Page 152 of Artemysia
I gape at them, trying to focus. My tongue feels too thick to speak.
“They gave you something to heal faster, but it made you sleep,” she says brightly.
“Riev?” I mutter, rubbing my face with a palm.
I take it as a bad sign when Throg and Ivy exchange wretched looks that fail miserably to hide their worry.
“Tell me,” I snap, cold dread pulsing through my veins.
Having decided that I am whole and sound, Ivy checks my pulse one last time and finally sits still beside me.
“He’s gotten worse,” Ivy says quietly, picking at a corner of the silken bedspread. “And there’s no cure.”
Throg cuts in. “The Syf are working on an antidote, now that you’ve found the source. They have samples from the river. Rounded up other rabid Syf to test a cure. At least no more have changed since they know to stay away from the East River.”
“The whole world is Syf,” I blurt. There’s no way to dull the alarming fact for them. The thought still sends a gut punch of terror through me.
“Riev’s uncle explained it to us yesterday. He sent word out to other Syf lands asking for help to clean the river, to help find a cure for Riev and others who are infected, and to warn them not to drink the water or touch too much of it.”
“I need to see him.” I brush the hair from my eyes and throw off the blankets.
“You can’t. He’s not himself, Captain.” Ivy warns.
I swing my legs off the bed, glancing down at my silk pajama tee and shorts. They are mint green with gold stitching. Not bothering to change, I push past Throg as he stands to block me, and stumble to the doorway.
“He doesn’t recognize us anymore, Elphie. He won’t know who you are.”
“Let me go. He’ll know me. He’ll know my voice.” I’m certain of it.
From the other side of the room, the Lindwyrm uncoils to follow me as I pull on my riding boots near the door.
Ivy reaches out as it slithers past, stroking its sleek inky scales, as smooth and hard as onyx. “It leaves to hunt but always comes back. I think it’s decided to stay. It allows me to pet it, but it almost bit the head off one of the guards last night.”
The Lindwyrm darts its serpent’s head past me, uncanny in its speed. Its forked tongue unfurls, lashing into the air. It senses something or someone.
A desperate knock sounds at the door, followed by, “It’s Eira. Is Delphine awake yet?”
I yank open the door. There’s no time for a greeting. Eira eyes thegigantic winged snake behind me.
“Hello, Delphine. I’m glad you’re up. It’s Riev. Bad news—he escaped. He’s headed south, based on the carnage he’s left. We’re tracking him, but his only chance of living is if he listens to you. Otherwise, we have to kill him before he does more damage. He’s gone on a murder spree.”
The four of us ride out through the southern gate, which should help us catch up to Riev. It’s my first time on a horse, but except for its shorter gait, the ride is similar to an elk. My head pounds, overtaken only by the knots in my stomach, which twist painfully when Eira explains that Riev escaped this morning, and that other teams have been trying to pursue him without success.
“I thought healthy Syf were stronger than rabid Syf. How did he escape?” I ask.
“Normally, they are. The healers surmise that because Riev is only half-Syf, his strength and speed have not diminished. Maybe even improved. He’s much more aggressive than a rabid Syf,” Eira says grimly. “No offense, but we think his human side somehow made him even worse.”
At the edge of the forest, we follow a trail of blood, leading to a pile of bones.
He’s so bloodthirsty that he gnawed his way through an entire wild boar he’d caught.
Next, we find a troop of Artemysian Syf—those who were tracking Riev. At first, based on their bloodied bodies, we think they are all dead. But none are decapitated, and we leave behind two Syf who came with us to help them.
Outside the forest, into familiar South Kingdom farmland, we come upon a caravan of human travelers. Their wagons are overturned, their elk nowhere to be seen.
“Is anyone injured? Do you need help? Which way did he go?” I call out.
“South,” an older man replies. Four families with small children are pale and shaken; they work on collecting their belongings strewnacross the road.
