Page 120 of Tharn's Hunt
I shake my head slightly, cutting off the thought. It's not that simple. What happened with Tharn and me, with Justine and Rok—it wasn't just physical. The other women can't just mate with random Drakav and expect it to solve everything.
But we do need to do something. Looking around at the worried faces of the women, at Mikaela's flushed, pained expression, I know we can't just let this continue.
I take a deep breath, centering myself, drawing on the strange new confidence that has settled in my bones since leaving the group weeks ago on that reckless mission to find my sister.
"Okay," I say, my voice steady despite the flutter of anxiety in my chest. "Here's what we're going to do. Alex, you and I will stay with Mikaela. Keep applying the cool fur and give her more firebloom if her fever spikes again."
Alex nods.
"Erika, Pam—I need you to organize water shifts. Everyone needs to stay hydrated, especially those of you who are feeling symptoms."
They straighten, purpose replacing some of the fear in their expressions.
"Justine," I continue, "can you coordinate with Rok and the other hunters? We need more firebloom and any other medicinal herbs they might know about."
"On it," Justine says, already moving toward Rok, who waits at the edge of the gathering.
I turn to address the rest of the women. "I know this is scary. But we've survived a crash landing, a desert crossing, and living with aliens who communicate telepathically. We can handle this too."
A ripple of nervous laughter passes through the group, the tension easing slightly.
"We'll take shifts caring for Mikaela and anyone else who gets worse," I add. "No one handles this alone, okay?"
Nods all around, some more confident than others.
As the women disperse to their assigned tasks, I feel a presence at my back. Warm, solid, reassuring. Tharn.
"You lead well," he projects, a note of pride coloring his mental tone.
I lean back slightly, taking comfort in his nearness without needing to look at him. "I'm making it up as I go."
His hand brushes my lower back, a touch so light I barely feel it through my scale-tunic, but the warmth spreads through me, nonetheless.
"The best hunters adapt," he projects simply. "You adapt."
Coming from Tharn, it's high praise indeed.
The day stretches endlessly,a blur of damp furs and whispered reassurances. Mikaela's fever rises and falls like a cruel tide, never quite breaking but never spiking dangerously high again either. The firebloom helps, but it's clearly not enough on its own.
Other women begin to show symptoms too. By midday, three more have taken to their sleeping platforms, their bodies wracked with chills despite the cavern's warmth. Alex and Mira move between them with tireless efficiency, and I’m so happy they’re here. Their medical training has proven invaluable.
The Drakav respond in their own way. They bring fresh water without being asked, delivering it in silence before melting back to the periphery. They hunt with renewed vigor, returning with not just meat but various plants and roots that Rok assures me and Justine have medicinal properties.
And they watch. Always watching, their amber eyes tracking our every move, their postures tense and alert as if expecting an attack from an unseen enemy.
I'm checking Mikaela's fever for what feels like the hundredth time when I sense Kol approaching. His presence inthe mindspace is distinct. So different from the others. It’s a steady pressure, like the weight of stone.
"Jah-kee," he projects, using my name with careful precision. "A word."
I glance up, meeting his gaze directly. Unlike most of the Drakav, who defer to Tharn when they need to communicate with me, Kol addresses me directly through the mindspace. It's both unsettling and oddly flattering.
"Go ahead," I project back, keeping my mental voice calm and open.
Kol's amber eyes shift to Mikaela's prone form, then back to me. "The sickness spreads," he projects. "It will claim more of your females."
There's no judgment in his mental voice, just a statement of fact, but it stings nonetheless.
"We're doing everything we can," I respond, a defensive edge creeping into my thoughts despite my best efforts.
