Page 147 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Shemza

I wake, but my Lorna does not. I am not surprised. She has her injuries and her emotions to sleep off. Her breathing is strong and steady, the beat of her heartspace also, so I do not worry. Now I am rested, my headspace is clearer. I know she will be fine.

Without the dreamspace dragging me in, I feel weary, but not so much that I cannot get my linasha home.

First, I dress us both. Our clothes are still wet, but I think my Lorna would prefer to be covered.

Besides, she will stay plenty warm enough in my arms that the chill of damp clothes will not affect her.

I check the bump on her head, find it is already fading.

Then I raise her into my arms and start walking back to the village.

I do not rush, not wanting to jostle my linasha more than is necessary.

My linasha. My heartspace nearly bursts with joy to address her so.

It does not take long to return to the village.

It is not far to walk for my raskarran legs.

I am unsure how long we have been gone - it is still daytime, the evening not having arrived yet, but how deep into the morning, or even the afternoon it is, I cannot say for sure.

Judging by the number of my brothers and sisters who have returned to the fire, I suspect it has been a while.

I do not like that I have been gone so long while my brother ails in the healer’s hut, but Lina called me to my Lorna’s dreamspace.

I hope she has watched over Callif in my absence.

“Shemza!” Rachel rushes over. I look for distress in her expression, but see only concern for me and my Lorna.

“Callif?”

“Callif sleep. No wake.” She taps a hand to her heartspace. “Strong.”

“I thank you for watching over him.”

And thank Lina for the blessing of my apprentices.

“Molly?”

“Safe,” Rachel says, smiling briefly before her expression fades to concern. “Lorna?”

“Do not worry over your sister, sweet Rachel. She is going to be fine.”

More than just fine. She is going to be the happiest female in the village. I will make sure of it.

With Callif occupying the healer’s hut, I consider taking my Lorna to her own bed, but decide I would prefer to have her in mine.

In the privacy of my bedroom, I remove her damp clothes once more, wrap her in one of my own tops, then bundle her in a double layer of pelts to keep her warm.

I kiss her brow, brushing my thumb gently over the receding bump, before heading for the healer’s hut to check on my brother’s progress myself.

I find him looking much improved. He sleeps, but his colour is better, his skin less grey.

I see that Rachel has changed his dressings, fresh bandages wrapping his stomach.

I can smell the scent of virren root paste - used to reduce swelling and the risk of infection in wounds - and smile.

She has taken exactly the course I would have advised.

I check Callif’s temperature. Check around his wounds for any signs of infection. I listen to his heartspace and find its rhythm strong, just as Rachel described.

“I think you are going to be just fine, brother.”

It is hard to imagine otherwise with Lina’s blessing still making my heartspace so full.

I head back to my hut, tiredness starting to tug at my senses again.

Rachel and Vantos agree to sit with Callif this evening, while Rardek and Paskar will take the overnight watch.

They all know where they will find me if my healer’s expertise is needed, but I do not think it will be.

Time and care are what Callif needs now, not healing interventions.

My Lorna still sleeps when I enter my bedroom.

I peel my clothes from my body, slipping into the pelts beside her.

Though she does not wake, she does shift, nestling her body into mine - her sleep not so deep as before.

I wrap my arms around her, glad for the gift of being able to hold her body to mine.

We wake in time for the evening meal, my Lorna stretching out her limbs as she sits up, pressing a hand to her head.

“ Hurt?” I say, brushing my lips against her brow.

No dreamspace formed between us this time, her injury keeping me out as it should.

“ Yes .” She grimaces at me, but presses a soft kiss to my lips. “ Hi. ”

This is a human greeting word, and she says it with such shyness, as if meeting me for the first time. I suppose in a way she is.

“Linasha,” I say to her, letting a little heat curl round the word. I will not touch her this night. Not when her head troubles her still, but I want her to know that our journey together in her memories has not dampened my desire for her at all.

I insist she remains in our bed, heading out to fetch our evening meal for us. I bring it back to her, along with chosta leaf tea, which will dull the hurts in her head. She is just drinking down the last of it when there is a knock on our door.

I am not surprised to find it is Liv, come to check on her sister. Our chieftess is known for her fierceness, but I remember how she brought me geberren root and pelts and food by the pools. She has a caring heartspace. It is where her fierceness comes from, I think.

I usher her inside, bringing her to my Lorna. My Lorna looks a little pale, but I can see resolve in her as she hands her empty cup to me.

“ Wannatellmewhasgoinonhere? ” Liv says, a hint of humour in her tone softening the seriousness of her expression.

“ Ahwill, ” my Lorna says. “ Buditsamorecomplicatedquestionthanyuhthink. ”

I leave them to it, taking our bowls back to the fire. My brothers watch me with curious eyes, but they do not ask the question that must burn inside them. Their chieftess has gone to get the measure of the situation, and they will wait until she is satisfied before pursuing answers.

Or perhaps they sense my tiredness, my desire to return once more to my bed.

I check in with Callif one last time for the evening, finding him unchanged. It is a good thing. People do not rapidly recover from such injuries, but they can rapidly decline. No change means no change for the worse and it is what I hope for until a few more sunsets have passed.

“I am to my bed for the evening,” I say to Vantos, who sits beside Rachel, his tail curled around her.

“Rest well, brother. We will be your eyes and ears now.”

I am almost to my hut when I spy Grace walking towards me, her arm wrapped about Molly’s shoulder. The youngling looks like she has done much crying this day, her eyes reddened, her skin blotchy. Grace nudges her gently in my direction, and she swallows before taking a breath and speaking to me.

“I am sorry, Shemza,” she says in raskarran words. “Please forgive me.”

I grip her shoulder gently. Her shoulder covered now by her top.

“There is nothing to forgive.”

I do not know if she has understood my answer, but she bursts into tears.

Grace draws her into an embrace, looking over her head at me with a hint of exasperation, but also gratitude that Molly is safe, that the quarrel between them is forgotten.

I hope that Grace can help Molly overcome the troubles she carries.

I should think my apprentice is skilled and compassionate enough.

There are more tears waiting for me when I step inside my hut.

My Lorna sobs as she tells her tale of woe to her chieftess.

Liv has tried to keep her emotions out of her expression, but her eyes blaze with anger, and from the way she grips my Lorna’s hand, the anger is not directed at her.

I step into the room with them, sitting down on the bed next to my linasha and sliding an arm around her shoulder.

She does not break from her talking, but I feel the way she relaxes into me, drawing strength from my presence, and my chest swells with pride to think that I can provide this small comfort to her.

“ Ahmgladyuhwereonourship, ” Liv says when my Lorna finishes, her voice firm, unyielding. “ Ahmgladyureherenohbackthere. Nomoretalkofnotbelonging. Urewunofus. Wunofthetribe.”

I do not think I have seen anything so beautiful as the smile that breaks across my linasha’s face at this.

The next morning, I am startled awake by a knock at the door. Fearing it is someone come to fetch me to Callif, I rush to answer it, and am relieved to find it is Sally, Ahnjas in her arms.

“Lolo!” Ahnjas says, holding out one of the slates Sally uses for her lessons. I take it from him, looking at the neat rows of drawings he has made. They are a little unsteady, but I recognise them as faces, every one of them smiling.

“I am sorry it is so early, Shemza,” Sally says. “This one would not be consoled until he has seen his Lolo.”

I grin. “I am sure his Lolo would be most pleased to see him also.”

“And me!” Jassal says, jumping beside her mother so that she might be better seen.

“Calm down,” Sally says. “Lorna has bumped her head. She needs rest and relaxation, not two terrors jumping all over her.”

She sets Ahnjas down, and he runs in his wobbly way straight to my room. I hold the door for him, revealing my Lorna sat up in bed, her hair tousled with sleep, but her eyes bright and shining.

“ Goodmornin, ” she says, scooping him up into her lap.

“Lorna!” Jassal says, jumping up to give her a hug.

“Liv told me a little of what Lorna told her,” Sally says, her voice quiet, expression grim. “I am glad she has you to guard her heartspace, Shemza. She has suffered much.”

“Much of it her own thoughts tormenting her. She feared you would not let the younglings be around her if you knew the truth.”

Sally scoffs. “I am many years lived in this world now. I have no lingering feelings that my world was a good place. I trust raskarran ways of thinking far more than human ways. You are glad to have your Lorna as your linasha, that alone is proof enough of her goodness for me.”

“I thought you would be inclined to that way of thinking.”

“I am ever grateful for her help. And now I know that she can read and write …” Sally’s eyes gleam. “I think I will be passing Jassal’s lessons on to her, if she would take them.”

I grip Sally’s shoulder. “I think there are few things that would make her happier.”

We follow the younglings into my bedroom. Jassal sits beside my Lorna, resting her head on my Lorna’s shoulder. Ahnjas bounces excitedly in my Lorna’s lap, babbling his nonsense words to her. I sit down next to him, handing him back the slate.

“You wished to show this to your Lolo,” I remind him.

He beams, then shoves the slate towards her. My Lorna laughs and takes it from him, looking down at the smiling faces.

“ Mygoodness, ” she says. “ Wotagoodjobyuhvedone. ”

“ Wotdusitsay, Ahnjas?” Jassal says. “ Reeditfor Lorna.”

Ahnjas presses a slobbery finger to one of the smiles.

“ Hah-pee ,” he says.