Page 86 of Ashes of Gold
No, not a dream. A memory.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE MORNING COMES ANDmy neck is sore from sleeping crooked sideways. Watch had ended and Julius and I hunkered down inside to sleep. I’m still haunted by the pieces of memory coming back to me. Jhamal never mentioned us trying to get away.
I peer around at everyone waking, bandaging, sipping water from their canteens, breaking bread. We needed this moment of safety to restore our energy, catch our breath, before making the last leg of the trip.
The Seer’s words flit through my mind. I should be able to get started on getting the potion to raise the ancestors today if we get in early enough, and if introducing the Macazi to the Ghizoni goes smoothly.
The morning has been quiet, everyone a bit forlorn, worried if today will be a repeat of last night. Most are yawning still, but several are passing out food or handling cleanup. The air is damp and thick with tension so palpable you could cut it with a knife. Bri’s tucked in a corner, her hair strewn about, swirling a pale green liquid in a potion jar.
“You get everything you need?” I ask her.
“Think so.” She sprinkles in flakes of something, and the liquid in the bottom puffs up like foam. “And one more.” She drops something in, alternating between blowing on it and stirring until it thickens into a paste. She holds it up. “Perfect.”
“Thanks for doing all this.”
Bri spent most of the night awake from what I heard. Everyone’s feet were extra raw and sore, but her paste healed the blisters almost instantly. Until she ran out. So she spent the wee hours of the morning preparing the ingredients for more. Bri really came through.
“Of course. Joshi still has a nasty welt on his arm,” she says, handing me a tiny vial and a pill. “Keep that one with you. It’s not much but it’s something in a pinch.”
“Thanks.” I tuck it away. Her answer about the potion didn’t satisfy, but she’s busting her ass here, clearly. It feels wrong to doubt her. But the Seer’s words finger the hairs on my neck. As she rushes off, I catch a glimpse of Zora strapping a weapon to her leg. Between most everyone being able to walk fairly normally and Zora’s limp not as noticeable, the guilt wedged in my chest eases some.
“Just going out for prayers,” Zora says. “You want to join?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Outside, the world aboveground is silent. Zora and I fold ourselves on the ground. She places her palms up, head back, and chants the words the same as last time, asking the Ancestors for their favor over our travels.
My hands are scratchy on the pavement, but I find a hum of quiet and make my own plea to the Ancestors, for confidence, for strength, for wisdom, for everything I could use more of. My Ghizonian isn’t as sharp as hers, so I lay out my prayers in English,hoping they still hear them. We rise together and her countenance is warm, perked up. She always beams after prayers. I hope some of that optimism rubs off on me.
Zora hops up, dusting off her legs. “Sorry, if you’ll excuse me.” She walks in the opposite direction, fidgeting with her armor.
“I’ll see you in there,” I say, heading inside.
Back underground, Stain and Joshi have all the Macazi in neat rows and are checking off names. I scan for Taavi but don’t see her. I haven’t seen her all morning, come to think of it.
The little girl with the shaved head is at the front stuffing bits of bread into her pocket. I really need to learn her name. The spots on her ankle that should be purple in a few days are full of pallor. She looks good. Strong.Thank you, Bri.
“You doing alright?” I ask.
She glances both ways. “M-me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“I-I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, please. You have so much to… I’m fine.”
Thick skin, this one.
Armor.
I snatch a few pieces of hard meat from a tray and pass them to her. “Back home, I used to roll up pieces of my grandmama’s corn bread in a napkin and munch on it all through first period at school.”
She smiles.
“Wish I had some of that to share. It’s so good.”
“Thank you for helping me last night,” she says, finally meeting my eyes. “I don’t mean to take you away from the important things you are doing.”
