“What did I miss?” Seth asks, making sure I have not left him out of anything.
“A history lesson about Cander, if you really want to know,” I smile.
“Do tell then.” He answers.
We all sit down to sort through the camp supplies while I tell Seth about the history of Cander up to where I declared I would help rescue Moshiem. He looks doubtful. “How are we going to be much help?” Seth asks while glancing at Zyre and Ansari. He waits for an answer.
“You are more help than you think. Everybody counts in this plan. There are few people who want to get involved in going to Bane’s territory,” says Zyre.
Seth studies both me and Zyre. He frowns. “If this is the only way we can go home, I will help.”
“It is,” I say.
The rest of the afternoon, we try to set up base before nightfall. It feels good to be doing something. Zyre and Ansari help me practice knife throwing, as Seth is already skilled in combat. I am lectured on the different plants or food we can eat here. The nuts that were brought over earlier look anything but inviting. They are small and white with red veins going through them, but Ansari insists they are safe to eat. “We call them rouges because of their red veins.” She throws a few in her mouth. “And they don’t taste that bad either.” I decide to wait on eating the nuts to make sure nothing happens to Ansari before trying them myself.
Seth and I both take turns in asking about the flowers that helped heal me and also about the bark on the trees. I learn that the orange flowers on the ground are mutations of daffodils and sunflowers, but like everything else in Cander the genetics became unstable. The flowers mutate into one healing plant as long as they are combined with the right potion—like the yellow colored one in the flask.
“Don’t think everything in Cander is beneficial. There are several things that can do you great danger or even kill you. Ansari and I will try our best to teach you what to stay away from on our journey to Bane’s property,” explains Zyre as she packs up our loot in the satchel.
“Now we must rest while we can. Nightfall does not guarantee quiet,” says Zyre.
The sun is setting over the trees, and night will be upon us soon. At twilight, we all find our place in the flower patch to stay hidden from the dangers that night can hold for us. It doesn’t take long for Zyre and Ansari to drift off to sleep because Cander is their home. I can not rest easy.
I lie on my back to peer up at the sky. There are more stars in this sky than at home. Hues of purple, dark blue, and grey shimmer across the north star. I look at the grey tints swirling above me and it reminds me of Moshiem’s eyes.
Maybe we are looking at the same sky tonight. I can only hope he is still alive. Seth interrupts my thoughts when he turns to face me. He runs his hands through his hair, leaving it disheveled.
“I can’t sleep,” he whispers.
I nod and say, “I can’t either. My skin is too grimy. It makes me restless.”
“Yeah, me too, but I’ve been in worse conditions.”
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I look at his blue eyes, trying to understand him. He stares right back, waiting. He is a mystery.
“Can you tell me about any of them?”
He sighs. “Here’s what I know. Derik uses anything he can as leverage to keep me working for him. I mean anything he can get a hold of, whether it be friends or family. If he can find your weakness, he will play on that. He caused so many deaths. I don’t know if he is the same Derik that Ansari and Zyre talk about, but I can promise you this, I will kill him.”
“Ah. It sounds like he is the same one they talk about. You may not have to kill him if Ansari and Zyre get ahold of him first.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” he says.
“Yeah,” I repeat, not knowing what else to say.
I sit up, thinking of a way to make us feel better. “You know what would help our moods? A good swim in the lake. Want to join me?”
“I’ll meet you there,” he says.
My skin is filthy from the walk today. The dirt is weighing me down. I can’t wait anymore to do something about it. Leaving Seth behind me, I slip toward the lake, ready for some peace from the events and secrets of the day.
The lake is beautiful, with the starlight reflecting off the water. I sigh, feeling better already. No point in being modest. I take off my clothes and put them on a nearby rock. The water is warm as I slide in. My muscles relax under the weight of the water. The water is crisp and clear as the moon shines above it. My thoughts wander to home and my family. I miss my brother and Fae the most and wonder what they are doing. I hope they are not worried about me too much. While rinsing off, I dive under the water and am surprised to see the bottom. Schools of fish search for food along colorful rocks. I observe them for a while, noting their technique until they all swim away in fear.
A dark shadow appears out of the corner of my eye. My heart skips a beat after the shadow comes into focus. A creature that is a cross between an octopus and eel creeps toward me.
It’s around 3 feet long and is transparent except for the black tentacles seeping white milky ooze as far down as the lake bed. The tentacles reach for me, inching closer every minute.
With head pounding, I swim as fast as my legs allow. It is not enough. One tentacle wraps itself around my foot, dragging me back under the water. My flesh boils up in blisters as the ooze contacts my bare skin. I let out a desperate scream. My lungs become heavy as the creature drags me farther down. Suddenly, I see a splash in the water above and I can just make out Seth swimming to catch me. He grabs my hand because I don’t have strength to grab hold.
His sandy hair touches my face as his lips touch mine. He is giving me air to survive. My lungs compress with air and I find my strength. We tug and pull using any energy we have left.
The tentacles only wrap themselves tighter around me. A knife catches my eye as Seth slices through the tentacle. I am finally released. The creature hisses in pain, with ooze seeping out from the misplaced limb. Seth’s arm brushes against the substance before he grabs and pulls me to the surface.