Sember (Forestfolk, Book 2)

Chapter 4a

I sat with Remi in his cabin, watching Siena sleep. It reminded me of the first time I had done so, after she had drained herself saving my parents from their burns. The burns I had caused. I had wanted to make sure she didn't perish, not that there was anything I could have done about it if she had. But I didn't want someone dying because of me.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Remi whispered as he gazed at her, a serene smile on his face.

"I always thought so." I resisted the urge to touch the wisps of hair around her face, to reassure myself that she was really here. After brief greetings with some of the Forestfolk, she had immediately gone to the quarantine cabin and healed the sick. Then she healed my parents. Healing no longer drained her as it once had, but after such a long journey where everyone needed her powers, she was quite exhausted.

A light snore began and we both grinned. "She doesn't believe me when I tell her she snores," he said affectionately.

I shook my head. "No girl wants to hear that."

He chuckled, and then I asked him, "How bad is it? Out where the tribes are?"

His smile disappeared, and I felt guilty for taking it away. The weariness in his sigh answered my question. "It's hit them so hard, I honestly don't know how they'll survive." He rubbed his stubbly cheek. "We can't be everywhere at once. I've never seen anything like this before. It's unnatural. Siena's strength . . . " He glanced at her sleeping form. "She's told me before that it comes from nature itself. Whatever natural thing is ailing you, she can fix it. But this . . . " He shook his head slowly. "Whatever is causing this, it can't be natural."

"You think it might be a Gifted causing this?" I couldn't imagine someone so powerful, or evil.

"It's crossed my mind, but we have no clues about its origin." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'm going to talk to Galen and see if he's sensed anything new."

Galen had the ability to sense immediate danger, and sometimes danger from afar, if it might affect Foresthome. People looked up to him.

I sat back, thinking. It had to have started somewhere. There had to be a solution.

"We noticed one other thing," Remi said as he pulled Siena's blanket higher. "This doesn't seem to affect the Gifted."

"Really?" My eyes widened, and then I realized it was true. Goben and I had been tending to our sick parents. I had even entered the quarantine with Ruba, where the black rashes and bloody coughs were prominent, but I hadn't gotten sick, and neither had Goben. Even Ruba had started a fever just before Siena arrived. "What does this mean?"

He shrugged. "I wish I knew."

I traced the edge of the chair seat for a few moments, then stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "You should rest too."

He nodded, and I headed out into the dusk.

* * *

I was halfway through breakfast the next day when Siena and Remi arrived at the commons. I felt my face light up when I saw them, then disappointment brought me back down when they chose to sit at a small table away from everyone else. A flash of irritation struck me, and I struggled to hold it at bay. Of course they'd want to be alone. The rest of the day was going to be spent surrounded by people. Mornings and nights would be the only time they'd get to be alone.

I sighed and threw a berry into my mouth. I was pathetic. I used to get jealous of Remi for taking Siena away from me. Now that I was older, I was just envious of what they had with each other. I watched them covertly as I ate. They spoke to each other in hushed tones, so I was unable to hear anything, but Siena seemed like a different person with Remi. Her normally reserved demeanor was replaced by an animated one. She never seemed to giggle around anyone but Remi. Her eyes sparkled, and she touched his hand frequently. He tenderly brushed a tendril of blonde hair behind Siena's ear, and she gazed at him with such love that I suddenly felt like just watching them was an intrusion.

I dropped my eyes down to my plate. Siena had been my rock for most of my life. She taught me how to stabilize myself, and kept me safe. Or rather, kept everyone safe from me. Now that I wasn't a small child anymore, I needed to stop clinging to her. People joked that I was her shadow, but . . . what was I without her?

I stood up. Time to run. Siena caught my eye and gave me a little wave. I smiled, pleased that she hadn't forgotten I was there. I gave her a quick wave in return and took off.

To my consternation, I found Dozan at the lake again, stupid fishing pole in hand. I ignored him and sprinted past. After what seemed like a safe distance, I slowed to an average pace. I couldn't figure this boy out. One moment he was asking me where girls hung out, practically drooling over Nirrin, and the next moment he was trying to kiss me. Or "console" me, as he'd put it. I snorted. I had heard of womanizers, but never actually met one before.

I jumped over a rotting log, enjoying the feel of my legs pushing me off the ground and clearing the obstacle with ease. When I landed, my thoughts turned back to the plague sweeping the land. What was causing it, and why was it only hitting non-Gifted people? We needed to find a solution, or Siena would be run ragged, if she wasn't already.

A murky mudhole loomed ahead, and instead of skirting around it I jumped again.

Siena said all the tribes were affected, and Dozan had said pretty much the same thing. I wondered how far his family had gone to trade. How far did this plague reach? Did any of the other tribes have any more insight than we did? And then I thought of something. . . why wasn't he sick?

Hmmmm curious... A quick vote before you continue?