26 Ponderosa (2/2)

'True, but he was picky in a different way.'

'True words, dear one.'

'Ponderosa knew your father, Lilly?' James asked, finally sitting.

'Only from stories,' Ponderosa replied. She coughed more, but it didn't sound as hard.

James looked at the floor until he heard a loud crack and the whole cave seemed to shake. 'Lilly!'

'It's all right. Just a tree falling.'

'Yeah, falling to collapse the hole we're in.'

His remark was ignored and Lilly soon came out of the dark. She looked worn out and the torchlight cast darker shadows across her face. The grooves looked like they had a red tint to them. Her gaze moved from shelf to shelf. Her eyes moved back and forth slightly as if she were scanning text for information. Moving from one shelf to the next she finally picked up a jar and went back into the dark.

After she left, James read the labels on the jars. Each label was written in three dialects. He recognized one as Human, and could read the one on the bottom as it was a language he had been made to study since he was younger, but he didn't know where the language had come from, nor did he recognize the third. Laughter floated from the darkness, but there was no cough. Lilly returned a short time later and put the jar back then looked for more.

'What are the other two writings on the labels?' James asked.

'Adremedian and Gerrabella dialects.'

'Which is which?'

'Adremedian on top, Gerrabella on bottom.' She picked up a few more jars and disappeared from sight.

James intently studied the lettering of the Adremedian text. Some of the letters looked similar to Human, but was very different overall. So, the other language he knew was Gerrabellan. Made sense since Periculae Marigold was his ancestor. He looked through the names on the jars until he found one that looked familiar. Picking up the jar he looked closer at the contents. They were little teal crystals.

'Poison?'

'Yep,' Lilly said behind him, startling him.

He put it back. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be.' She put the jars back and picked one up from the darkest corner of the shelf. 'You can keep looking James, I'm almost done.'

Slowly he turned back to the shelves and kept looking. All the other poisons he had read about were on the shelf. Nothing else looked familiar. The room brightened further. James turned. The dark corner where Lilly had gone to help Ponderosa was lit up in flames.

'Lilly!'

'Be still, James.'

'No!…Lilly!'

'Sit. I'm fine.'

The flames in the dark corner went out, as well as the torch in the main room. A child's wail filled the darkness. Gradually the cry softened until everything was silent once more. The torch re-lit and James looked up. Lilly came out of the dark corner with a bundle in one arm. She replaced the jar and moved down the hall she had first walked down to get him dry clothes. There was no mistaking it that time, blood was running down six of the eight grooves on her face. James tried to get to his feet, but couldn't get up from his knees. Try as he might he couldn't move, couldn't speak. What was happening to him?

'James, I need you to lie down.' Lilly's voice was soft.

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Initially he resisted, trying to speak. Then he felt a force push him over so he lay on his side. Shaking his head, he relaxed and closed his eyes. He heard steps moving towards him in the dirt, but when he looked up there was nothing. The steps moved closer and the torch went out.

'Rosae Lilly, thank you,' a voice much younger, said as the steps shuffled back into the darkened corner.

'It's been my pleasure, Ponderosa.'