Читать книгу Rise to the Rahz - Erik van Mechelen - Страница 13

Abyl felt a hand on his cheek as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but soon adjusted to the dim room and the gray ceiling he decided he was staring at. “Had to move you since Mav was making turma solution,” said Maryn. “You’re in my workshop now.”

Abyl grunted, shifted onto his left side to avoid even the dim light of an earthlight shard peeking from the corner of the room.

“Can you see alright out of it?” It was Mav.

“Yes, but not well,” mumbled Abyl.

“It might get worse before it gets better,” said Mav. “The blood will come to heal the wounds and additional pricks I had to make to tie everything together.”

“If nothing else, I have learned what pain is.”

Mav laughed. “It went quite well,” said Mav. “Have a look.” Still lying on his back, Abyl accepted the mirror and nearly dropped it—a dark circle lay where his eye should have been.

“Don’t worry,” said Mav, “the swelling will go down soon.”

“Your eye will open back up,” said Maryn.

“Maybe even by tonight if you’re lucky,” chirped Mav.

“There’s no rush, though,” said Maryn, putting a hand behind Abyl’s head and taking the mirror. “But it is almost time for middle meal.”

“I think I can sit up,” said Abyl.

Mav and Maryn helped him to a seated position. Abyl nodded to them in thanks, then gathered his surroundings. Another small room, this one littered with cuts of leaf and…some other material he couldn’t quite identify.

“Skins,” said Maryn. “From rodents and reptiles we capture. They make for decent clothing.”

Abyl was amazed he hadn’t realized the quilted texture of their clothing was a result of the salvaged materials.

“So, what are we eating?” he asked.

“You’re going to love it,” said Mav.

Moments later, Abyl was back among the group and Maryn was smiling as she set a bowl of green soup in front him. He should have known. Mav and Maryn shared a laugh at his expense.

“How do you guys know to join for the meal?” asked Abyl. “There’s no toll.”

“Just a gut feel, after awhile,” said Gara.

“Gut?”

“Right here,” said Maryn, pointing at her stomach, trying to be helpful. “When you’re hungry, you come.”

“Thanks Maryn,” smiled Gara. “Of course you have the morning toll to wake us and the end-of-shift tolls to tell us it’s time for supper.”

“Three meals in one shift?” asked Abyl. “As a worker I only got two…and the servings were half the size!”

“You will have to relieve yourself more often,” said Gara.

“But you’ll also have more energy,” said Mav.

“I have to correct you, Gara,” said Ry, coming up from the second hallway. “Around here, we refer to the later pair as the evening tolls.”

Maryn fetched a bowl for Ry, reaching a hand through the stone gap into their kitchen, which fed out of Mav’s lab.

“Looks like Mav and Maryn took good care of you, Abyl,” said Ry.

“I think so,” Abyl replied. It still felt strange to be called this new name, when not long ago he only knew himself as a worker in Growing Room One.

“You’ll have a scar like Kaydin in no time,” said Ry.

“And you, I heard,” said Abyl. Ry’s eyes darkened at the comment.

Maryn returned, setting a bowl in front of Ry.

“Three scars,” said Mav, changing the subject. “Maybe Kaydin will be jealous.”

Ry nodded. “Where is Kaydin, anyway?”

“Haven’t seen him,” said Gara, “but I did notice my pickaxe went missing. I’m guessing it didn’t simply stand up and walk away.”

“So he’s off digging,” said Ry, taking a bite from his soup. “So long as he takes care of his jobs….”

There was a lull in the conversation as the group took a moment to slurp their soup. Then Ry cleared his throat noisily, as if clearing an obstruction. “Abyl, now that you’re feeling better, you’ll need to learn what we do around here.”

“He means you’ll need to earn your keep,” said Maryn. When Ry eyed her, she ignored him and slurped another spoonful.

“Maryn is right,” said Ry. “You’re not a worker, but you will work harder than before. You’ll have to learn to scout, plant, and collect. Since your eye is still on the mend, why don’t you start with Maryn this afternoon.”

“The afternoon,” explained Maryn, “is the time between middle meal and third meal, which we have after the evening tolls.”

“Sure, that should be good,” said Abyl. “If I do well, will you help me get back to the workers quarters?”

Ry paused, heavily; but when Abyl offered a tentative smile, the group burst into laughter.