Page 94 of Moon Chosen

“Nikolas, drink. Rest. Tomorrow you must go with the foraging party, and you can’t go on no sleep—not if you expect to return, andIexpect you to return,” Sol said.

“Father, I can’t leave O’Bryan here like this.”

“There’s nothing you can do for him. Only time will show whether he’s blighted or not. I’ll ask the Sun’s blessing on him and tend to him while you’re gone, but the foraging party cannot wait, and you must go with them.”

“But O’Bryan—”

“One person is not as important as the Tribe!” Sol interrupted. “O’Bryan knew the risks of hunting with you. He agreed readily. You did your best to protect him. You managed to get a young Hunter, his Terrier, and yourself back to the Tribe, even though you were ambushed and tracked by feral Scratchers. The foraging party needs you, and the Tribe needs the foraging party. You’ll leave with them tomorrow.”

Nik met his father’s eyes. “Why are we doing this? Is it because of your guilt?”

“Answer that question yourself.”

“I don’t know the answer. I don’t know anything anymore except that because I was chasing ghosts my cousin, my best friend, the man I consider a brother, will now probably die a terrible, blighted death after only knowing eighteen winters!”

“Nik, something has been set in motion here—something that reaches far beyond finding a young canine you wished would choose you, and finding the truth out about a hybrid girl. Whatever thatsomethingis—it’s responsible for your cousin’s wound. You saved him, son. You brought him home.”

“For what? You know what awaits him. We watched Mother die of it. Maybe I should have let the Scratcher kill him—at least his pain would be over.”

“What if the blight doesn’t infect him? What then?”

“Father, the wound is deep. You know how slim his chances are,” Nik said.

“But he does have a chance, and that is because you got him home. Drink,” Sol repeated. “And stay here tonight. Together we’ll visit the Healers’ Nest in the morning before you leave.”

Nik sighed and gave in to his father, tipping the mug against his lips and drinking deeply. The herbs flushed through his system quickly, causing his vision to blur and his speech to thicken.

“I wish it’d been me instead of him,” he murmured as his father led him to the pallet he’d prepared by the hearth fire.

“And I will be eternally thankful that it wasn’t,” Sol said. “Laru, stay with Nik.”

The big Shepherd curled up next to Nik, sending warmth through his body, and soothing him with his love and loyalty, making it impossible for Nik to fight against the blackness. Finally, nestled against his father’s canine, he closed his eyes and gave himself over to dreamless sleep.

***

“He looks good,” Sol said as he and Nik made their way from the Healers’ Nest to the lift. “As the Healer said, no sign of infection or inflammation. That means O’Bryan has a chance. Plus, your cousin’s positive attitude may very well pull him through this whole and well.”

“I hope so, Father.” Nik didn’t want to talk about O’Bryan and the truth—that a good attitude or lack of inflammation or infection could not save him. Thetruthwas that six out of every ten Tribe members who sustained an injury great enough to break their skin contracted the blight. The more serious the injury—the better the chances of being infected with blight. The Scratcher had bit a human-mouth-sized hunk of flesh from O’Bryan’s calf. The odds were definitely against him, and Nik didn’t want to discuss false hope with his father. He changed the subject. “How many pairs did you decide to send on the foraging trip?”

“Six pairs—Wilkes leading with his Odin, of course. I also okayed Monroe and Viper, Sheena and Captain, Crystal and Grace, Winston and Star, Thaddeus and Odysseus. And, of course, you.”

Nik frowned at his father. “Wait, you approved Thaddeus joining the team, even though you knew I was going?”

“Nik, because he annoys you isn’t a good enough reason to leave behind the best Hunter in the Tribe,” Sol said.

“But because he’s an arrogant ass who won’t listen to me at allisa good enough reason.”

Sol stopped and faced his son. “Thaddeus is arrogant, and the two of you don’t like each other, but he won’t do anything to jeopardize Odysseus’s safety. Besides that, Wilkes is in charge of this trip. He will listen to you.”

Nik sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “All right. I don’t like it, though. And what about the two women? Should we be risking both of them?”

“Son, who do you think mapped out the preliminary route for this trip?”

Nik shrugged. “Figured it was Wilkes.”

“No. Sheena and Crystal have been teaming up to map the ruins for the past several cycles of the moon. Don’t underestimate them. They know that river better than the Fishers. Fishers avoid Port City. Sheena and Crystal know the waterway there and back as well as they know their own nest. Don’t worry about them needing protection. They’re petite, but that means they can get into places you and the rest of the men can’t squeeze through. And their Shepherds are two of the toughest canines in the Tribe. They’ll protect their Companions.”

“Okay, you know best,” Nik said, though he couldn’t escape the gnawing sense of wrongness that already seemed to shadow this trip.