Salene's Secrets (20 page)

“I’ll go out and gather more firewood before this storm worsens,” she said.  “There’s enough here for a while, but it’s all dry so it’ll burn too fast for us to bank a fire for the night.”

“There is more wood in the cave we passed before reaching this one,”
Tonka said
.  “Oberto called it
green wood
though the wood isn’t green.  He intended to prepare this series of caves as a safe place to hide in case the Nomen found the clearing, but all we’d had time to do was supply it with wood.”

“I’m grateful to Oberto and his planning,” Salene said, laying the kindling in the center of the fireplace.  She dragged her pack closer to where she sat and opened a couple of the pockets on the outside in search of a lighter.  She found three of them in protective pouches and removed one, then turned back to the fireplace.  She pressed a button on the side of the lighter and a yellow flame shot out of the end, startling Tonka and the children, who gasped in surprise.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” she said, setting fire to the dried leaves she’d tucked under the sticks. 

“It is I who am sorry,”
Tonka said sheepishly. 
“I’m no stranger to fire, nor are the children, though we’ve never seen a device like that before.  I don’t know why we reacted that way.”

“You reacted that way because you’re exhausted, in pain, and probably suffering some level of shock caused by the ordeal you suffered today,” Salene said gently.  “Stress always takes its toll in one way or another.”  She added the dry log to the fire as soon as the kindling caught well, then waited to be sure the log would catch, too.  Once she was sure the fire was burning well, she rose to her feet and picked up another one of the blankets she’d taken from the hut. 

Jinjie had already removed the thermal sheets from Tonka, so she spread one of them out on the stony floor near the fire opposite where she’d been sitting, then put the blanket over the top of it.  “This is for you, Tonka,” she said, before turning back to make up another bed for herself and Jinjie.  “It won’t be soft, but the thermal sheet will keep the cold from seeping up through the floor.”  When she was finished with that, she picked up the flashlight.  “I’ll make up a bed for the children once this cave is a bit warmer.  Right now I need to get some green wood for the fire.  I’ll be right back.”

“I can help,”
Tonka said. 

“Me do be watch children.”

“Thanks, Jinjie,” she said, then followed the Brun out of their cave, through the tunnel and into the neighboring cave where several tall stacks of green wood were piled against one wall.  The logs were indeed green, and therefore quite heavy.  She was only able to carry two of them at a time, and was frankly amazed to see Tonka pick one up in his mouth.  They carried the wood back to the fire and Salene turned to go back for more, but Tonka stopped her. 
“I can do this, Salene.  You should rest.  How many more would you like?”

“Thanks Tonka,” she said.  “I think two more should do it for now.  While you do that, I’ll get some water.”

“Water?”

“Well, snow to melt into water.” 

“Do you have anything to carry it in?”

“Yes, I do,” she said, reaching for her pack again.  This time she removed several thin white packets, selected two labeled Large, and one labeled Medium, then returned the rest to the pack.  Holding one firmly at either end, she gave it a sharp twist, causing it to instantly expand into a gallon sized container of thin, nearly transparent material with a handle on top.  She did the same with the other two, then got up and carried them out of the cave.  Tonka led the way back to the opening, but stayed under cover while Salene stepped out into the snow since he was no longer wearing the thermal protection to hide his body heat.  She filled the containers with snow and carried them back.  As soon as she entered the cave Tonka grasped the handle of one of the containers in his mouth before leading the way back to their cave.  They were both surprised to find a neat stack of green wood near the fire.  “Jinjie?”

“Me do be helping some,” he said with a shrug.

“Thank you very much, Jinjie,” she said gratefully.  She selected one of the split green logs and set it in the fire with the flat side up, then placed the containers of snow on top of it, ignoring the fact that they were directly in the flames.  Then she moved her pack to her blanket and sat down with a sigh.  “How are you two doing?” she asked the children.

“We’re warmer now,” Mali said.  She bit her lip nervously, glanced at Tab, then looked back up at Salene hesitantly.  “Can we please have some water when it’s melted?”

“Of course,” Salene replied.  “It’ll just take a few minutes.  I bet you’re both hungry, too.”  Mali nodded, then looked back to the fire.  She didn’t appear to expect anything to be done about her hunger, which answered a question in Salene’s mind.  “I’m sorry Mali, I should have thought of that sooner.”

Mali looked up at her in surprise, then offered her a shy smile.  “It’s better we got safe, first.”  Salene returned her smile without even thinking about it while she started digging through her pack.  She pulled out a package of protein bars and gave one to each of the children.  They were small, contained all the vitamins and nutrients necessary for survival, and tasted a little like vanilla flavored cardboard.  They’d take the edge off of the children’s hunger, and at the same time provide some nutrients that Salene suspected they were in dire need of.  “I’m not sure if you’ll like these, but they should help you feel a bit better until dinner is ready.

“Thank you,” Mali said before taking a nibble off the corner of her bar.  Her eyes widened.  “What is this flavor?”

“It’s intended to resemble vanilla,” Salene said.  “Do you like it?”

Mali nodded emphatically.  “Yes, I do.  I’ve never tasted anything like this before.”  Salene must have made a face at that because Mali frowned.  “You don’t like them?”

“No, I don’t,” Salene replied.  “I’m a committed chocolate fan, I’m afraid.  Vanilla doesn’t do a thing for me.”

“What is
chok-let
?” Mali asked, stumbling over the new word.

“You’ve never had chocolate?”  The little girl shook her head.  “Now that’s a shame,” Salene said as she began digging through her pack again.  “No girl should ever have to go without chocolate.  I know I never do if I can help it.”  She pulled a small device from her pack and set it aside.  “Water purifier,” she said in answer to the questioning looks. 

“I am curious to see what else you will pull from that pack,”
Tonka said from his blanket on the other side of the fire.

“There’s a lot in it, that’s for sure,” she said, smiling as she reached for the stack of dried food she’d taken from the hut.  “Containers, thermal sheets, a thermal sleeping bag and tent, cord that can be used as rope, lighters, a selection of compact tools and other survival gear.  Basically it’s a lot of stuff that I hoped I’d never have cause to use, but I’m really glad that I have.”  

Salene purified the melted snow water in the containers, then poured some of it into wooden cups for herself, Jinjie, and the children.  She chose the largest of the wooden bowls and filled it with water which she put on the floor in front of Tonka.  “That’ll be your dish from now on, Tonka.”

“Thank you, Salene,”
he said before lapping up the water as thirstily as the rest of them.  Salene added dried meat and vegetables to the remaining water in the first container.  She dug through her pack again until she found a small plastic packet filled with tiny cubes of super concentrated beef bouillon.  She took one out and dropped it into the container with the meat and vegetables, and set it on the fire to cook.  Then she took the other two containers back outside and refilled them with snow, then put them on the fire to melt. 

With Jinjie’s help, she removed the thermal sheets from both children and made up a bed for them by placing one thermal sheet on the stone floor, a folded blanket on top of that, and then another blanket for the children to cover themselves with.  Once the children were settled, she held one of the thermal sheets up over the entrance of their cave.  Jinjie worked his magic to hold it in place and before long, the small cave began to grow warm. 

Half an hour later they were all sitting comfortably in front of the fire, sipping hot drinks while they waited for the stew to finish cooking.  She’d found a packet of tiny tablets that, when dropped into water, dissolved into apple juice.  She used them to make hot drinks for the children, but she and Jinjie had to settle for tea when Salene found to her grave disappointment that there was no coffee in her pack.

“I’m amazed that those thin containers do not burn even sitting in the flames as they are.”

“I know, it’s very handy stuff,” Salene agreed.  “The only problem is that it doesn’t hold up for small objects, like cups, which is why I took the wooden ones from the hut.  There is one plastic cup in the pack, but I never like the taste of anything hot served in one of those and besides, one cup is not enough for all of us.”

“
No, it isn’t
,” Tonka agreed while yawning widely.

“Tonka, I do have one issue we need to discuss.”

“Yes?”

“Well, you’re a pretty big guy,” she said.  “I made as much stew as the largest container I have would hold, but I don’t think it’d fill you up even if the rest of us didn’t eat any at all.”

“You need not concern yourself about feeding me, Salene, though I thank you for the thought.  I hunt for myself when I’m hungry.  I hunted early this morning and will not need to hunt again for another two or three days.”

Salene smiled.  “That’s a relief, but I bet you’d like a bit of this stew anyway, right?”

“Well, it does smell good,”
Tonka admitted
.  “But I would not leave you, Jinjie and especially the children without food, especially when I don’t need it.”

“There’s enough there for all of us to have a generous serving tonight, and another tomorrow, providing you limit yourself to one bowl.”

“That is very kind, Salene, thank you.”

“It’s only fair,” Salene said.  “As long as we have food, we’ll all share it equally.  Besides, between the dried food I took from the hut, and the supplements in the survival pack, we have enough food to last a couple of weeks, maybe longer if we’re careful.  That’s with you and I eating the same amount.  Jinjie eats much less, obviously, as will the children.  The only thing we might run short on is meat, but if you’ll bring me a bit of your kill when you hunt, that won’t be a problem either.”

“I would be glad to do so,”
Tonka said. 
“But what will you do when the food runs out?  It is my understanding that humans cannot exist on meat alone, but the season for growing things is past.”

“I’m sure it is, given the snow.  Where did these vegetables come from, anyway?”

“
Silo 56.”

“What is Silo 56?” 

“That is where Oberto, myself, and the others were before we escaped.”

“Escaped,” Salene repeated the word slowly as a chill ran down her spine.  She exchanged worried glances with Jinjie.  Then she looked at the children whose eyes had grown wide.  She leaned forward to stir the stew.  “Let’s discuss that later, Tonka,” she said.  “For now, I believe our dinner is ready.”

“That’s an excellent idea,”
he agreed, watching as she used one of the large wooden spoons she’d taken from the hut to ladle the stew into four wooden bowls, plus a much smaller one that Jinjie had made for himself from a length of firewood.  He’d also made himself a cup, a spoon, and a flat area on top of a log so that he could sit comfortably near the fire while being high enough to see everyone. 

Salene gave Jinjie his bowl, put spoons in three of the others and gave one to Mali, and one to Tab.  Then she got up and walked around the fire to set Tonka’s bowl on the floor in front of him.  “Careful with that, it’s hot,” she warned everyone as she sat back down.

“It certainly is,”
Tonka said, pulling his nose back quickly. 
“I’ll let it cool first, but it smells exceptionally good.”

“All I did was add ingredients to water,” Salene said.  “I’ve no doubt that hunger adds its own spice.”

“That’s true, but it still smells wonderful.”

“This is very good, Salene,” Mali said in her soft voice. 

“I’m glad you like it, honey,” Salene said.  “If you’re still hungry when you finish that, just say so.  There’s plenty more.”

Mali looked up at her in surprise before turning her attention back to her meal.
 
Salene had so many questions for Tonka concerning the children, the clearing, and Silo 56 that it took effort to hold them back.  When they were all finished eating, and she’d made sure that the children really didn’t want more, she washed the bowls out in the last of the hot water and set them aside to dry.  Then she put more water on to heat for hot drinks. 

“Are
Mali
and
Tab
your full names?” she asked Mali after handing her a fresh cup of hot apple juice.

“No,” Mali replied.  “My name is really
Malianna
, and his is
Taban
, but we like Mali and Tab better.”