Desperation's Summit

10: Indecision

It wasn't until a loud whoosh sounded near his head, a shower of feathers and kicked up snow peppering Rakash, that he realized they were back. Cordelia wasted no time, sliding off the large cat's back and rushing into the cabin. Bottles rattling with her quick steps. Rakash didn't even have time to say a word to her, to warn her, to prepare her. Hope drove him to follow her, his heart pounding.

Even if he had said a word to her, Cordelia's mind was too focused to listen to him. She wouldn't have heard him, her head full to the brim with doctor's orders. Besides, she was still riding an wave of anger in regards to Rakash.

Pushing open the door, Cordelia ignored the smell - that sickly sweet scent of woe - and rushed to the kitchen. Carefully, she slung her rucksack onto the counter.Glass bottles and jars clattered as she pulled them from her bag, lining them up. A mental checklist re-checking, for the millionth time, her purchases.

At the very bottom of her bag, she withdrew a journal, turning to a page with instructions scrawled in a hasty hand. She looked it over once, though she didn't need to. The instructions had been playing on loop in her head, since she left the town.

With haste and care, Cordelia put together three bottles of medicine mixed with juice. One, a full dose for Ebra. The other two, partial doses for Kazri and Zalmir. Even as she felt Rakash watching her, Cordelia steadfastly ignored him. He didn't deserve explanations.

Though Cordelia didn't even realize she had consciously noticed Kazri and Zalmir under the table, she passed the proper bottles to them. Catching their questioning eyes with a stern look of her own, she said firmly, "Drink that. It will help if you get sick."

Cordelia didn't even have to press the matter. Both children raised the bottles to their lips, drinking obediently. They knew this was no time to argue. Not after seeing Ebra in such a state for so long nor the somber tone Cordelia used. For that, she was relieved. The last thing she wanted to do was argue against a couple of tots, before being able to give Ebra their dose.

With Kazri and Zalmir taken care of, Cordelia then spun toward Ebra. She ripped off her damp outerwear, abandoning them to the floor. It wouldn't do to make the sick trolling wet and damp. Agitation and adrenaline nipped through her veins, forcing her to operate at full capacity.

"Ebra, wake up," Cordelia said softly as she dropped to her knees beside them. They groaned and stirred, but it took them a while to say anything.

She was already gathering the trolling up in her arms when they managed to crack their eyes open. "Del... wi?"

Their tone was soft and papery thin. Cordelia could hear the congestion in their throat, the rattle in their chest. Ebra breathed in gasps, short little panting. It must hurt their chest to inhale full lungfuls, she thought. Another pang shot through her own chest, a new slew of anger at Rakash.

"Yes, it's me. I need you to drink this." Her voice was still soft and firm, despite the jitter in her very bones. Insistently, she held the bottle to Ebra's lips, a droplet of the medicine-infused juice dribbled onto their lower lip.

Ebra's tongue flicked out, slowly, to taste the drink. Seeming to find it acceptable - not that they had a choice - their lips parted. She guided the bottle to their mouth, holding them close to her chest. As Ebra drank, Cordelia absently rocked them back and forth. Her heart still hammered in her chest, her mind racing a million miles an hour.

This would work. The town's doctor had assured her it would work.

Her eyes watched Ebra, noting any change of their coloration or if they needed a break in downing. But her mind was elsewhere. Back at the nameless town Marimone had dropped her in. A medium-sized place, with cozy looking wood cabins and a farm. It was just off the main pass through the mountain and even had a general store, likely for the odd passerby.