Part 39 (1/2)

”Will you shut up,” said River. ”You have no idea what you're talking about. This isn't her doing. It's Da's.”

That made no sense, no sense at all. But River wouldn't listen to him. She brought a candle near to get a good look at his eyes and mouth. Then she began peppering him with questions: when did the thirst start, how many small cakes did he eat, what did Da do when he tied the charm on his arm, had he been hearing a ringing in his ears? Talen struggled to answer them all.

Finally, he held up his hand. ”My leg. She's sucking the life out of my leg.”

Something moved at the window.

The shutters had not been closed tightly, and a pair of pale twigs seemed to shoot in over the sill. From his position on the floor, he couldn't make any sense of them, but there they were. Tree roots on the window. Then a twisted head appeared, followed by a long body. Another fright, smaller than the one about his leg, pulled itself up onto the sill.

”There's another,” he said.

”Another what?”

”Nasty little thing,” he said and motioned at the window. ”It's got cold fingers.”

River looked up and followed his gaze. ”There's nothing there.”

”There is,” said Talen. ”And there's another wrapped about my leg. Right there by your hand.”

River froze, her expression changing from puzzlement to dismay. The creature about his leg didn't move either. It watched them, extending its fingers in a slow crawl.

River put her hand on Talen's leg, partially covering the thin fingers of the fright. Her hands felt warm.

”You're touching it,” Talen said. ”Do you not feel it?”

She pulled her hand away. ”How many are here?”

”Two,” he said.

She cursed then calmly picked up Talen's G.o.dsweed charm, took it to the hearth, and thrust it into the fire. The G.o.dsweed smoked then caught fire. ”And thus a portion of my life goes up in smoke,” she said, which made no sense at all to Talen. Then she pulled the weed back out of the fire, blew out the flames, and tossed the smoking remains onto the ash pan. Then she took a pair of tongs and removed three hot coals from the fire and put them in the pan as well.

”Where are they now?” she asked.

”The little one's at the window. The bigger one is right here.” Talen moved his leg.

River picked up the ash pan and approached, blowing on the smoking braid. She blew smoke into his face. Blew it on his leg. G.o.dsweed was not a sweet herb and Talen did not like the taste of its smoke.

”Don't worry,” He said. ”Nettle says it's just the come-backs.”

”Be gone!” said River. She blew more smoke about his leg.

The k.n.o.bby creature on his leg eyed her.

”It's not afraid of you,” said Talen.

River blew again and waved the smoking pan around him.

The creature turned as if trying to avoid the smoke. But River blew again, and the thing released Talen's leg and jumped to the floor.

”There he goes,” Talen said. But the thing only shuffled a few steps, then stopped.

River followed Talen's gaze. She waved the smoking bowl around in the air. Blew more smoke. Then the fright scuttled up the wall and out the window. The little one lingered a few seconds longer, then followed the first.

”You got him,” said Talen. ”He's off to torment the chickens.” Then Talen wondered why it would do that? Was this the reason Da's last batch of hens died off? It seemed reasonable. ”They're the ones killing the chickens,” he said.

”You're babbling,” said River. She went to the window and waved the smoking bowl there, and then she closed up the shutters and brought the bowl back and placed it in the middle of the room on the floor. There was no fire to it anymore. Just coals and smoke.

Nettle and Sugar opened the door and b.u.mped their way through with the empty trough and set it close to the hearth.

”Stand over that bowl,” she said. ”Smoke yourselves.”

”Goh!” Nettle said. ”Are you kidding? A real fright?”

”Just do it.”

When Nettle and Sugar finished, River said, ”Now fetch the water.”

”With a fright out there?”

”The smoke's in your clothes. No move!”

Nettle growled, and Talen couldn't tell if it was in frustration at River or to muster up his courage to face the fright. Then he marched out the door, the sleth girl right behind him. River walked over to the wall where their five white ceramic plates hung. She took down one plate, brought it to the table, and broke a small cake upon it. Then she lit four more candles and turned them on their sides about the plate to give the small cake more illumination.

She dug at it with the point of a knife, examining the crumbs. ”I see nothing.”

She held one up, sniffed it, and then took a bite. After savoring it for a while swallowed it and shook her head. She ate the other two small cakes and drank a cup of water. ”Sometimes certain herbs magnify the effects of the weave. But I can detect nothing of that sort in these,” she said. ”If there's anything in them, we will shortly know. In the mean time you need to soak. Take off your clothes.”

All this time Nettle had been hauling in water, first to fill the large pot Sugar had put over the fire and then to fill the trough. The thought of moving daunted him, and Talen found he couldn't do more than look at that trough.

”Never mind,” River said. ”I'll do it. Sugar, is that hot yet? We don't want to freeze him.”

Talen wanted to protest, but it was no use. River had him out of his tunic and pants in moments. Mercifully, she left his linens on. Then she helped him over and slid him into the trough.

The trough was slick with orange slime, and the freezing water just about sent him into shock. But a second later, he couldn't muster enough energy to care. The cold meant nothing. He didn't even care when the girl dumped the boiling water in too quickly and scalded his legs. The hatchlings were in control now-it was too late for all of them.

His eyes were heavy, so itchy with sleep. He closed them.

A moment later River shook him by the shoulders. ”Talen!”

”Let me alone,” Talen said and drifted off into no thought at all.

River slapped him. Then slapped him again.

He opened his eyes.

”Listen to me,” she said. ”You will die tonight if we do not change the course of what's happening.” She pressed her hand to his chest again as she had done at first. ”This isn't come-backs. Some herbs can heighten the effect. But there was nothing in those small cakes. If there had been, I would be feeling the effects by now.”

”Effects,” repeated Talen. Something about that struck him funny and he giggled.

River stood and addressed Nettle. ”Keep him awake. Use whatever it requires, but do not let him sleep.” She moved to the table and began unraveling her weaving of Da's hair.