Mara grimaces but obeys. She chews it and swallows.
He stroked her hair and cheeks. “The lichen should react with your stomach contents almost immediately. I’ll warn you now, it will cause mild nausea. Your body will purge itself of the toxin.”
No sooner had he explained all that, then she leaned to the side and started to throw up.
Vaelor supported her, steady and calm.
“Good. Let it out. Your body is doing what it must.”
There was no stopping it on her end. She kept throwing up and throwing up until finally, there was nothing left.
“That’s it, my valla. The toxin is gone.”
“I feel like a wet noodle,” she told him.
“I don’t understand that?”
“I can’t move or stand. I have no strength.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Vaelor lifted her and began to carry her back to the campsite. He started the fire again and wrapped her in all the furs that he had collected. He curled up next to her and leaned her up to drink some water.
“We need to get to the next campsite,” she told him.
“We will leave once we have you warmed and fed.”
She shook her head. “I can’t eat anything right now.”
“I have soup warming. It is just a vegetable broth. It will be gentle on your stomach, and I’ve made sure it does not have any toxins.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
He snuggled closely and inhaled her scent. “You can save me next time.”
That brought a laugh. She couldn’t have picked a better partner.
“Rest for now. When the soup is warm enough, I’ll wake you. Then we’ll travel to the next campsite.”
She was starting to doze off when she whispered, “I love you.”
Chapter 26
Vaelor
I love you.Her words played in his mind over and over. It had warmed him greatly but at the same time, did she mean those words?
She slept for two hours. He allowed it because her body had been through quite an ordeal. When she woke up, she ate the soup that he kept warm for her. She managed to hold it down. More water to hydrate her. Then they covered the fire and began their journey.
“Will we get there before sunset?” Mara asked. She pulled the heavy fur skin around her tighter.
He had slowed greatly so that she didn’t have to struggle in her weakened state to keep up. Vaelor checked the horizon. There was no way they would beat the sun setting.
“No, but we will make it there tonight.”
“It is what it is.”
“There’s something else,” he said.
