As she trudged closer, the scrub did not fade from view or remain in the distance. Tazi realized she was actually gaining on it. Heartened, she picked up speed, and soon enough she was in the middle of a small area of brush. Though it was mostly insignificant piles of rocks and quick-moving lizards, there was a little plant life.
Everything she saw was dead. Tazi slumped down on the ground and dropped her head in defeat. She wanted to scream but didn't possess the energy.
Shaking her head, she whispered, 'I don't even have enough water for tears. In the end, I'm not even allowed that.'
She debated going farther but knew she had reached her limit if she was going to return to her friends.
'If I'm going to die,' she finally said, 'there's no finer company to be in.'
She started to rise wearily to her feet when some movement to her right caught her eye. Several speckled lizards darted in and out of a cluster of stones. Almost as though mocking her, one sat on a small boulder and defiantly licked at the moisture on its own eyeball. Tazi toyed with the idea of trying to catch some of them, but tossed the thought aside.
'Even if I could snare you little demons,' she muttered, 'all of you put together wouldn't make a meal worth the effort.'
Something about their numbers puzzled her, though. Nowhere else in this little haven had she seen any wildlife.
'Just what makes that pile of rocks so special,' she wondered aloud, 'that you all have to hide there?'
She moved over to investigate, and the moment her shadow passed over the lizards they scattered in every direction on their spindly legs. She didn't bother worrying about whether they might be poisonous or not, if any still remained. She simply thrust her hands into the clutch of stones and started moving them around.
There, nestled in the protective shelter of the gravel, was a small clump of what could only be Calim cacti.
'Thank you,' she murmured to no one in particular.
More precious than gold, the group of plants meant possible salvation. Tazi was overjoyed to discover that there was more than one and all of them had submerged roots. She carefully brushed away some of the sand and began to pluck the cacti. They had sharp thorns that tore at her cracked hands but Tazi hardly felt the pain as she pulled out the only desert treasure worth harvesting.
True to Fannah's description, the tiny plants had tremendously long roots and Tazi could feel that they were heavy with moisture. She used her sword to hack the roots free from the thorny part of the plants. Tazi then tossed the cactus tops aside and hoped that they might form new root systems.
'Something for the next lost soul,' she explained to a lone lizard before it skittered away.
When her sack was full of the priceless fauna, she stood up and started to turn around. One last cactus caught her attention, and she nearly dismissed it as the plant's roots were fully exposed. Prom what Fannah had explained, that meant the plant was seeking water and of no use to Tazi-but a strange thought came to her mind.
'It's worth a try,' she said as she carefully removed the whole plant.
She carried this one away from the bag crammed with the engorged roots and started the trek back to her friends. She debated about trying one of the roots on the march back, and though her logical mind argued that it made sense since she had expended so much energy to find them, she found she couldn't do it knowing that Fannah and Steorf still suffered without water.
'We'll all have some soon enough,' she promised to the little voice of reason that nagged her.
Whether it was because she had simply not accurately kept track of time or her excitement had quickened her pace, Tazi made it back to her friends in short order. Even from a brief distance, one look at Fannah's face spoke volumes to Tazi. There wasn't much time left for Steorf. She rushed to their side.
'Fannah,' her voice cracked, 'I found them.'
'Thank Sharess,' Fannah offered in prayer. 'I knew she would show you the way.'
Tazi found herself tempted to make a joke about Sharess and speckled lizards, but she didn't. She realized that she wasn't sure if someone had led her to the plants or not, so instead of insulting any benevolent forces, Tazi dropped her sack in front of Fannah and laid the intact plant beside Steorf.
'What's the best way to get the water from them?' she asked.
Fannah took a chunk of one of the roots and scored it with Tazi's dagger. It started to bleed water.
'Hold this with both hands,' she instructed Tazi, 'and suck on it. When you can't get any more liquid out of it, chew up the pulp and extract the last bit of water that way.'
Tazi took the first piece that Fannah had cut and held it to Steorf's lips. His face was flushed, and Tazi was alarmed to see that he had stopped perspiring altogether. For a heartbeat, he didn't respond to the liquid Tazi could see rolling into his mouth and she feared the worst.
She leaned close to his ear and implored, 'Please take it, Steorf. I won't go on without you.'
She held her breath.
Slowly, Tazi could see Steorf's eyes flicker and his tongue gingerly dab at his moistened lips and the strange object he found near his mouth. His eyes opened slightly, and Tazi knew he recognized her. She hadn't lost him.
'Don't talk,' she whispered. 'Just keep sucking on this. I'll explain it all later.'
She placed his hands onto the plant.
'Take this,' Fannah told her gently and handed her a section of the root. While Tazi sucked out the life-saving liquid, Fannah asked, 'Did you bring any of the little cacti as well?'
'I thought about it,' Tazi said between slurps, 'but, in the end, I left the tops where I found them. I hoped that they might form new roots and continue to grow. That way, they might be there for someone else one day.'
Her idea sounded ridiculous when spoken aloud.
I should have taken them for what little food they would have provided, she berated herself.
Fannah, however, nodded.
'A wise offering back to the desert,' she complimented her bewildered friend. 'You know more about life than you give yourself credit for.'
'I did bring one plant back intact,' Tazi said quietly, 'because I have an idea. You said the cactus uses its roots to suck in moisture, right?'
Fannah agreed and Tazi could see the same idea now dawn on her friend.
'I found one that was thirsty,' Tazi continued, 'and I'm sure it's even thirstier now. Maybe the sun has gotten to me, but I'd like to try something.'
Tazi knew Fannah had grasped her train of thought. She turned to face Steorf.
'I have an idea that I want to try out,' she explained to him.
He nodded at her with glazed eyes, not really comprehending what she was saying but simply trusting her.
Tazi reached for the cactus and gripped the base of the plant with one hand and held one of its longest roots, nearly three feet in length, against the wound on Steorf's chest. Almost immediately, Tazi could see the milky discharge disappear into the moisture-starved plant. Several minutes passed, and Tazi watched as the root started to swell where it touched Steorf. That swelling slowly grew and progressed up the length of the root, but when the swelling reached the base of the plant, the thorny cactus started to sag. Tazi pulled the dying plant away from Steorf.
She knew that the plant wouldn't be able to draw out all of the poison, but judging from the new width of the root, it had removed a significant portion. Between that and the water, Steorf started to lose the vacant glaze in his eyes. Tazi squeezed his hand and gave him a new section of root.
When all the cacti were gone, Steorf was much more alert. However, though he was somewhat recovered, he was by no means cured of the worm toxin, and Tazi knew it.
'When this is all over,' she told him, 'I'll get you to a proper healer.'
' 'When this is over…' ' he repeated, marveling at her choice of words.
'Yes,' Tazi answered him, 'when this is all finished.'
'If you are feeling a little stronger,' Fannah interrupted, 'perhaps you can finish these.'
She held out Ciredor's parchments, and Steorf accepted the sheaf of papers. Both Tazi and Fannah helped
