"I should call my parents," Shovia said.
"Use the phone in the front of the store," Jaida told her.
I was surprised to learn that a small shop like that had a telephone line. Most households in Eluria had them, but Elucia was a poor country, and the terrain made running phone cables a complicated task. Perhaps the apothecary had it because of the strategic supplies Jaida stocked?
Jayron must have read my expression. "Most homes in Skywatcher's Point have phone lines. We run communication cables underground alongside the power lines. There's a main switchboard in Podana that connects all the mountain communities."
I had to readjust my preconceived notions about Elucia. It might appear backward to outsiders, but their infrastructure was remarkably sophisticated, especially considering the challenging topography.
"Officials suspect Shedun infiltrators disguised as pilgrims planted the devices," the news anchor said, turning to the ongoing investigation. "A thorough search is underway for signs of worm tunnel activity in the surrounding area."
"They're long gone by now," Kailin said, still stroking Chicha. "They must have planted the explosives when no one was watching, set timers, and then escaped through their tunnel, collapsing it behind them."
"It would take considerable planning and inside knowledge to pull off something like this," I said. "Guards patrol the square regularly, don't they? Especially before a ceremony that the shaman presides over."
Kailin nodded.
Milly gasped, one hand flying to her throat. "Are you suggesting there might be a traitor in the Guard?"
I realized my mistake immediately. The idea that Elucians had betrayed their own was inconceivable, evidently. "Not at all. They might have planned their attack weeks in advance, planting the devices when security wasn't on high alert, as it must be before the shaman comes down the mountain."
Thankfully, Shovia returned before I dug myself deeper into trouble. "My parents send their thanks to the two brave Elurians who helped us get away in time." She smiled at me. "I also called Morek. He and his family are safe." She sat back down next to Kailin's mother. "Morek said that he heard that the blessing ceremony is going to be conducted at the overnight camp at the base of the mountain. The Guard is sweeping the area first to make sure that there are no explosives planted there."
I looked down at my soiled fatigues and wondered whether we were expected to show up as we were. We had only one more change of clothing in our backpacks, which I just now realized were still at the town square where we had left them when we'd run.
They might be shredded to pieces for all I knew, and I assumed that other pilgrims were in the same situation. How did they expect us just to continue as if nothing had happened?
"Your tea is getting cold, Shovia." Jaida pushed her cup closer.
The back door opened, and Codric came in, looking more like himself than when he had left a few minutes ago.
"Just in time," Kailin's grandmother said. "Your tea is ready." She put it on the table in front of him.
He took a hesitant sip, and then another. "This is not bad. I was afraid it would taste awful."
Kailin's grandmother chuckled as she settled onto a stool at the head of the table. "One of the first lessons I learned from my father was that potions and tinctures had to be palatable forpeople to actually consume them. After all, what's the point of crafting exceptional medicine if no one will take it?"
In Eluria, we encapsulated our medicines to make them easy to swallow, but Elucians either couldn't afford the high prices of Elurian pharmaceuticals or preferred to use their own centuries-old recipes that combined herbs.
I didn't know which one was better, so I chose not to comment.
"This is incredible," Codric said, finishing his cup. "My stomach feels much better already. Thank you."
"We need to get our packs," Kailin said. "I hope they didn't blow up." She closed her eyes. "That sounded so wrong. I shouldn't care about the backpacks when people died, and so many were hurt."
"I'll go with Codric to retrieve them," I offered, starting to rise.
"That's not a good idea," Jayron said. "I'll go—the packs have name tags sewn on them, so I will have no trouble locating yours."
He was right, of course. In the wake of an attack, any outsiders would be viewed with suspicion. Codric and I would be lucky if we weren't detained for questioning despite the help we had provided.
The people who were investigating the attack were not the same ones who helped rescue the wounded, and to them, we would be just a couple of Elurians with questionable motives.
I looked at Kailin, who was still cradling her trembling dog and stroking her shaggy head, and I wondered whether Codric and I would even be allowed to continue the pilgrimage now that the Elucians had tightened their security.
21
KAILIN
