“Good. I want to take care of this when we get there, if possible. We need to recharge overnight before facing Élivágar tomorrow.”
“That is wise. I believe it will take everyone working together to defeat Élivágar. We are where we need to cross to the other side of the Run. Give us a moment to raise stone crossings for you.” With that, they wait on the bank of the gently flowing creek while the Ga-hon-ga create stepping stones for Wendy and the others to cross. Once the stones are in place, Sully walks across first, followed by Wendy then the rest of the group with Tiko bringing up the rear.
“We shall leave the stones in place for your return. At the base of that tree ahead lays a cave on the opposite side. That is where the Oh-do-was will meet us.”
“They aren’t the only ones around here. I can sense spirits as well. You said the sound of flowing water soothes them. If that’s the case, then I think Tiko, Tewow and I should stay here and set up a meeting, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine with me, Vito. Sully, I have a bone guard for you to wear as I assume you will stay with Wendy. Sepulveda, I have something for you too.”
“I thank you, but I’ll be staying here with Tewow. Do I still use it if I’m in your vicinity, Tiko?”
“It won’t hurt to have it as back-up. Wendy and Sully, will you be okay without us?”
“Yes, the majority of the Ga-hon-ga will be with us meeting the Oh-do-was. And the tree is just over there in case we need you. Thanks for checking.”
Wendy and Sully continue to the meeting while the rest of the group remains. The sun is low on the horizon and Wendy does not relish returning at full dark. Hopefully this won’t take long. They circle the large tree and at the base of the other side is a cave. Or more accurately, it’s a depression leading to the mouth of a cave with the tree serving as impressive roof adornment.
Just as they arrive, a small person emerges from the mouth of the cave. As she comes further into the daylight, her sparse clothing becomes layered for the colder weather until she is dressed like the females in Hogun’s group. Wendy wishes she had to ability to conjure clothing to fit the environment at a whim, it would come in very handy.
The Oh-do-was representative prefers the underground and wishes to return as soon as possible. She is able to show Wendy the depth of the curse and luckily, it’s within the reach of her powers. Wendy consults with Hogun and his people and their plan seems not only feasible, but likely to succeed. Wendy and Sully rejoin the remaining group in quick time.
Tiko is standing at attention when they return. He clutches a bone club made of the femur of a large animal, almost twice the length of an adult human male. It feels different, even more than most animal bones feel from humans, and Wendy realizes the femur contains no organic material, the bone is completely petrified. There are thin leather strips wrapped around the base of the knee side of the femur forming a hand grip. Wendy can also see a faint shimmer coating the entire club, strengthening the already substantial stone-like bone into a difficult to shatter formidable bludgeoning instrument. He also has several bone knives scattered on his person. For the first time, Wendy gets a glimpse of the warrior inside the Bone Sage. She wonders if Tiko can break bones as quickly as she can mend them but has no interest in competing for the dubious honor, or at least she hasn’t met a person she wants to put through that competition.
Tiko is guarding a prone Vito. She’d be more alarmed if she didn’t sense that Vito’s in an exhausted sleep and not unconscious from an attack. Sepulveda and Tewow are both barely sitting upright on forest floor. Leaves are thinly piled beneath everyone providing a barrier to the light snow-covered terrain.
Tiko responds to Wendy’s questioning look, “Vito extended the time they were behind the veil, giving Tewow and Sepulveda a day to speak with the lost tribe rather than the hour you were gone. Plus, he made sure everyone understood each other. Finally, he misted the spirits with a fine bone powder to strengthen my connection to them. All this exhausted him, that’s why he’s passed out. Tewow and Sepulveda are the normal tired from spending a day learning as much as they could from the lost tribe.”
“Is Vito going to be able to walk out of here, or will we need to carry him?”
“We’ll see how quickly he can recover in the time it takes Wendy to lift the curse. Otherwise, I think you and I will need to carry him out, Sully.”
“Why did Vito keep them in the in-between for so long? Did it take a while to explain to the lost tribe how we wish to help them?”
“Nope. Tewow and Sepulveda wanted to gather as much history, language, customs, and knowledge they could from the lost tribe. That was their main concern, the lost tribe didn’t want to be forgotten. Tewow is a storyteller and relied on his training to commit as much of their words and stories to memory as he could. Somehow, Vito was able to bring Sepulveda’s recorder and notebook with her and she wrote down or recorded information as well. They’ll transcribe the information for archival purposes and Tewow will also travel to other conservatorships and provide an oral recitation of this tribe. I’m impressed at their dedication to retaining traditions, though now we have to deal with the exhausted fallout.
