Hope

Chapter Twenty: A Bright Light in a Dark Place

Before dawn, I noticed Jing was waiting patiently outside the opening of the wagon. I knew that she must be itching to find out what Cloudyeye was doing to heal Zack. I must admit that I was quite curious myself and longed to take a look at what Cloudyeye had learned through the years. So I shimmied out of my bedroll and stood behind Jing, wondering what was happening inside.

A cough sounded from inside the wagon, followed by another. I saw Jing wince as she heard each of them. She peered in worriedly, but the darkness of the wagon was too much for her to make out any shapes. Cloudyeye had apparently put the glow stone away and was probably fast asleep.

Or maybe not. "What're you doing poking your head in here like a snake looking for a mouse?" came Cloudyeye's irritated voice. "Either come in or go out and whatever your choice is, do it quickly!"

Jing gave a start at Cloudyeye's tone, but she headed in. I followed after her, my eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. Jing stopped in the center of the wagon and asked, "Do you mind turning on a light or something?"

"No," came Cloudyeye's grumpy reply, and then the wagon was lit up by the glow stone. "Since he has awoken me already, I suppose there's no point in sitting in the dark."

Zack didn't look much better; his face was shiny with sweat and his skin was an ashen color. But his breathing was more even and he appeared to be sleeping. Cloudyeye was looking at him as if he were a very interesting plant she happened to find at the edge of the tribe's territory.

"I don't appreciate the hour he gets me up at, but he's a fascinating specimen," she said, a touch of awe in her voice as she lifted one of Zack's arms. "His strength is obvious, even when he's extremely sick. He is also rather young, I believe, but has finished growing. I do not know if his build is characteristic of his race, but it is most becoming."

"How is he?" Jing interrupted, ignoring Cloudyeye's ramblings.

Cloudyeye raised an eyebrow at Jing's rudeness, but didn't comment on it. "He shall survive. He'll be weak for a while, but he'll regain his strength. He was very sick and probably would have died if you had not sought help. It is not a reflection of your skill, Healer. Pneumonia is a difficult thing, even for the most experienced. He is also not of your race, so that makes things even more difficult. Do not blame yourself."

Jing appeared to be on the verge of bursting into tears, but was able to contain herself. Zack then shifted in the makeshift bed and opened his eyes. They were slightly watery, but didn't have a feverish look in them. "Jing?" he croaked, his normally lovely voice ruined by his illness.

Jing rushed to him and hugged him. Zack gave a slight oof of surprise and then hugged her back. Cloudyeye studiously avoided looking at them and started mixing a concoction of herbs and powders. After they hugged, Jing lowered her mouth to his and they started kissing.

Without knowing it, I had inched closer to Cloudyeye. She looked at me, amusement lighting her gaze. "You live in a very interesting world, granddaughter whose-name-I-do-not-know. Do humans regularly make a habit of marrying elves?"

I stifled my laughter. "No. It's about as far from normal as you can get. Jing fell in love with him before she found out he was an elf."

Cloudyeye raised an eyebrow at me. "And do you feel the urge to fall in love with someone before you know who they are?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. If you knew anything about me, you would know that." You would know I cannot afford to fall in love. Not now and maybe not ever.

Cloudyeye set down her mixture and turned to face me all the way. "You ought to know that my knowing you was impossible. I did not even know of your existence until today. Kinktail was merely courting Shadeclaw when I left. I could not stay around and see what the result of such a marriage would bring... if he bothered to marry her at all. Even then he was known for taking what he wanted with no regards to the consequences or the proper protocol. I assume something bad has happened to him, or something has happened because of him, seeing that you are here and not with the tribes."