Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
"Told you," he says. "There's no walking on it yet. I need another day or two."
If it's truly broken, he's going to need more than that. It worries me because our cave is high up in the cliffs. If we can manage to make it past all the gathered metlaks, there's a lot of steep ground to cover before we get to a lower elevation. One problem at a time, I tell myself. For now, we eat and we figure out how we proceed.
I go to the heated pool and unwrap my wounded arm, washing the skin again. It's healing astonishingly well, despite how deep the gouges were. The metlaks have filthy claws, and I was terrified it'd get infected, but everything is scabbed over and there's no redness. Maybe people heal faster here on this planet than back at home? I examine my arm closely but everything looks good. Once I've rewrapped it, I use a stick to roll the roots back out of the fire and wrap them in a skin so I don't burn my hand. I head out to the main cave, pointedly ignoring the eager, burning stares of the metlaks waiting at the entrance and instead pass the roots to both Corvak and Valmir.
"You eat mine," Corvak says, shaking his head and trying to hand his back. "You need your strength."
I refuse it. "If we leave here, who do you think is going to be carrying the majority of our gear? The sick woman? The guy with the busted ankle?"
He sighs heavily but doesn't take a bite until I sit down next to him and nibble on mine.
"As soon as my ankle is healed, I need to leave." Valmir eats his root in two bites. "I can't wait around."
"You've mentioned that," Corvak says. "Repeatedly."
"Just making sure it's clear."
I glance over at the front entrance, where the snow-people are waiting hungrily. It's starting to make me angry, because they know how to feed themselves. They fed themselves before we ever arrived. They just want us to do it now. "It doesn't look like the snow-people are leaving, even if we're not feeding them. You think they'll lose interest and eventually leave?"
Corvak sighs and takes a big bite out of his root. "Not as long as I'm the chosen one. Even more arrived today."
Ugh. I rub his knee sympathetically. He was so excited about having an army and now it's all backfired horribly. "So we just, what, wait for them to starve? We'll starve, too." I gesture at the front entrance. "The only thing keeping us safe is that they won't come in. I worry that superstition won't be enough to stop them when they get hungry enough."
"I can't wait around for that," Valmir says, sitting up taller. His tail lashes furiously, and he seems twitchy this day. "I'm not trying to be a keffing ass, but you don't understand how urgent it is that I return. I…I just can't stay."
"Yes, we know." I turn to Corvak. "And I don't want to stay."
"I don't, either. I want you safe with your people." He strokes his chin, thinking. "We need to get away from them somehow. Perhaps trickery of some kind will be needed. They're not intelligent. I've tried to teach them even the most simple commands for soldiers and they don't listen. We need to make them think I'm returning to the stars somehow. If I'm no longer here, perhaps they would lose interest."
"They want food from you—what if you poison them?" Valmir asks.
I'm horrified. "Oh my god, no. They're still people!"
He puts his hands up. "Just a suggestion. It could be a very light poisoning, just enough to make them sick. Maybe if they're shitting their guts out they won't be so quick to jump on a handout."
If Valmir annoyed me before, I'm disgusted by him now. What a disturbing thing to suggest. "Absolutely not."
"There is no glory in that," Corvak agrees, much to my relief. "They have followed me because they trust me. It would be cruel to abuse them because of that trust. I would not do such a thing, no matter how much they act up. It's not honorable."
"Yeah, well, honor's doing great things for you so far," Valmir retorts, pointing a finger at the entrance. "Your army is in revolt and your woman is injured and sick. Good job, friend."
Corvak bares his teeth in a snarl, tensing. I put my hand on his leg just in case he decides to attack Valmir. Like it or not, we need Valmir. He has to lead us to the beach people.
I squeeze Corvak's leg. "We're not killing anyone. And honestly you've done a great job, love. If this were truly a game, there's no question that we'd win. You have a devoted army, however chaotic it might be. Unfortunately for us, there is no game and your army's going to turn against us. So let's think about solutions. I think Valmir is on to something, though. What happens if they think you died?"