Cassia The Lost

Chapter 5: Hard Choices

The next morning Teran woke so hungry that he was ready to eat seaweed. He tried cooking some over the fire but in the end he couldn't remember the process needed to make it edible and so he abandoned the effort. It had been a long night. He had woken up to stoke the fire several times. Sometime during the night, he had draped the mostly dry clothes over Casia's sleeping form and dressed himself. He felt much more comfortable holding her close and sharing body warmth with her once there was a layer of cloth between them. He slept with his arms wrapped around her; both of them huddled between the fire and the door. As the light of morning came, the door seemed a strange artifact from a life that was now gone.

Teran's stomach felt like it was eating itself and his throat was so dry and salty that he felt close to retching. Cassia woke up shortly after he did, as far as he could tell she had slept strangely well through the long night. He averted his eyes when she stood and stretched; the clothes he had draped over her falling carelessly to the sand. He was grateful that she had the presence of mind to pick them up and to dress herself.

Hunger and thirst forced them to leave the cove shortly after they had awakened. As they walked, Teran started to pay attention to things Cassia could do and things that seemed beyond her. He realized it came down to problem solving. She seemed unable to do a series of tasks to solve a problem.

She followed him willingly now; somehow she understood that they were together and that she was dependent on him. A short way from the cove they found a steep trail heading to the top of the bluffs. They climbed up the trail, both exhausted from hunger and thirst despite their night's rest.

Several times he had to pull Cassia's hand to keep her trembling body moving. By the end of their climb, he had a firm grip on her upper arm and was pulling her forward. He was sure that if he let her go she would faint from thirst and exhaustion. His own body was trembling and he had to stop often to massage crippling cramps from his calves. He was sorely tempted to drop his hammer in the dirt just to be free from its weight.

Less than a mile from where they had crested the bluffs they found a small stream of fresh water. They stopped laid themselves on the muddy banks and drank greedily. Cassia cupped her hands and threw water desperately into her mouth. The cool clean water tasted like it had been made especially for him by the Gods. When he was done, his body had recovered some of its strength. He turned to find Cassia lying asleep in the mud. Her body had simply been through too much.

Teran, not wanting to wake Cassia, foraged around the area of the stream. He was able to find some berries that he knew to be edible and he saved these for Cassia. In the bows of a nearby tree he found the eggs of a bird. He ate three of these himself and saved the other three for Cassia. By the time Cassia woke, he was able to feed her raw eggs and a handful of berries. Feeling slightly better with some food, water, and rest, they headed off in the direction of the highway.

Teran and Cassia hiked another hour before they made it to the main highway traveling north from the capital. He longed for normal conversation and for news of the siege. The road stretched out before them into the distance, lined on either side with trees and thick shrubs. They walked for half the day down the dusty road before encountering another person. A horse drawn buggy came rattling down the road from the opposite direction. Teran waved the driver to a stop.

"Hello!" Teran yelled as the driver approached. The man pulled back on the reigns and pulled his horse to a stop.

Teran continued, "We have news from the capital. We would like to share what news you have from your travels." This was a common greeting that his father had taught him when meeting a stranger on the road.