“Do you have a favorite organ? If you did, which would you choose?”
“Um,” said Appo, “I’m not sure how to answer that, Tomi. You need all of them.” Appo learned the girl’s name after just ten seconds of riding. At first, she was curt, speaking monosyllabically in a way that even Jere would have envied. But that didn’t last long. Like many children, once Tomi began speaking, it was hard to get her to stop. It seemed she recognized she had nothing to fear from a one armed healer and his wounded companion.
“Okay, but… you must have a favorite, right? It’s the lungs, isn’t it? How else would you have known how to save him?”
Appo sighed, turning to Gizzal. He rode separately on his own camel, awake, but barely. He was letting Appo guide the two for now. Tomi in turn guided Appo, insisting that she lead the trio on foot. Appo marveled at how quickly she seemed to glide over the sand, keeping even pace with the camels. Tomi exuded energy, barely even needing to catch her breath despite having collapsed from exhaustion just hours prior. Fortunately for them, the sand dunes had finally flattened out not long after continuing on their journey. They were finally leaving the Rust Waves behind them.
“Do you think the brain does anything important?” Tomi asked. “Mom says you don’t need it, but I always told her ‘why have one then?’ I like to imagine it’s like a big sponge, but for your blood! What do you think?”
“Maybe, I don’t know for sure,” answered Appo, truthfully. Tomi proved herself to be immensely curious, but he was having trouble keeping up with her inquiries. A month ago, he would have been more than happy to answer such an inquisitive mind. But he was weary, his thoughts elsewhere. “Not too many Healers have studied the brain. It’s anyone’s guess, but I’d say you need one,” he finally answered.
“Does it have anything to do with bleeding?”
“Bleeding?”
“Yeah, like… how I got on the rag a few years ago. When I started bleeding from my-”
“Ugh,” Gizzal groaned. It was reassuring to Appo that Gizzal was at least lucid enough to follow the discourse.
“Maybe… you should have this conversation with your mother?” Appo asked politely.
Tomi laughed. “She hasn’t bled in years. Besides, she’d probably just wed me off if she knew. No thank you.”
The conversation lingered for much of the trek, moving on to surgeries and procedures and strange illnesses Appo had encountered. Eventually, Tomi stopped asking questions and started talking about herself. She explained that, like Appo, she had travelled through the Rust Waves when the screamers came.
Eventually, Appo realized they had been riding for two hours. They were farther from Isbibarra now than when they had first encountered Tomi. Appo knew that his primary focus was saving Gizzal. But even if he was still heading in the right direction, Appo needed a guide to get him to Zabukama. They would have to come back for Isbibarra, eventually.
Appo’s musings came to a stop as the sun rose. The Fincur Mountains were much closer now, but at least a hundred kilometers away. A hazy fog creeped over the flattened ground, giving the desert a greyish edge that contrasted with the milky white gloss of the hamadas or the crimson shimmer of the Rust Waves. To Appo’s surprise, what appeared to be several small shrubs dotted amongst the plains. The shrubs swirled and spiraled like smoke frozen in place. Spikes sprouted from the shrubs, adding a menacing semblance to the already eerie atmosphere.
“What are these?” asked Appo. “I didn’t think plants grew here.”
Tomi sniffled, rubbing her bandaged hands across her small nose. “They don’t grow,” she said. “They’re frozen in place. We’re entering Thornstone Wood.”
Stolen story; please report.
“Thornstone Wood? There’s a forest in the Eivettä?”
Tomi laughed. “It hasn’t been a forest for hundreds of years. Dad used to tell me that the Shadeon used Thornestone to build their siege engines, during their great war with Merkamensa. He says that long ago, the Thorne river roared through the Eivettä. Eventually the river diverted. Now the trees are like the rest of the desert: dead.”
As the trio moved on, the shrubs grew larger, convalescing into larger and larger stumps. Appo was familiar with the beautiful palms of the coast and the birch of the mainland, even witnessing the towering beauty of the Merkamensan bamboo, but never had he seen such gnarled and stunted plants. Their trunks swayed upwards as they grew in size, forming jagged mosaics that exploded into hundreds of needle-like spikes. Most grew no taller than a meter or two, but a few towered over them. Despite the increase in size, the trees were so spacious that calling it a “Wood” was more than generous.
“We’re here,” Tomi said, halting. “Look about ahead of us.”
About three hundred paces in front of them was another thornestone, but this was massive. It was wider than it was tall, perhaps twenty meters, a twisting mesa with barbs the size of spears erupting around the base. The barbs condensed near the top, as curled branches surrounded its sides. Appo was sure he could make out the figures of several people behind them at the top.
What concerned Appo more, however, were the six or seven screamers surrounding the tree. Most lumbered around, absentmindedly trudging along the base. One was skewered through the belly by a particularly large spike, though it appeared unbothered by its predicament, as it reached up towards the bristles above. Appo could barely make out the moaning in the distance.
“Shit,” Appo whispered, trying to direct his camel into a crouch.
“Relax,” Tomi said, almost nonchalantly. “The demons don’t know how to climb. Really easy to work around if you’re quick enough.”
Appo nervously chuckled. “We’re not quick enough. Gizzal can barely move, and I can’t climb one-handed. They’ll come after us the moment they see us.”
Tomi smiled. “That’s kinda what I’m hoping for.” She patted the side of Appo’s camel, feeding it a piece of jerky. “Do you have a favorite?”
“A favorite what?”
“Camel. You can only keep one.”
Appo raised an eyebrow.
“Just saying,” Tomi continued, “the only way to get up there is with a distraction. We have two camels right now, and we can get one up. The other is going to have to be sacrificed. Otherwise, there’s no way for us to get up there.”
“Nope,” said Appo, rubbing the back of his camel’s neck. “There has to be another way.”
“Not unless you want to wait. The screamers are slower in the day, but they never stop. Trust me. The best way around them is to keep them occupied, and to keep them scratching at something. We got my entire village up there by leading them in circles. They’re easy to manage, but they’re only letting us up if I’m there.”
Appo sighed. “Is there no other way?”
Tomi shook her head. Appo turned to Gizzal. Now in the sun, Appo could see he was worse for wear. Every minute spent out here, Gizzal was risking bloodrot, and Appo had yet to learn Isbibarra’s treatment for it. They had no time to waste.
“Alright, I’ll do it. What do you suggest?”
Tomi shook her hand in a fist, satisfied with the answer. “Nice! Ride the camel past the tree and lead it out as far as you can. The demons will let you know when they see you. They’re slower during the day, but you need to stay on the camel until we’ve made it up the side. I’ll get Gizzal up to the base. Once you see we’re up, dismount, and let the camel run. The demons will follow it, and once they’re past you, get to the tree as fast as possible. By the time the screamers come back, you’ll be safe.”
Appo grunted. “How much time do you need?”
“As much as you can give me.”
“And what if I can’t outrun them?”
Tomi laughed. “My seven-year-old brother could outrun them. Did you lose a foot too?”
Appo ignored the childish barb, focusing instead on the uncertainty of the plan. His skeptical mind couldn’t help but poke holes, but Tomi had been dealing with the screamers longer than he had. Appo recalled how terrifying they were in the cells, but he had watched them from a distance in the raider lookout. Screamers were sluggish and uncoordinated during the day. Appo hoped he could outmaneuver them.
Tomi took a moment to take the water pouches and medical kits off Appo’s camel. She moved with such experience and that it became very clear that she was more than capable of riding a camel herself - she just preferred not to. It irritated Appo that he had to be the one to put his life on the line.
By the time Tomi finished, Appo’s camel was naked save for the saddle. He felt sorry for the creature. It had done nothing to deserve its fate.
“Ready?” asked Tomi. Gizzal had slumped over now, his head leaning into Tomi’s slim back.
Appo was assuredly not ready, but he nodded his head anyway. He saw no use in waiting. He yipped at the camel and charged.