Return of the Burning Man

Chapter Fourteen

Sothoo had been combing the forest for herbs and berries since dawn and had found most of what she had wanted but was still looking for a few essential items. She had told the others what she was looking for and described everything in detail but they kept bringing back everything but what she wanted and it was beginning to tire her so she decided to try to find the final few things herself and so sent them off to find food and wood for the fire.

Lolo was safely wrapped up in Sothoo's woollen shawl and had only taken a few drops of water since they had found her in the forest. Sothoo was concerned that she had not eaten for a while but however much they tried it was impossible to push the little morsels of worms and caterpillars they had found down the bird's gullet.

Sothoo's stomach growled painfully and she realised that she had not eaten anything since the previous day's supper having gone out to find foraging before breakfast. She bundled up everything she had picked and stored it away in a leather bag then turned for the camp, looking all the time for the missing items on her list. She arrived back at the camp to find Raru'iti skinning some rabbits that he had snared with a little pile of wood pigeons ready to be dressed by his feet. The boys were sat, as usual. by the fire, chatting together. Sothoo thought it an unusual friendship, the little priest and the burly hunter but it seemed to work and gods know, how did they find so many things to talk about? She smiled as she sat down beside her bags and the little bundle that was Lolo. She unwrapped the bird and peered inside her heart sank as she saw there seemed to be no improvement. Lolo lay motionless her head lolled lifelessly as Sothoo picked her up to check the herbs pressed into the arrow wound. She lifted the bandage she had made from her underclothes and peered inside. The herbs were meant to draw the poison but without knowing what poison, she was working in the dark, and without the few things she still had to find things would be even more difficult. She placed Lolo back on the shawl and took the cork out of a small bottle and using a short reed dropped some of the contents into the bird's open beak. She closed her eyes and concentrated deep inside she felt Lolo but faintly. She latched onto the bird and with all her strength sought a healing spell. When Lolo was healthy she only had to think of something and together they would find the spell necessary but now Sothoo had to do most of the work hoping Lolo would somehow find the strength to guide her.

At last, she felt herself latch onto the spell she needed as she eased herself from Lolo so she might use all her strength to use the spell to heal the bird. Inside Sothoo shook as she laid her hands on the bird and muttered the spell under her breath. A warmth grew inside her that she knew would help but was inadequate because Lolo could not connect her to the realm of magik and so the power of the spell came from Sothoo only. Sothoo pushed the warmth inside her into her hands and Lolo heaved slightly as the power of the spell drove into her body and for a while, the bird opened its eyes and stared at Sothoo but as the spell wore off Lolo closed her eyes and sank back down into the shawl. Sothoo cradled the bird and stroked its head wishing there was more she could do. She thought back to Lolontoo's murder back in the caves and how she had been unable to prevent it. She thought about how she had longed to find the culprit and make them pay for what they had done but that Lolo had made her understand there would be a reckoning. She looked at her magikal companion and it worried her that she might be about to lose her friend for the second time and this time it would be for good.

After their evening meal Raru'iti warned Sothoo that they had spent a day too many at this camp and they must leave tomorrow. Sothoo begged him to stay a while longer until she had found the things she was looking for or at least until Lolo had recovered a little.

'We cannot stay here a day longer. We are in grave danger from the war-band that sent out the scouts to follow us. We must leave or we will be attacked and taken. You will have ample opportunity to find the things you need from the forest and path edges as we walk homewards. I'm sorry, Sothoo. Prepare yourself and Lolo, we leave tomorrow.'