light of sunset. She swapped her arms around her knees top to bottom, hiding the mark.

You have a better chance of surviving than Levi
. He would need to scrounge for food in a world of scarcity.
To compete with savage cannibals and toxic weeds.
How far was it to his people? And how had they managed to survive without resorting to cannibalism? His notebook indicated a society more stable than cannibals, but it was also a primitive tool compared to the gamma pads and dusters the Protectorate had to offer. Wouldn
’
t his people appreciate such innovation and ease?

She stroked the green skin on her knee. Conversion was the last best hope for human survival. Cannibals would run out of food, eventually. And the Fosselites by all accounts weren
’
t truly human any more, living forever yet refusing to come out of their mountain cave. Levi hadn
’
t wanted conversion, but perhaps others of his people would.

Gritting her teeth with determination, she rose and lifted a hand to her eyes to shade them from the setting sun. The orange globe sat half below the horizon already. She had to stay with him. With more time, surely he
’
d see that conversion was the only way. If Mo
’
s offer of amnesty was true, she could serve as a liaison between Levi
’
s people and the Protectorate. Once she
’
d established a rapport, she could contact the Protectorate.

A flare of orange light and a trickle of smoke down by the tamarisk let her know Levi had started a fire. A fire tonight would be nice. The breeze on the rise had already cooled.

She picked her way through the leaves and branches as the light faded, using Levi
’
s fire as a beacon. A shout froze her in her tracks. Ahead of her, the light of Levi
’
s fire danced between the trunks of the tamarisk, intercepted by shadows and movement.

Cannibals
.

Dread settled into the hollow of her stomach. Every muscle in her body trembled with weakness. Cannibals had found them, and Levi was in danger. She had to save him.

But they
’
re cannibals.

She forced one foot in front of the other, mind spinning without options. Through the thicket, she saw Levi and another man roll across the sand. A smaller man drove blow after blow against Levi
’
s head and arms.

Although larger than his attackers, Levi didn
’
t put up a fight. He curled in on himself with his hands over his head. A woman joined the fray, kicking Levi in the head and kidneys. The whites of her eyes glowed fiercely in the flickering fire. Levi squirmed and tried to twist away. His attempt to escape rolled him through the coals of the fire, and he yelled in pain.

“
Levi!
”
She barely heard her own voice over the woman
’
s savage ululations and the small man
’
s bellowing.

She spotted the fire-starting wand on top of Levi
’
s gear just inside the thicket. Drawing on courage she didn
’
t know she had, she crept into the clearing and grasped the compact implement with a trembling hand. She spun to face the skirmish, a tiny flame licking from the tip of the wand. Useless. What would Mo do?
Flash them.

An idea blossomed. She turned to the tamarisk and ignited leaves and twigs. The tinder caught quickly, climbing the resinous trunks like lightning. She moved to another spot, and another.

In the clearing, oblivious to her entrance, three cannibals held Levi spread against the ground while the fourth approached with a knife.

Tula braced herself in front of the growing light and in as deep a voice as possible yelled,
“
This is the Haldanian Protectorate!
”

The group around Levi released him in a limp sprawl and swung to face her. She raised the flame wand, dialing the pitiful flame to full and made a show of looking to the sky, as if expecting a duster.

Without hesitation, the cannibals fled.

With her help, Levi limped out of the thicket, but he grew heavier as he leaned on her, and she eventually had to stop. She crept back to the burned out grove and searched the clearing in the dying light of the tamarisk fire. While gathering Levi
’
s things, she found a crude metal knife dropped by the cannibals. She kept the blade in one hand as she stumbled her way back to Levi, her eyes and ears attuned to the darkness around her. The Cannibals wouldn
’
t stay away long. And her bluff wouldn
’
t work a second time.

With no illumination but starlight, it was difficult to determine how badly Levi was wounded. His breathing was rough, a man in stress. She offered him water, but he turned away, clenching his body into a fetal position. Did he have internal bleeding?

With nothing left to do, she draped him with the blanket. Knife in hand, she sat beside him, arms around her legs to ward off the cold. Part way through the night, he began shivering. She removed her robe and added it to the blanket covering him.

Still, he shivered, until she heard his teeth clacking. Helpless in the dark, she climbed beneath the blanket, adding her warmth to his. She kept the knife by her ear, and startled alert at every hint of sound. The moon never rose, and Tula didn
’
t sleep at all.

When dawn broke, she slid into the cold air and looked at Levi
’
s face.
Both eyes
had swelled shut, his nose was a purple mess, and multiple contusions and abrasions covered his scalp. The shoulder peeking from beneath the blanket screamed an angry red with blisters over blisters oozing fluid.

Rummaging through the first aid items, she found antiseptic spray, but no burn kit. The stitch kit needle was missing. She found butterfly closures that might work in place of stitches.

“
Levi,
”
she dropped her face close to his ear.
“
Levi.
”

He shivered and his eyelids
trembled,
only managing to become slits.
“
Mmmm.
”

“
Levi, I help.
”
She held up a roll of gauze.

“
Mmmhmm.
”
He nodded slightly.

“
I look your
…
”
she didn
’
t know the word for wounds.
“
Bad.
”

He sucked a shuddering breath and slid the blanket off his shoulder.
“
Burn,
”
he said.

Tula flinched. The grass shirt over his right shoulder blade had a burned hole as big as both her palms together. The edges of the charred fabric had crusted to the blisters, and spots of blackened flesh had already sloughed away, leaving glistening sores. Even if she had a burn kit, it would not have properly treated this injury.
“
Oh, Levi.
”

Wracking her brain for solutions, her eyes slid over a nearby yuvee tree. The wide, pale leaves resembled helping hands in the calm morning light. Back at the pond, he
’
d covered her in the leaves thinking they might heal her. Would they work on him? She rose and plucked one between her thumb and forefinger, touching as little as possible.

Returning to his side, she put the leaf in front of his face.
“
Levi. Good? Burn good?
”

He cracked his eyes again. He seemed to have trouble focusing, but he nodded. She gathered several more leaves,
then
helped him remove his shirt. Magenta bruises dotted his chest and lower back. A gash on his left arm showed a glimmer of bone near his wrist.

He managed to remain sitting while she washed the burn with water from a bottle. He stiffened as she sprayed antiseptic and pressed the leaves to the sores. Using a swath of gauze, she held the leaves in place and then turned to his sliced arm.

Dirt caked the jagged edges of flesh. As she picked out bits of debris, the wound dripped blood, and his face grew so pale she wondered if he was conscious. She debrided the wound as best she could, washed it with the antiseptic and pinched the flesh together to apply the butterflies. The scar would be ugly, but no major arteries had been severed.

Satisfied with her work, she wrapped the forearm in gauze. She wished she had painkillers to help him sleep, but all she could offer was a sip of water. He swallowed obediently.

His stomach growled. She had no food for him. She didn
’
t even know how to go about getting food. He lowered himself onto his left side, hugging his injured arm against his abdomen. He didn
’
t look in any shape to gather for himself any time soon.

She rummaged through the pack and found the raw roots he
’
d gathered at the pond. Back at the camp, he
’
d put them into the coals to cook, but she wouldn
’
t risk a fire with cannibals nearby. Could he eat the roots uncooked? With the knife, she cut one open. They were tough and fibrous, and he was weak to chew.

The sun cleared the horizon and she swallowed two suppression pills before deciding what to do. She couldn
’
t be drunk while caring for him. Again with the knife, she scraped at the
root
’
s
juicy inside. A pulpy white fluid gathered on the blade as fibers separated. Carefully, she deposited the pulp into a half empty water bottle. She scraped each of the roots until she couldn
’
t get any more.

Her reward was a half bottle of semi-liquid she believed Levi could swallow. She gently rested a palm on his forehead, distressed at how hot his skin felt.

“
Levi, food.
”

His eyes didn
’
t open, although his bloodied, cracked lips tried to form words.
“
Water.
”

She gave him plain water.
“
Plants in basket. Water here.
”
She put the milky fluid to his mouth and he took a sip.

His head dropped back and he smacked his tongue.
“
Good. Thank you.
”

“
More. Food
eat
.
”
She urged him to take another sip. This time he managed a large gulp before stopping to breathe.

The sun beat down on his exposed torso and would soon be overhead. If they were going to stay in one spot, he needed shelter. She scanned the landscape. Other than the river, the land was flat, without any hope of cover. Nearby, a triad of yuvee saplings cast a pocket of shadow, and although she hated the thought of boxing herself in with plants, she had an idea.

Taking the blanket, she tossed it over the short trees. With a broken stick, she maneuvered the fabric into a sort of tent between the branches. It wouldn
’
t stand up to a wind, but it would keep the sun off.

She helped Levi fumble upright. His eyes were still swollen shut, but once he gained his feet, he seemed sturdy. Leaning on her, he accompanied her to the tent and sat where she lowered him.

“
Sleep here. No sun,
”
she said.

“
Shade. Good.
”
He drank again, deeply, and Tula sighed with relief. But she
’
d used most of the water to wash him. The bottles needed filling.

“
Levi sleep.
”
She put her robe in his hands and urged him to lie down.
“
I get water.
”

He fumbled for her hand and clutched it.
“
Watch for cannibals. They will be near water.
”