Page 24 of Restoring the Ngozii

“Tonya and Atsatsa are working on grabbing ingredients from a list I gave them for the tea. We’re going to collect now and then we’ll come to you for the fruit so we can make a large amount of tea. Once it’s done, we can administer it and work on figuring out a preventative measure for this moving forward,” I cut in, ready to get moving and start on this antidote. Those that are sick may not have much more time, we’ve lost one already. We need to get this done.

“Okay, we’ll gather all we can and have it waiting in the main cave.” Tavionna nods to someone beside her off screen before she turns back. “And, Vahru, Jeff, thank you for all your hard work. It may not mean much now, but I truly do appreciate the efforts you’re making to save my people.” She gives a small smile and nod before stepping away, leaving only Kari in the view. She smiles brightly, clearly proud of the progress she believes is being made between us, but, on my end at least, there is no progress.

“I’ll message you when we’re about to collect.” I give Kari a small smile, wishing I could kiss her.

“I’ll be waiting.” She blows me a kiss, to which I chuckle at and return before closing the comm and sighing, resting my head back against the seat.

A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to look at Jeff. “We’re almost done with this, just a little bit longer, and we bring her home.” I return his nod and take a deep breath, sitting up and starting the vehicle. Whipping out of the parking lot with a squeal of the tires, I rush for the village in the hopes that we’ll find the miracle ingredient we need to save these poor souls.

Slamming on the brakes, I jump from the vehicle, leaving it running, as Jeff and I run for the center of the village. As we round the final bend, we find Tonya and Atsatsa standing in the middle near a few crates of what looks like wet grass. Before I can ask, Willa and Melodia, followed by several kids, all holding loaded bags of ingredients, sidle up to us and drop their loads.

“Thank you all so much for pitching in to help us gather these ingredients. We’re saving our village and theirs by fixing this problem.” I eye each and every one of them, eternally grateful for all the help. Leaning down, I grab a handful of the odd grass and sniff it before looking at Tonya. “What is this?”

Her song is sweet, gentle, and I turn to Jeff, not having a translator to understand her. I can only guess at her words. Jeff’s brows jump up before he turns to me, a grin on his face. “She says this seaweed is special. It’s regenerative, just what you need.”

I turn back to Tonya, my brows scrunching as I pull my hair from the tie it was in and readjust it, annoyed by the wisps around my face. “How do you know it’s regenerative? Have you tested it?”

Her odd, tiny mouth seems to lift in a smile as she bounces before singing. Jeff speaks over her, explaining as she does. “Shortly after we arrived here to live, I noticed a sad fish missing a chunk from its tailfin. I watched it often, concerned it wouldn’t survive, but as I watched, I noticed it liked to nibble on this seaweed grass. I thought it odd because that particular fish seemed to be a predator, but I continued to observe. Within a few days, the fish’s tail was whole, and it was no longer eating the grass. If it can help a fish regrow a tail, why not help other beings heal from wounds?”

“Hmm. Good point.” I pause and look around at all the ingredients we have and grin. “Thank you guys, seriously, this is a massive help. Let’s get it to the truck.” I grab the 2 crates I can and heft them up, Atsatsa grabbing the others while Willa, Jeff, and the kids tote the bags with us. We settle everything into the back of the vehicle before turning to say our goodbyes.

Tonya and Melodia wait at the back of the crowd, staying out of the way, and I head for them, dropping to a knee to be closer to them. “Ladies, you’ve been life savers today. Thank you.” I kiss each of their tops, making them giggle as I rise and wave. I clap Atsatsa’s shoulder in thanks before heading for Jeff and Willa, who are deep into a kiss. I lean in and peck Willa’s cheek, making her giggle as Jeff laughs. Nudging his shoulder to get moving, I round the back of the vehicle and climb in, ready to get this tea underway.

Stepping from the portal and into the lab with all the fruit we were given, we pile it onto a table as Vyleera turns on some burners under a large pot. She chops up the ingredients for the tea, tossing them into the pot and stirring as I begin cutting the fruit in halves.

“I think the fruit juice should be added in after the tea is brewed and cooled. I don’t want to ruin its properties,” Jeff says as he juices the fruit into a large bowl.

Vyleera eyes the grass and hmms. “I wonder if this seaweed grass is the same.” She takes a few pieces and drops them into a beaker with water, holding it over a flame. As it begins to boil, the water darkens to a near black. Grabbing fresh grass, she cuts it and examines it under a microscope. “There are tiny microbes living in this grass. They can’t withstand the extreme temperatures of boiling.” When she looks up at me, she’s amazed. “I can’t believe we never discovered this about our own planet, this is amazing!”

“Vy, if the microbes can’t withstand high temperatures, will they withstand stomach acid?” I raise a brow. Surely, they can if they’re eaten by fish and other life, but we need to be thorough to make sure we make this properly. If we don’t cross every t and dot every i, someone won’t make it, and we can’t have that.

Taking the fresh grass, she puts some in a new beaker and pours acid over it, examining it closely. Nothing changes, so she puts some under the microscope. “It’s at home in the acid, it’s coming out of the plant. We need to chop this up to release the organisms.”

“That won’t kill them, will it?” Jeff asks as he pauses, watching her closely as she finds a small blender and tests a small amount of the grass. Once it’s a disgusting looking puree, she puts some under the microscope and chuckles.

“No, it doesn’t hurt them at all, they’re moving all over the place looking for a home. I’ll work on pureeing this so we can add it to the tea once it’s ready.” She turns from us and gets to work as I bounce between cutting fruit and stirring the tea.

Once the tea is ready, I remove it from the heat, set a fan in front of the table, and begin ladling the tea into jars. As the table fills and I empty the last of the tea into a final jar, we test the temperature of the teas, starting with the first jars I filled. As the temperatures drop, we begin adding the fruit juice, grass puree, and water mix, filling them completely. Screwing on lids, we shake them to mix it all together and stack the jars neatly on a rolling cart for easy transport.

I stand back and watch Vy and Jeff finish up the last few bottles as I rub at my chest, close my eyes, and breathe deep.Just a little bit longer. You’ll be home soon, Kari.As my eyes open after my thought, my chest fills with hope, and I’m not sure if it’s mine or Kari’s, but I needed it. We’re one step closer to finishing this up, solving one more problem, saving one more person, and going home.

What happens after this, I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t want to even think any further than getting Kari home, into bed, and in my arms where she belongs. After that, we’ll figure it out together.

Chapter 16

Tavionna

AnxietygripsmeasI pace the balcony, waiting for Vahru to return with some sort of remedy. My eyes flick around, my fingers twisted tightly together behind me as I struggle to keep from showing how badly this is killing me. What is taking so long!? They don’t have much time left. After Nafeesa got sick, people began to drop by the week, sometimes by the day. The next person could come out of that stasis I’ve put them in any moment now, and I can’t have that.

My feet stall for a moment as I reach the balcony, looking down on the empty room. Most people have gone to be with their sick loved ones or to their own caves, doing chores or staying out of the way until this is over. There’s a tension in the air, thick and bitter, and if I can feel it, they can, too. I scan the room before sighing and beginning to pace once more back the other direction. If Vahru double-crosses me, I swear. I suppose I couldn’t blame him, seeing as I am the evil sister who tried to kill our father, so he has a reason for vengeance, but would he be so callous as to take it out on innocent people?

My head turns, and my eyes find Kari, sitting quietly with her child guard, her eyes down on her hands as they twist together in her lap. Her pale skin looks a tad paler than before, perhaps she’s feeling the anxiety as well. Her guard, the young Nyan boy, sits with his back straight, his eyes roaming the room constantly for threats before pausing on Kari to make sure she’s all right. I suppose I should learn his name if things are going to get better between us, but I’m still unsure if that’s what will happen. Will things get better, or will this be what tears us apart completely, making us mortal enemies with no repair solution?

Kari’s head lifts, her eyes on me, her guard following her lead. With both sets of their green eyes on me, it’s overwhelming. They almost feel like a formidable force, one that I would never win against, and it only ratchets the anxiety coiled inside tighter. It takes everything I have not to sneer at them, challenge them. The easy smile on her lips tells me she isn’t about to challenge me, she wants peace, but my mother taught me to be on my guard, always.

“You and your mates, may I ask how that works? I see that Xenshay has two marks. I’ve never seen such a thing before.” Her voice is soft, sweet, and the awkward look on her face suggests she doesn’t want to offend by asking such a question. It’s not any of her business, though, so she shouldn’t ask.

I pause in my pacing again as my eyes find my mates, each of them staring back at me with love, solid as a rock, those two. Was my mother wrong to teach me that I should always be on guard? Is it not acceptable to lower it at times to make proper connections? She never had true connections, did she? Perhaps she was wrong.

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