wouldn't have known Katie's name. Stay out of it, Fell.”
Fell opened his mouth at Josef's words, then subsided with a resentful look on his face.
“Aran, Elan, we've already been in the forest long enough. If you two go back with Lila, you could be infected as well.”
“The girl hasn't been, and she's been in the forest longer than any of us. Maybe Jarda's wrong about that one-week thing.”
“Do you really want to take that chance?”
Elan gestured quickly. “He says we don't all have to go. He would go alone with the girl. I would go too,” he added when his brother's hands stopped moving. “Our lives are our own―we can go if we wish.”
Josef jumped up from his chair, fire blazing in his eyes. “You would throw away your life, and that of your brother, on this chance?
Why doesn't he speak? Lila wondered, trying to distract herself from the turmoil in her head and in her belly. She pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to force down the nausea. Her head felt as if she had stuck it into the fireplace.
“She's the only family we have left. We can't leave her to rot somewhere in the woods!”
“You know how swiftly the fever burns once blood poisoning has begun. Lila, how long did it take you to get here?”
Lila's sluggish mind could barely be forced to recall the information. “Two days,” she managed, swallowing back the bile in her throat. Maybe she'd eaten some bad food.
“Too long. Aran, I'm sorry. We have to go back―the village needs the medicine. The village needs you two―we've lost enough good men in the last year. I don't want to add two more to that list.”
Lila would never know what prompted her to blurt the words that came tumbling out of her mouth. “I might have found a way out!”
“Out of where?”
Lila swallowed hard, feeling as if she was about to vomit. She crossed her arms over her stomach. “T-the Arena. I live in a tunnel in the Cliffs. There's a cave in.” She eyed the door to the mudroom, longing to feel the breeze on her face, to escape the confining walls and the hostile stares. She gasped for breath, dimly feeling Seeker nudging her hand. The room began to spin and she lurched to her feet, falling against the table. Her legs trembled so badly that she feared she couldn't make it to the door.
She vaguely heard someone ask “What's wrong with her?” Before strong arms scooped her up and she was being carried cradled against someone's chest. The movement made her head spin so badly that she couldn't tell which way was up. No! No, put me down! She writhed against the hold but the arms held her without faltering. There was a keening in her ears, cries of pain that would not stop. She barely recognized them as her own screams. There was a frantic barking in the distance, then a dull thud and a yelp. Seeker! No, Seeker! Don't hurt her!
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest and her head was on fire, burning from the inside out. Her limbs tingled with pins and needles. Let me go! She cried, not sure if she had managed to speak aloud.
They moved from shade to sun, blessed sun, beautfiul open space. The arms that cradled her set her on the ground, but the waves of dizziness overwhelmed her and her legs collapsed beneath her. Her stomach spasmed violently and she was suddenly thankful that it was empty. The same strong arms caught her as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. Her entire body felt as if it belonged to another, kicking and thrashing against her will. Sweat was pouring from her skin, and the arms around her struggled to hold her still. She wracked by chills at the same time as she felt like she was being burned alive.
Vaguely, as if from a great distance, she heard Josef's voice shouting for help, and the thud of booted feet running. She forced her eyes open, seeing Aran's blurry form crouched in front of her. Even the small motion sent
Fell opened his mouth at Josef's words, then subsided with a resentful look on his face.
“Aran, Elan, we've already been in the forest long enough. If you two go back with Lila, you could be infected as well.”
“The girl hasn't been, and she's been in the forest longer than any of us. Maybe Jarda's wrong about that one-week thing.”
“Do you really want to take that chance?”
Elan gestured quickly. “He says we don't all have to go. He would go alone with the girl. I would go too,” he added when his brother's hands stopped moving. “Our lives are our own―we can go if we wish.”
Josef jumped up from his chair, fire blazing in his eyes. “You would throw away your life, and that of your brother, on this chance?
Why doesn't he speak? Lila wondered, trying to distract herself from the turmoil in her head and in her belly. She pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to force down the nausea. Her head felt as if she had stuck it into the fireplace.
“She's the only family we have left. We can't leave her to rot somewhere in the woods!”
“You know how swiftly the fever burns once blood poisoning has begun. Lila, how long did it take you to get here?”
Lila's sluggish mind could barely be forced to recall the information. “Two days,” she managed, swallowing back the bile in her throat. Maybe she'd eaten some bad food.
“Too long. Aran, I'm sorry. We have to go back―the village needs the medicine. The village needs you two―we've lost enough good men in the last year. I don't want to add two more to that list.”
Lila would never know what prompted her to blurt the words that came tumbling out of her mouth. “I might have found a way out!”
“Out of where?”
Lila swallowed hard, feeling as if she was about to vomit. She crossed her arms over her stomach. “T-the Arena. I live in a tunnel in the Cliffs. There's a cave in.” She eyed the door to the mudroom, longing to feel the breeze on her face, to escape the confining walls and the hostile stares. She gasped for breath, dimly feeling Seeker nudging her hand. The room began to spin and she lurched to her feet, falling against the table. Her legs trembled so badly that she feared she couldn't make it to the door.
She vaguely heard someone ask “What's wrong with her?” Before strong arms scooped her up and she was being carried cradled against someone's chest. The movement made her head spin so badly that she couldn't tell which way was up. No! No, put me down! She writhed against the hold but the arms held her without faltering. There was a keening in her ears, cries of pain that would not stop. She barely recognized them as her own screams. There was a frantic barking in the distance, then a dull thud and a yelp. Seeker! No, Seeker! Don't hurt her!
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest and her head was on fire, burning from the inside out. Her limbs tingled with pins and needles. Let me go! She cried, not sure if she had managed to speak aloud.
They moved from shade to sun, blessed sun, beautfiul open space. The arms that cradled her set her on the ground, but the waves of dizziness overwhelmed her and her legs collapsed beneath her. Her stomach spasmed violently and she was suddenly thankful that it was empty. The same strong arms caught her as she fell and gently lowered her to the ground. Her entire body felt as if it belonged to another, kicking and thrashing against her will. Sweat was pouring from her skin, and the arms around her struggled to hold her still. She wracked by chills at the same time as she felt like she was being burned alive.
Vaguely, as if from a great distance, she heard Josef's voice shouting for help, and the thud of booted feet running. She forced her eyes open, seeing Aran's blurry form crouched in front of her. Even the small motion sent
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