Bastial Energy (13 page)

Vithos tossed him a fist-sized ball of kupota. Even though they were given the plainest food for their trip, Zoke was at least thankful the kupota had been cooked. The first bite always reminded him of stale bread, hard to chew and tasteless, but the crisp texture after he was through the exterior felt satisfying being mashed between his sharp teeth.

He followed the kupota with a long swig from his water pouch and began to feel sleep taking him. He let himself go, falling into a dreamless slumber.

When he woke, he found Vithos still seated on the same rock, but night had come. He wrestled to sit up, noticing the Elf’s dark eyes on him. They looked black in the moonlight.

“How long have I been asleep?” Zoke asked.

“Three hours, maybe four. You can continue to rest if you would like.” Vithos was slouched with his wrists dangling between his legs, clearly exhausted.

“You’re not going to?” Zoke’s body was tugging him back down, but curiosity kept him up.

Vithos sighed, then straightened his back. “I still have much to think about. I’ll keep guard for a while longer.”

Zoke was too tired to wonder what they needed guarding from and let his head fall against the grass. The rock had left a dull ache in his back, but the pain dissolved when he shifted to lie flat. Falling asleep the second time was just as easy as the first.

It was morning when his eyes opened again. Beige light from the sun twisted into the gray sky from behind a cluster of clouds. In the stretch of land that led to the eastern horizon, Zoke saw only two lonely trees, waves of hills, and nothing else.

Vithos was lying on his side, wrapped in a thin blanket. Zoke didn’t know whether he should wake him. He decided to create some distance between himself and Vithos, squatted behind a large rock, and lowered his pants to make waste. The soreness in his feet and legs reminded him of the toll yesterday had taken.
They’ll be screaming for me to stop before noon
, he thought.
Vithos should’ve brought along someone more suited to walking long distances
.

By the time Zoke returned, his task leader had awoken, twisting to stretch his back while glancing at the flat terrain surrounding them.

“I thought you might have left,” Vithos said with what sounded like a hint of fear in his voice. Zoke had never known the Elf to be afraid.
I probably misheard,
he thought. Figuring out what Vithos was thinking was like listening to Grayol tell a joke incorrectly. There were clues about what the young Krepp meant, but usually not enough to understand the punch line.

“I needed to make waste,” Zoke explained.

Vithos nodded. “You wish to eat before we walk?”

“If you want.”

Vithos dug around in their food bag until he found an oval-shaped kupota half the size of the one he’d tossed to Zoke last night. They sat on the smooth rocks once more.

“We can refill our water pouches when we reach Lake Lensa,” Vithos said, taking a swig and swishing it loudly. He took another swig, leaned back to gargle, and then swished some more.

“I don’t think it would be wise for me to walk another ten or fifteen miles today. I may not be able to walk at all tomorrow if I do.”

That stopped Vithos from taking another sip. “Most Krepps are accustomed to walking that much each day.”

“Then you should have brought one of them,” Zoke said as plainly as he could.

Vithos shook his head, his shoulder-length hair shimmering in the morning light. “No, time is not a priority. I brought the right Krepp. If you can’t walk to Lake Lensa today, then we’ll slow our pace and reach it tomorrow.”

Zoke finished the rest of his inadequate breakfast in silence. Already, he was wishing for something besides kupota and it had only been one day of it. When he stood, Vithos did as well.

“We’ll walk straight north,” Vithos told Zoke. “You lead and I’ll follow. Walk as slow as you like, and we’ll stop when you wish.” His tone was friendlier than Zoke was used to, leaving him with an uneasy feeling. There was nothing that made Zoke more uncomfortable than someone being nice for reasons he didn’t understand, especially given his task within the tribe.

The faster we finish this, the faster I return to the camp.
He set off, reaching for a comforting touch to the hilt of his sword. However, it wasn’t on his belt. W
aiting for me back with Zeti
, he reminded his hand.

Their route was flat for now, as most hills were miles ahead. Often, the sound of Vithos’ leather shoes behind him would stop, so Zoke would turn to check on him for no other reason than to give his wandering eyes something to look at besides barren terrain. Most of the time Zoke found Vithos had paused to survey the land behind them.

“What are you looking for?” Zoke asked eventually.

“Nothing.” Vithos snapped his head back around. “There’s no need to keep checking on me. I won’t lag behind.”

There wasn’t much to distract Zoke, so he again began to wonder about his role in all this. Vithos was capable enough without his help. He couldn’t imagine what could happen that would require his assistance.

When no answers came to mind, he focused on the sky and the sun that brightened its blue color. When that bored him, his eyes found a resting place on the one tall mountain far ahead. There was more moisture in the dirt by then. He could feel it on the bottoms of his toes as his claws dug into the ground with each step. It reminded him how different the dirt felt beneath his feet after his shedding, when he could feel each grain of sand compressing together under the weight of his sensitive skin.
Zeti’s pra durren should be over by now
.
I’m sure Grayol helped her with whatever she needed, if she allowed it
.

Zoke’s stomach ached before his feet did. “How far have we gone?” he asked, trying to learn the distances. He guessed they’d gone four miles. Vithos halted to glimpse behind them.

“Three miles, perhaps.” Vithos turned back around. “Do you see that mountainside to our northwest that we’re coming near?”

“How could I not when it’s the only thing nearby?”

“It’s ten miles south of Lake Lensa. It might be a good place to stop.”

“For lunch?”

Vithos let out a snicker. “No, for the day. It’s maybe five miles from here.”

“Five miles! It can’t be that far.” It looked close enough to reach after a sprint.

“If you focus on it as you walk, you’ll find it moving with you, making your steps feel insignificant. You have to let yourself forget about it. Only then will it begin appearing closer. It’s best not to keep focusing on how far we’re traveling. Otherwise, it’ll seem daunting.”

Suddenly the ache in his feet and calves matched that in his stomach. “Then let’s stop for lunch now.” Zoke unstrapped the bag of food from his shoulder.

Vithos took a long breath. “I can’t wait for more delicious kupota.” He spoke with a sarcastic tone, reaching out his hand.

Zoke stopped himself before handing over one. “It sounded like you just made a joke,” he observed incredulously.

Vithos was put off. “Is it easier to believe I find kupota to be delicious?”

Zoke plopped the round plant into Vithos’ hand. “I’ve seen you eat kupota. I’ve never heard you make a joke.”

“I enjoy jokes.” Vithos took a small bite and made a sour face. “Perhaps another will lighten our mood.” He gestured with the kupota and started talking even though Zoke gave no indication he wanted to hear it. “They sound and look the same, but one act between two Krepps leads to regret a year later, while the other does not. What are the acts I describe?”

“I haven’t heard this riddle,” Zoke said, slightly interested now. “I don’t know.”

“Fighting and mating.” Vithos grinned in anticipation.

Zoke pondered it for a breath. “The child from mating is the regret?”

Vithos grew disappointed. “Of course.”

Zoke didn’t hide his distaste. He’d never mated, but his understanding was that the act looked little like the fights he’d been in. “Are Doe and Haemon telling you jokes of Krepps?”

Vithos was visibly irritated now. Zoke could see it on his face, and that just made Zoke more annoyed.
Why is he the one getting upset?

“Humor is lost on them,” Vithos said with some disdain. “Paramar and I share a joke or a riddle sometimes. Vithos took another breath, lightening his tone. “You know Paramar?”

“Tough-looking Krepp, chief of the Slugari search effort? I wouldn’t have expected him to tell jokes, and neither did I expect that of you.”

“Then you don’t know me,” Vithos said, his voice ice cold.

Zoke spat. “No, I don’t.”

An awkward silence came over them that continued throughout lunch and the rest of the day.

Chapter 16: Disquieting Questions

ZOKE

Zoke and Vithos reached the mountainside just in time for them to still find it. The black of night had become so thick by then that Zoke couldn’t see farther than he could spit.

“Carry food and guard as I sleep. We’ll take shifts.” Vithos had said that about Zoke’s tasks, but curiously there had been no further talk of sleep shifts. Zoke had become deathly bored walking to the mountainside in silence and wanted nothing less than three or four more hours of boredom, so he didn’t mention sleep shifts. He couldn’t determine what threats there were to watch for anyway. There had been no animals. In fact, there was really nothing else besides the two of them, at least that he’d seen.

They lay under the cover of a steep cliff. The wind was chilling. Luckily, most of it was blocked by the mountain. Vithos was five steps away, curled in his blanket. Even though they hadn’t spoken, in Zoke’s mind they’d already reached an understanding that his new task of searching for the Slugari wasn’t a good fit. There was nothing more to say after that. His previous questions seemed silly now. If it wasn’t necessary for him to continue on these hunts after this one, then that’s all he needed to know.

He woke several times from a heavy guilty feeling in his stomach. Each time, he checked on Vithos, who never moved an inch or made a sound. Zoke turned to try and get more comfortable against the bare dirt. He knew the guilt was from the unresolved discord between them, so he decided he would offer a simple greeting when they both awoke. Even if they weren’t a good match for this task, there was no reason to make it worse by not talking.

The following morning his mouth was dry. At first he figured his body was without sufficient water, but after peeling his face from the ground it became clear that dirt had found its way into his mouth while he slept. He spat to clear any remaining grains and wiped his face with his course hands. Vithos was seated with his eyes closed until Zoke spat. The Elf opened them to gaze silently with indifference.

“Ektol,”
Zoke said.

The corners of Vithos’ mouth turned up slightly. “
Ek tolbaru ren
,” Vithos said, using the non-abbreviated form, and then stood. Zoke couldn’t remember the last time he’d used or heard the phrase told to him. Roughly translated from Kreppen, it meant “May we be rewarded appropriately for our efforts,” a greeting or a goodbye spoken among Krepps working together—usually he worked alone.

Zoke bent his legs one by one, shaking them to measure the pain. “You say Lake Lensa is ten miles from here?” he asked.

“That is correct,” Vithos answered, standing.

“Then we can make it there before sunset.” Zoke’s legs felt up to the task, but more so he just wanted to get there. Lake Lensa was only halfway to their destination in the southwest corner of Nor.
And then we still have to walk all the way back,
he reminded himself. It was a discouraging thought.

They ate little and spoke less. Even he, a
gurradu
, was craving something with more flavor. He’d never spoken to Vithos about taste in food, so when they began north again, he thought to ask, “What would you wish to eat if you could have any food right now?” It was a way of breaking the dense silence that was growing heavier with each step they took.

Vithos brought a hand to his chin as he thought. “Salted pork has always been my favorite and would be now as well.”

Zoke so vividly could imagine chewing it that he felt his teeth ripping into the pig meat. “Yes,” he agreed as drool formed and found its way to his chin. “It has only been two days with solely kupota and water. I can’t imagine what it will be like after another ten. I may trade all that I have for pork when we return to the camp.” It was hardly an exaggeration.

The Elf lifted his head for a quick glance before his eyes fell back to the dirt ahead of them. Zoke found it strange that Vithos had no response to his attempt at conversation, but he said nothing of it.

Like so much else of their journey, the land remained mostly flat and only few words were shared. The boredom of it was nagging at Zoke more each hour. When they stopped for lunch, Vithos asked him how he was, wondering if they needed to slow their pace.

“The sooner we can finish this, the happier I’ll be,” Zoke answered truthfully. “Our pace is fine.” He was sore all over, but he had endured worse.