Midday sun streamed through slots in the wall as Nadia opened her eyes. She could hear Josh’s raspy breathing. A gull cawed outside in distance; beyond that, quiet. This place crept so still it grated. Nadia took calm slow breaths, but couldn’t pretend to be out much longer. Sheets crumpled around her hips a she sat up. Bandages wrapped around her fingers, over her palm, and down to her wrist. A crusty stain browned across her covered left palm. Nadia winced as she tensed her hands. The shadowy room made her shiver. Josh saw her sitting up so he went over to her.

“You passed out, and when you came to the only thing you said was ‘let me sleep’ and then you went out again. Are you okay?”

“I’m not dead. Where is everyone else?”

“They’re nearby. Dew said the caves should be safe until nightfall. He’s not doing too well. I’m not sure what you did to his leg. It helped. I mean, I think you save his life, but he can barely walk and has a high fever.”

Strands of black rested over the sheets as Nadia’s head went down, “I’m completely out of juice. I can’t do this anymore. I have a stomach ache. I want to go home.”

“Didn’t your old man say this would be dangerous?”

“He’s not an old man for your information,” She sniffed as her eyes became moist, “Look, he says a lot of things. He’s smart. But, he’s not always right. I could be coming here for nothing. I don’t even have the book. I just did this like I do everything. I charged ahead without thinking. I didn’t ask anyone. I drug you around like a dog. I hurt people who care about me. I even got a kid mixed up in this now.”

“The kid didn’t get hurt, not so much as a scratch.”

“That’s good. I saw him clinging to Darrell. But what about next time? Wait, Darrell was bleeding too!”

“He’s fine, just really sore muscles and some scratches. I’m fine too by the way; in case you cared to ask. Everybody survived, we got this.”

“But now the boat’s in bad shape because of me so we can’t even go back. Everyone is exhausted. Once it gets dark and those monsters come back, how are we supposed to fight them off again?”

Josh pushed on his knees to stand.

“We’ll deal with them when they come back. The idiot I know would just keep pushing forward. So, let’s do that and see if we can get our curses lifted. Don’t let it get you down.”

“That’s easy for you to say.”

Nadia’s stomach growled.

“Awlena made rice and bean stew seasoned with ocean salt. Let me get you some.”

“Okay.”

Josh turned back to her, “You’re still the leader of this group. You gotta decide what we’re gonna do and soon. Sorry to put it on your shoulders. We can talk about it over lunch.”

As he left her alone, she put her head back and groaned softly. The memory of Awlena’s kiss hit. A blush formed yet vanished as she thought about Dew refusing to be kissed by her, even if it could have helped him. When Dew refused to let her kiss him, had that made her angry? Did some part of her kind of like him? She really had tried to make the healing hurt when she opened his leg. But it was swelling. The venom had to come out. Something had happened when Awlena kissed her that caused her power to amp up, so she thought it would have worked the same way for Dew. Maybe it wouldn’t work that way. Her power felt like that. It either worked, or it didn’t, and if it didn’t, she was stuck trying to fix it. Nadia put her face in her bandaged covered hands. Her thoughts scattered, conflicting. She heard Josh yelling outside.

“Hey, she’s awake! We can eat together!”

“Josh, why?” she mumbled, “Don’t invite everyone. I wanted to talk to you.”

As Vestor peeked through the entryway, Nadia let her bandaged hands fall to her lap and forced a smile. His arms went around her neck. His tail waved and his ears twitched as he hugged her, “I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up anymore. I fought the centipedes. I had an idea. I saved Darrell’s life. Everyone said I was brave. I showed them bugs my true strength.”

Nadia gave him a pat on the head, “You’ll have to tell me your story.”

“I had to run all the way back to the boat. The smell was so bad I almost died, but I didn’t stop. A little bad smell couldn’t stop me! I’m a true hero!”

Darrell entered with a bowl and sat down.

“That he is, but what he isn’t telling you is that he swam in the ocean for an hour while crying about the stink.”

“It still stinks! The bug guts smell won’t go away and its worse at the bottom.”

A staff clopped against stone as Dew entered. Bandages wove heavily up his injured leg as he leaned on the staff and favored his left side. Awlena followed behind carrying two bowls. Her skin looked slightly red from sun exposure. Come to think of it, Vestor, Josh, and Darrell all had a little sunburn despite their sailing tans.

“Everyone looks a little red, is the sun here that strong?”

Dew struggled not to wince as he sat down with folded legs. Awlena hovered over him with gentle pats to his back. They put their hands together and said a thank you to the gods before they ate soup using a broad spoon.

“Yes, that’s why we’ll be wearing desert garb or resting during the high sun.”

Nadia took a deep breath as she looked into her soup. It smelt well-seasoned. The lentils and rice flowed thickly despite an absence of vegetables. Nadia checked for eggplant before she took a bite. It warmed her tongue. The ocean salt gave it a natural taste. The rice was cooked so that it became fluffy and thickened the soup.

“Mmmm! This is good! Just what I needed. Well, about those creatures. Do you have any idea why they would attack us in huge numbers like that?”

Dew shook his head, “It’s not their natural pattern. They don’t hunt in groups. I’m thinking somebody with enough power to manipulate them doesn’t want us here.”

Vestor’s eyes went wide as he stared up at the injured swordsman. The others watched for Nadia’s reaction. It looked like she was about to lose her appetite.

“Do you think the goddess, Ambrosia, is trying to get me to go home?”

Everyone looked at Dew.

“I can’t say for certain. It could be. I don’t know. I only know that desert centipedes don’t hunt like this. I’m not even sure if they’ll attack again. The behavior is so abnormal, I can’t even be sure they won’t come back in the day.”

Heart raced. Why wouldn’t you let me kiss you? It wasn’t because I like you. It was to test to see if I could help you. Look at you. You can barely walk. Am I that disgusting? Your sister kissed me. Your sister said she was in love with me. If you actually loved me, your leg would be fine right now. Lips pursed but Nadia wasn’t going to say any of those things. Instead, she looked down at her stew and started eating.

“I see.”

“Considering what happened, I think it would be foolhardy to attempt a shortcut through the sleepless desert. We should follow the nomadic paths even if it costs us an extra two weeks.”

Nadia glared, eyes almost glowing, “Why, because you think my plan is idiotic? You can follow the trade routes or whatever. Give us our share of the food and water and MY map. Josh and me are taking the way that will get me to the temple in three days.”

The bowl raised to Dew’s lips and he down his remaining stew with one gulp. The empty porcelain bowl shattered into pieces as it smacked against the wall.

“This decision is not yours alone to make!”

Nadia glared, “The fox kid is ten years old. We’re not dragging him across the desert with us for weeks. We should have turned around as soon as we discovered him, but I didn’t realize this place was this dangerous. You and Awlena need to get him back to his parents. With enough work you can get the boat…”

“That decision is not yours to make!”

“Well, last I checked this isn’t a democracy and you’re injured. I’m the strongest, this is my mission, for me, and I’m taking control!”

Dew stood with the aid of his cane, “What has gotten into you? Is this place making you crazy? I vowed to protect you and I will protect you. If you want to give up and go back, just say it. I can get us back to Pozalm, but I’m not leaving this land without you.”

The bowl went to Nadia lips, she gulped down the rest of her stew and stood up, “Nobody needs a lame loser who almost died to some bugs! Go home!”

Awlena shifted to her knees, “Nadia!”

“Don’t ‘Nadia!’ me! That’s not even my real name! I can’t even say my real name! Don’t even, just, I never wanted any of you to follow me. I’m grateful. You helped me. You might have saved my life. But now you’re all just confusing me, slowing me down, and it’s time to go home. Leave me alone! I have things to do and you’re all getting in my way!”

“But I was brave. I was a hero,” Vestor said, "Why is everyone so mad?"

The staff tapped against stone as Dew slowly hobbled outside. Awlena picked up her bowl and followed him. Darrell finished his stew before leading Vestor outside. Only Josh stayed behind. He glanced at Nadia, whose face reflected angry red in the sun streaming through the window slits.

“Was all of that really necessary?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s injured and his sister can’t fight. They need to get the kid home; that’s how it should be. That’s how it should have been from the start. This entire journey has nothing to do with them.”