Page 22 of Restoring the Ngozii

“Jeff, can you grab a notepad and make some notes of anything we point out? It could be very helpful,” Vahru says as he adjusts his mask and stands opposite Vyleera around the table. His tail twitches as if he’s agitated, uneasy, so I don’t argue with him. Not that I would, this is going to gross me out beyond measure.

Rushing across the room, I quickly find a notepad and pen and sit near them with my side to them so I don’t have to look. I don’t know that I could stomach it, honestly. My brain tells me I’m pathetic, jests from the kids in school and even in college pepper my memories as I struggled to even dissect animals. Being a biology major, I’m more interested in plant life and functionality of an environment, not the inner workings of individuals.

There’s a long pause as we each take a deep breath, and I chance a glance to see if they’re starting or not. Vyleera places a hand to the man’s forehead, hers leaning close in respect as she whispers, “Your death will not be in vain. We appreciate this sacrifice so we can save your family and friends. Thank you.”

She takes another breath before lifting up and nodding to Vahru. I watch as they undress him carefully, looking at every inch of his body, checking his skin, and noting that he doesn’t appear to have any rashes or other notable issues from the outside. I make note of that and wait for more as Vahru goes back over the notes he made when seeing the sick. The main symptoms were all respiratory and blood related, something that’s affecting them internally. With nothing on the outside of the body making the death obvious, they begin the internal portion of the exam.

Vyleera grabs a scalpel and pauses, taking a few breaths. That’s my cue to look away, suddenly finding my notebook extremely interesting as I wait for something notable to be spoken. There’s a long moment of quiet before I hear the clinking of metal. I cringe as I hear the awful squelching noises of bodily fluids and adjusting of the ribs. My stomach rolls, forcing me to take long, deep breaths as I keep my gaze trained ahead on the bland floor.

“Oh, wow. No wonder he bled out.” Vyleera’s voice is soft and mystified. Without thinking it through, I whirl around, eager to understand what it is that she does. I nearly regret that when I see the man’s chest wide open, but I shove that down, swallowing the lump in my throat.

I remain rooted to my chair, watching from a distance as I wait for them to elaborate. “Jeff, victim has what appears to be scorched holes in the esophagus, trachea, and lungs, and it appears to have been spreading to other nearby organs like the heart and stomach. Whatever he inhaled was potent enough to eat its way through his tissues.” Vahru’s voice is calm, collected, as he speaks as clinically as possible.

I clear my throat of the lump before choking down on my bile, making the necessary notes and hating writing every word. That sounds horrific and extremely painful. What could have possibly done such a thing to these people?

“Wait, there’s something in this wound, it’s not dissolved. Jeff, a dish, please!” Vahru holds out his hand, and I rush across the room to grab him a petri dish. He gently reaches in and scoops something out, dropping it in the dish as he turns to face me. “Check it under the microscope and see what you think. I believe this to be the cause.”

My brows drop as I wonder if he’s right. Even if he is, what makes him think that I’m qualified to understand what sort of virus I’m looking at. I’m a biologist not an immunologist! Nevertheless, I walk over to the microscope and set the dish beneath it, playing with the dials until I can clearly see what it is that I’m looking at.

“Oh, my god. This is a massive pollen molecule. I was right! It’s the flower!” I jump up, Vahru turning and staring at me carefully.

“You mean the Naked Lady?”

Vyleera scoffs behind him, and he turns slightly as he grumbles, “I know, Kosiiba laughed, too.”

“Essentially, yes. It’s another breed of plant, something I’m unfamiliar with, but it’s dangerous to inhale, it’s killing them. I need samples. Vahru, the portal, please!”

I quickly grab a small bag and stuff it with sample bags and slip on some gloves as he starts the portal. Thanking him, I rush through and immediately head for the walls of the caves, examining the vines, flowers, and other fauna.

People crowd and shuffle around, stepping in my way. “Excuse me, please, excuse me. Thank you.”

“Jeff!” Kari’s voice shouts as she comes running down a hall towards me, a worried expression on her face. I stand up and grab her shoulders as she slows in front me, my anger irrational and swift.

“In constant contact, huh? You have GOT to get better about updating me, damn it! I’ve been worried sick, and were it not for Vahru making me useful, I’d be ready to chew your head off!”

Her lips pull back in a hiss as she cringes, clearly feeling guilty for making me worry over her. “I’m sorry, I’ve been trying to be respectful of Tavionna and the others here. Tech is not something they see. You’re right, though, I’m sorry.”

Sighing, I pull her into me and hug her tight. Her arms squeeze my middle as she whispers into my ear, “I’ve been bonding with Tavionna, and I think I’m getting through. If you guys come through, we’re going to get through this safe and happy. I have absolute faith in you.”

I squeeze her just a bit tighter before pulling back as Tavionna steps up behind Kari, Xenshay beside her. I nearly growl at the man, but I notice he’s holding the priestess’s hand, and they have matching mating marks. It wouldn’t be right for me to be angry at him now. I know how quickly a soul-bond can change things for someone, even someone as evil as him. And if he’s with the priestess, and she ends up on our side, so will he be. My eyes raise to his, an intentionally blank look on his face as we stare at each other.

“Xenshay, you look well. Priestess.” I turn my gaze to her purple one, the color dark and swirling against her bright pink skin, it’s almost difficult to look at. I bow politely to her, showing her respect before I make my demands, and meet her gaze once more. She’s beautiful in an ethereal way with the bright coloring of her swirling patterns, and her gaze is soft despite the penetrating stare she’s giving me, waiting for answers. I can only imagine the strain it is on her mentally to wait for us to figure this out. It’s a nightmare for us, scrambling to work through this as fast as possible, but waiting is no one’s strong suit. “I need to search your caves for a specific type of flower. Pollen, a very deadly pollen, is making them sick. It’s burning holes through their bodies like acid. I need to find it so we can work on an antidote.”

Her brows draw together as an Ngozii man steps to her other side, his matching mating mark with Xenshay’s other one giving me a clear idea of their relationship dynamics. He studies me closely as the priestess seems to struggle with her words, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

“How can that be? We’ve been living in these caves for centuries, and this is a new phenomenon. We have no new fauna here.”

I shrug, uncertain of how to answer that. “I don’t know, I can’t really explain the dynamics when I don’t understand it myself. All I know is the autopsy made it very clear what’s happening to you on the inside. I can stop it. There’s a way to fix this and heal them, but I need samples to test and figure out what’s truly going on. Is there a specific place that most of the sick are catching this or is it throughout the caves?”

“Follow me.” The priestess whirls around, her sheer garments swishing and flowing around her before settling as she walks, her long black hair swishing against her thighs. Her mates flank her from behind as we all follow, Kari sticking close to me. It’s then I notice Kosiiba following her, and I realize I’d forgotten he would be with her, protecting her.

We’re led through a maze of halls before entering a very beautifully decorated cave with a babbling brook and every possible type of flower known to man. Pulling at my gloves to make sure they’re secure, I head towards the walls with a thank you. I pull a magnifying glass from the bag over my shoulder, pull my shirt over my face to protect my respiratory tract, and begin to study each flower carefully.

“This is it.” I pause as I come across a bright pink flower with the silvery pollen I’m looking for. Reaching into the bag, I grab swabs and dishes to take a few samples. Kari rushes over, copying me by pulling her shirt up as well as she can, and helps me by holding the dishes for me and closing them carefully when done.

“That’s the flower making everyone sick?” The priestess’s voice floats across the room, almost echoing off the walls, and I turn to her slowly.

“Yes, Priestess. This pollen is very toxic and is able to burn holes right through the tissue. It’s a miracle more of your people haven’t died before now.”

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