I withdrew my line of questioning when I felt his resistance. His tone warned me to steer clear of the topic. I marched behind him, his torch the guiding light in the dark, feeling comfortable with a man I hardly knew.
A couple hours later, I spotted the glow from the flowers in the distance.
Morco halted and turned back to face me. “We stay quiet. I’ll follow your lead.” He blew on the torch, and the flames dwindled but didn’t extinguish. Then he sealed his bare palm over the top and put out the flames with his own flesh.
Then it was dark.
I’d never been so aware of it before now.
I felt him reach for me, felt his big hand touch my forearm and gently hold on to it. The heat from his hand traveled through the fabric of my shirt and warmed my bare skin. He gave me a gentle tug, telling me to begin my search.
I suddenly felt the weight of responsibility hit me. If I could find these crops, it would be a blessing to him and his people. The stews could be heartier and filling. Morale would be boosted among the tribe.
My tribe.
I turned toward the glowing flowers and began my search, kneeling down on the forest floor and touching the brush I found there. The leaves of these root vegetables were distinctly different from the bushes and other shrubbery I was used to seeing on the surface, but I wasn’t sure if the plants would be exactly the same below. The conditions were similar, but not identical. On the surface, sun still shone on the leaves, but here, there was only darkness.
But I would search until I found something.
Morco’s appearance came as a shadow, his body blocking the light that came from the firefly petunias. He stayed with me as I moved but never spoke, didn’t make a sound as he passed through the foliage.
I found nothing useful, but I continued to look anyway. Continued to look, not for myself, not just because I was hungry, but because I knew Morco was too. In the two days I’d been with the Obsidians, I’d quickly realized Morco lived for his people and not for himself. He didn’t hoard the food for himself, didn’t send his inferiors to do his bidding. He was a greater man than Vulgaris, even greater than my own father.
I wanted to help.
Time passed, and I continued my search, finding nothing but indigestible greens. My hands were coated in dirt, and it was trapped under my fingernails. I couldn’t see the buildup in the dark, but I could feel it on my skin.
The glowing flowers grew only in patches on the forest floor, so I couldn’t see everything as I searched. I had to identify by touch alone. While I was experienced in gardening, I wasn’t experienced enough to have such a skill.
I grabbed another set of leaves in the dirt, and when I pulled up from the top, I felt resistance. But more resistance than from a flimsy stalk. I tugged again, and when I couldn’t remove the leaves from the earth, I returned my hands to the dirt and dug, my fingers feeling the outline of something solid. I dug into the earth and finally tugged it free.
Morco moved in close, like he knew I’d found something by the way I continued to dig in the same spot.
I finally pulled it free and examined it in the limited light. Firm to the touch but malleable, shaped like an oval with tapered tips, I brushed my thumb over the skin and recognized the papery feel. “Yes, it’s a potato?—”
He snatched me by the wrist and squeezed.
I closed my mouth, realizing the grave mistake I’d just made.
He continued to grip me, to listen attentively to make sure we were alone. He stayed that way for seconds and then a minute, just listening to the forest around us. When he let me go, that told me it was okay to resume.
I grabbed his hand, feeling that searing heat again, and placed the spud in it.
He quietly opened his pack and placed it inside.
I continued to dig, knowing there should be more in the area.
He started to join me, getting his hands dirty as we dug up the earth and found the hearty vegetable hidden in the ground. They were covered in dirt, but we stuffed them into his pack anyway.
We cleared the entire area, digging until there was nothing left to be found. But we found at least fifteen potatoes, and that was better than none.
High on success, I continued to search for more, hoping to come across more potatoes or something else, like carrots or mushrooms.
Morco moved with me, squatting down beside me as I searched among the flowers for more. I came across something else, the thin, long leaves of a carrot. I dug my hands into the soil once again, and I pulled them free, feeling their long length and hardness. If I were to break them in half, they would make a distinctly loud snap. I placed it in his hand so he could feel it, and he squeezed it in his fingertips.
Together, we dug and harvested all the carrots in the area and added them to the pack.
I was digging for more when he grabbed me by the wrist.
