Red Rivers and Nightmares

15. Theldrea

"Shizu?," the male voice reaches my ears but I feel too weighed down to move. "Shizu?"

Now, I feel something touching me. I moan as my tongue feels heavy.

"Shizu?"

I swear it feels like I am rocking now, back and forth. Back and forth. A part of me starts to panic so I open my bleary eyes. My eyes open to darkness. There is not a thing to be seen but with my eyes now open I feel as if I am being touched by a lot of somethings.

I try to wave my hand to feel what it could possibly be but I cannot move that appendage. I cannot move anything. My eyes open wider as panic races through me and I can suddenly see.

What is weighing me down is bloated body parts. They are mottled with a dark red and brown that contrasts vividly from the paleness that is found in only the dead.

My mind blanks from panic and I scream as I thrash, trying to get out from under all of the dead.

"Shizu?!"

I blink and see clearly my older brother standing next to me with the covers in his hands. I am panting as I stare at him. He says nothing as his hazel eyes look me up and down. I am trying to calm down. Admittedly, it is much easier now that nothing is weighing me down.

My hands curl when I remember waking up that first night and feeling sweat. I sincerely hope that I am not sweating now. Iien knows about my abilities extensively. If he sees sweat he will not allow me to do my part in purifying Weret. But, if that happens how are we supposed to find Rion's people and warn the villagers further downriver at the same time? Iien will never agree to us splitting apart but I am not sure if the people of Shayle will be able to convince the others of the necessity to leave. That magic is so old, thought to have been lost to time.

It feels like much time has passed when Iien sighs, questioning me quietly, "What was that?"

I force myself to move slowly into a sitting position with my legs neatly below me as I try to show calm, "Just a nightmare, Iien, would it not be stranger to have none after retrieving a skull in such a way from Weret?"

Iien frowns, not quite believing me yet. I wait for him to speak but as the silence begins to drag I grasp onto an excuse to speak again, "How much time has passed?"

Iien is still speaking just as quietly, "Over two hours have passed, I felt reluctant to wake you but Eardwulf pointed out that the last of the daylight might be more helpful to you than the darkness of night."

I could nearly kiss Eardwulf. I do not even want to imagine being in Weret after night has settled, it will be too much like my nightmares. I somehow manage to keep the absolute glee from my face and I even manage a slow nod. I hope it comes across as sagely more than still under sleep's grip, or reluctance.

Iien is still eyeing me but he drops the cover and steps away from the bed, "It appears that your impromptu nose bleed has stopped." His frown deepens, like he wants to tell me more about what I cannot do but whatever is weighing the other side of the scales appears to be slightly heavier than his concern for me as he says nothing. He does not need to as his left hand flexes again. When I still make no further move Iien grunts and crosses his arms, "Fairley has a snack waiting for you. You will eat it on the way to the Weret river as I tell you what you are to do." He pauses, his arms loosen then, "Am I right in assuming Grandmother Yura did not teach you how to purify a river in conditions like these?"

I am about to spit out that she had no opportunity to do so because Grandfather Tennan would not even allow her to take me to Moon's Arc. As the snarky words echo in my mind I remember those selfish thoughts, my selfishness, being why I am out here in the first place with such judgmental thoughts of others. So, I just shake my head. Truth be told there might have been some theory she had attempted to share with me that I had forgotten in boredom or among all the medical texts that were simultaneously being shoved in front of me.