The LEVELER King ✔

CHAPTER 5

When the morning came, nausea came with it.

She's poisoned me, Indel lamented. A flutter in his belly, he leaned over and heaved, emptying his previous meal from the night before into yet another container. "You've poisoned me!"

Nala's strong hand patted his head.

Indel's muscles relaxed. A woeful sense of dread came with it as he calmed, whispering, "Did you honestly poison me?" the hurt in his voice sounded foreign to his own ears. He'd known Nala only for days, but he'd trusted the Summoner. Rather...his tail had trusted the Summoner. "Leading with your tail, Indel," he muttered. "You fool."

"Peace, my lord," Nala soothed, her innocence betrayed by the helplessness of her voice. "Perhaps it is some allergy."

Resting on the hay once more, Indel turned with his back to Nala. He was too hurt by the betrayal to even push Nala back. A shiver ran through him, and it only grew. Little by little he started to recognize his discomfort.

"My nectar. I need nectar. I'll perish without it," Indel cried. "I am in need of nectar."

"Nectar?" Nala asked, hurrying to her feet. "There's a field not so far off. Please. Be still. Remain here and I shall return. I'll gather as many pods as I can."

Eyes closed, Indel prayed for sleep to take him; anything at all was better than this aching body. By the time Indel was able to confirm Nala's return, his breathing was shallow. Each deep gasp for air he took left him winded. As if a great force was pressing down against his chest, he slowed in his efforts, resolving to just take whatever short breaths he could manage.

"My lord, I am here. I have returned. I've found so many. What do I do with them all?"

"Give me!" Indel spun over, grabbing at the air. "Give it to me now!" Two sticky pods oozed in his fists a moment later. His vision blurred, Indel opened and closed his grip again and again, disbelieving of Nala's cruelty. "What is this? Some sort of joke?"

"It is nectar as you've requested."

"Boil it down first, idiot!" Indel threw both pods, striking Nala in the chest.

The Summoner didn't move, she only stared back at him. What she did next surprised him; she marched to the chair by the door and flopped down into it.

Gut tightening, Indel hunched, crying out in anguish, "The nectar."

"I've put up with far more from you than anyone has ever demanded of me," Nala said. "Last night I gave you my body and I lost a part of myself with it. I woke up longing for you. And when you became ill, I feared for you. But I will give you nothing more. Should you honestly need it, I suggest you learn to enjoy pods in their raw form yet again."

Water would well from an Earther's eyes when he felt sorrow. A Leveler or Summoner became dry. Glands along their skin would slow in secretions, plaguing them with itchiness and irritability. Indel stared at Nala, loathing in his hearts for ever having trusted her.

Nala brushed her arms, again and again. When she finally scratched at her forearms, a cold frown on her somber face, Indel calmed. His own body felt dry but he refused to betray his true feelings as Nala had.

"I am sorry," Indel said, finally. "But if you could feel the agony I'm in—"

"And seeing you this way does not agonize me also?" Nala folded her arms, turning her face away.

At a loss for words, Indel doubled over as another cramp traveled up his back, nearly paralyzing him from the pain.

"Please. Do not abandon me in this condition. I beg you. Please."

Nala didn't move.

Indel's vision dimmed until he could see nothing more. Seasons passed, the planet crumbled, died, and came back again in a matter of seconds.

Indel opened his eyes. All was red. He wasn't sure how much time he'd lost.

"Easy," Nala soothed. "Drink."

Unlike the sweet nectar he was accustomed to, Indel swallowed down the bitter brew. He drank so much that he licked at the bowl.

"More. More," Indel demanded.

"There is no more, Mana. That was the last of it."

"The pod," Indel begged. "Give me the pods."

Something wrapped around Indel, gripping his body tight. When Nala brushed their lips together, Indel trembled.

"This is the raw nectar, long before it's corrupted by fire. It'll feel the same soon, but not with the awful after effects."

"My gut burns," Indel whispered.

"I know. But for someone who hates Earthers so much, you don't seem opposed to their brew. We Summoners put up with them for their structures. Is this what Levelers fear to lose should the wars come?"

"Now you know our shame," Indel admitted. "But we have little choice with chances of breeding so scarce. At one time Summoners would protect us in the suns, helping us wander safely at great distances. What choice do we have now but to wait until we can no longer stand it and we must risk traveling to the cave? With my absence this season, our numbers will surely dwindle."

A silence lulled between them. In Nala's sure grip, Indel took the offered comfort, though careful this time to be mindful of making any demands.

The way Nala's body remained stiff and rigid made it seem as if she was waiting for yet another bitter outburst.

Pure nectar coursing through him, Indel decided that for a moment, he would allow himself to be vulnerable. Nala was sure, strong, and patient. It would be all right to just let all worries fade.

"I'll see to it that you reach the caves. As soon as you are well, I'll cover you, and we leave with the suns," Nala assured him.