The bitter liquid slid down my throat. I grimaced, but drank it all.
"Just fever dreams," I mumbled.
"Sounded more like memories." Her eyes, deep brown and unflinching, studied mine.
The fever loosened my tongue. "Did you know the children of human-monster unions are stronger? More resistant to disease. Each generation of pure mapinguari grows weaker."
She sat back on her heels. "So we're breeding stock."
"I don't… " The words caught in my throat. "I never wanted this. The forced unions. I argued against them."
"Yet here we are." Her voice wasn't accusatory, just matter-of-fact.
"Here we are," I agreed, feeling my hypocrisy. "I told myself I was different. That I'd treat you with respect. As if respect could make up for taking your freedom."
She said nothing, just continued tending to my wound.
"Sometimes I think the council is wrong," I continued, words spilling out that I'd never dare utter while clearheaded. "That there must be another way. Voluntary unions, perhaps. Real alliances between our peoples instead of this... arrangement."
Her hands stilled. "Those are dangerous thoughts, Redmon."
"I know." The fever was making the room spin again. "That's why I never act on them. I'm a coward."
Her cool hand pressed against my forehead. "You're delirious. Sleep now."
But as consciousness slipped away, I thought I saw something new in her eyes. Not just determination to survive, but curiosity.
Three days passed before I could stand. My strength, once so reliable, had abandoned me. The wound on my side had closed but remained tender, and the poison had left me weak as a newborn.
"We need to leave today," Kalyndi said, packing her healer's supplies. "The medicine won't keep much longer in this heat."
I nodded, testing my weight on shaky legs. "I can manage."
Her skeptical look said otherwise. "Here." She handed me a sturdy branch, smoothed into a walking staff. "I made this while you were sleeping."
The craftsmanship was impressive. I ran my fingers over the wood, noting the careful carving that formed a comfortable grip.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. We've got a long way to go."
The journey that had taken us two days heading out now stretched before us, looking impossibly long. I slung the pack with the precious medicine over my better shoulder. At least I could carry that much.
"Let me," she said, reaching for the pack.
"I'm not completely useless," I growled.
She pulled back, hands raised. "Fine. Collapse if you want. I'll just drag your enormous carcass back to the terramares."
Despite everything, I chuckled. "You've got a sharp tongue for a prisoner."
"And you've got a thick skull for someone who just nearly died." She stepped past me toward the cave entrance. "Coming?"
The forest that I normally moved through with ease had become a gauntlet of obstacles. Roots threatened to trip me, hills left me winded, and by midday, I was leaning heavily on the staff.
Kalyndi walked slightly ahead, constantly scanning our surroundings. When she suddenly raised her hand for me to stop, I froze.
"What is it?" I whispered.
