Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) Jonathan Michael (red novels .txt) 📖

“But I do have one question,” she adds. “How do you suppose I fetch water and bring it back, Master Stone? All I have are my scant undergarments. I don’t even have shoes to scoop with. Not that we’d want to drink out of a shoe, but still.”

My senses fade, along with my thoughts.

Oh no! My nose itches. I scrunch it and wiggle it around, but it’s not doing the trick. Here comes some pain. “Argh,” I groan and go limp after rubbing my knuckles against it. My arms aren’t broken, but the slightest movement shoots pain through my spine.

“It’s my fault you’re in this condition,” Stone’s voice sounds. “I’m sorry.”

What? I don’t remember Stone pushing me off that roof. How could he take the blame? He tried to catch me. He didn’t cause this. Did he?

Stone has good intentions to make me as comfortable as possible, but he prods at my body, starting with my vitals. I wince. I assume to see if anything is out of place. Stone continues to gently rub his hands over me and…

“Urgh!” I erupt with a shrilling groan. Stone throws his hands off me as if he were handling a venomous serpent ready to strike.

“Aha!” He says it like he’s having a splendid time playing a game of scavenger hunt. “Cracked ribs.”

Dammit, Stone, don’t you realize I’m in absolute misery right now? This is no time to be chipper.

Stone prods further, speaking quietly now as he learns where the damage is. My abdomen hurts everywhere. Movement of any kind hurts. My entire body is broken, if you ask me. But Stone searches for the specifics. He lifts a leg, and as I squint through the pain in my spine, I see a pig intestine filled with lard. A meat stick. Not a leg at all. All the muscle and sinew are intact, but there is no rigidity to it. And I cannot feel it. I see the carnage, but there is no pain. Not in my legs. I breathe heavily and faster, unable to control it. The forest around us turns bright. I can’t see anything through the blinding light. Then it all goes dark.

I was in and out of consciousness for most of the journey until Jay was able to properly hydrate me. It wasn’t without a struggle. She weaved magnolia leaves in a creative manner, which held over a pint of water. With a small spout on one end she clenched my jaw and poured. It took a few attempts choking on fluids before she figured a routine to get it down my throat. She was proud of her creation, even going as far as giving it a name. She started with oasis-in-a-bag, then eventually slimmed it down to oasis pouch. She made one for each of us during our journey to the capital. She treated it as an adventure.

Then, once I was able to hold my eyes open for more than a few passing blinks, Stone felt comfortable enough to test his talents on my wounds. I’m not sure if he needed to build up the courage or if he wanted my consent before using his talents on me. My legs remain out of commission, but I’m free of pain for the most part. I didn’t realize the Lahyf talents could eliminate pain without healing the wound. It seems something that should go hand-in-hand. Hiberneyt talents would be more suited for dulling the senses. But whatever he did, the journey has been more tolerable.

Stone and Jaymes mostly ate berries, only the ones they knew were edible, and, on occasion, wild onions and mushrooms. There were several instances in which they had a perfect shot at wild game if only we’d brought a slingshot. Stone and I found it entertaining to watch Jaymes hopelessly chase after the squirrels after they would taunt us from the treetops. Occasionally they would scurry across the forest floor, and that’s when Jaymes would make her move. She wasn’t amused with us heckling her and even attempted to give me a wallop in the kneecap before Stone interfered.

By the time we arrived at the Crimson Capital, Helios was exhausted from carrying us, one after the other, always hauling me plus one. Helios nearly collapsed on more than one occasion, but Stone’s fear and sense of urgency kept him from being too empathetic. He only allowed for a few routine breaks each day, nothing more. If we survive this, I suspect Stone will carry a notable future.

There’s familiarity to the capital as we split the crowd down the thoroughfare. The three of us would explore this place together when we tagged along on Mr. McLarin’s business ventures. But we never ventured too far from the Redwood Chamber where Arden had his business.

Ancient redwoods integrate into the architecture of the older buildings. The natural light of thunder lanterns glows day and night, where they hang from younger redwoods lining the roads. And a hint of foliage remains in bursts where the citizens still care for it. The majority of it is abused and forsaken. And the heavy odor lingering in the air isn’t natural at all. The people aren’t the same as the Old Races who developed this city. We have changed. For the worse.

“Stone?”

“Yeah, Elder. Are you in pain?”

I ignore his question. “Did you know this city was once a beautiful civilization with man and nature coexisting?” Stone’s brow crinkles. I continue, nonetheless. “Every building was integrated into the ancient redwoods that once thrived here in the city. The redwoods were unimaginably large. The largest of them reaching to the clouds with trunks wide enough a hundred men locking hands could not circumference them. They were by far the largest organisms on Azure. Can