Chapter 20

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            Jonah awoke with the rising sun to see that Sephira had curled up on the altar with Alissa and fallen asleep wrapped around his wife with her hand resting on Alissa's stomach.  Standing up he stretched, and made his way over to check on Alissa.  She was sleeping soundly.  Something seemed different to him though, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

            Sephira sat up slowly as Jonah examined his wife and looked at him, smiling in the bright morning light.

            “Good morning,” she said cheerfully as she climbed off the alter.

            “Good morning,” he replied.  “Something is different with her today.”

            Sephira examined Alissa and smiled brightly.

            “Yes, there is,” she said happily.  “She is sleeping normally which is a good sign that she will awaken soon and if she is doing this well then chances are the baby is fine as well, though that one is a little iffier.”

            As she spoke Alissa let out a soft groan and shifted in her sleep.  Sephira and Jonah waited with anticipation, waiting for Alissa to awaken and soon their patience was rewarded when her eyes fluttered open and she awoke to the sight of the two of them watching her.

            “What the-” She began to say but Jonah cut her off.

            “How do you feel?” He asked her, a look of worry on his face.

            “Other than being sore over just about every inch of my body, I feel fine, why?”

            “We were worried about any permanent damage done to you when you struck the wall after that giant managed to hit you,” Jonah said.  “Sephira here was able to get you breathing again, but we had to wait until you awoke to know if you were truly OK.”

            “Oh,” Alissa said, then asked.  “What happened?  The last thing I remember was getting hit, then everything went black.”

            Jonah told her what had happened after she had passed out.  He told her of attacking the giant with his fists and of the resulting explosion that had caused the giant to disintegrate.  Then he told her about the battle that had taken place in the temple and how Mr. Waffles had given his life inside the pyramid, which had allowed Jonah enough time to close the door and seal the place back up.  Then he told her how Sephira had restored breath to her non-breathing body as she was lying where he had placed her. When he finished telling her of the battle and her revival he stopped to see if she had any questions.

            “Wow,” Alissa said simply as she blinked in the bright morning sunlight.  “Sounds like I missed a lot.”

            “Yes, you did,” Sephira said, nodding then she reached out and placed a hand on Alissa's belly.  “How do you feel here?  Does everything feel alright to you?”

            “Yes...”  Alissa replied, looking confused.  “Why do you ask?”

            “So, nothing feels out of place or unusual?”

            “No, everything feels fine.  Why do you keep asking me that?”

            Sephira looked to Jonah.  He shook his head and asked Sephira to give them a minute alone.  Sephira nodded and went to sit down at the top of the stairs that led down the side of the pyramid.  She looked out over the city that she had lived in so long ago while she waited.  From behind her she heard a shocked gasp come from Alissa.  Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jonah and Alissa hugging each other and whispering into each other’s ears.  Soon the two of them joined her and together they started down the pyramid and into the city proper.

            Sephira commented to the couple about how much the city had changed as the jungle growth had reclaimed the city.  Here and there she would point out a building or area while giving the couple a brief history of the area or building that she was pointing at.  Occasionally she would tear up at the memories that walking through the city brought back to her as she then told tales of things long past.  Other times she would stop mid-thought as she would forget what she was going to say or as she encountered one of the holes that filled her long-lived memory.

            Soon the three of them were back at the building that Jonah and Alissa had set their camp up in when they had arrived in the city.  Upon seeing the remains of some of the food that they had eaten the last time they had been in camp, their stomachs rumbled with protest at having gone so long without food.  Telling Jonah to get a fire going and fix a meal, Alissa started pulling out spare clothes that she had packed away and, after replacing her undershirt and shirt, she found Sephira a nice skirt though she had to use pins to cinch it up in the waist so that it would fit the smaller woman.  She apologized for not having anything for Sephira's feet since her feet were so much smaller.  Sephira smiled and informed Alissa that she was grateful for what she had been provided.

            Jonah quickly prepared and started a fire, cooking a quick meal for everyone.  They all ate with gusto, not realizing exactly how hungry they really were until they had started to eat.  When their bellies were full, Jonah and Alissa spent the time cleaning and reloading their weapons with the ammunition they had stored, before packing everything up on the cycles.  As they packed, they showed Sephira how to pack everything up so that it fit properly, taking up a minimal amount of space.  Then the three of them sat down to make plans for the next part of their journey.

            After much discussion about how to get to Westerfield, they finally settled on the best idea being to head back to Ib and then turn south toward New Babylon and follow the trade roads south all the way to Westerfield.  Once there they could see what information they could find that might lead them to the exact location of the tree.  If it was as big as the story suggested, and Sephira insisted it was, then both Jonah and Alissa did not think it would be too hard to find.

            Eager to get away from the infested pyramid as fast as possible, the group climbed aboard the cycles with Sephira riding with Alissa, and headed out of the city.  Soon they were climbing the path out of the valley.  They took one last moment to admire the view of the city and its surroundings once they reached the top of the valley wall before proceeding over the ancient bridge that led to the other side of the ravine. 

            As they crossed the bridge, reaching the other side the group stopped as Jonah noticed that the growth in the jungle that was blocking the roadway seemed thicker.  He mentioned this to the women and Sephira smiled sheepishly.

            “Sorry,” She said, apologetic.  “That kind of happens with me around.”

            Alissa reassured Sephira that they were not accusing her or blaming her.  Sephira smiled gratefully as the group proceeded forward into the now thicker overgrowth of the jungle. 

            As they made their way deeper into the jungle, Sephira would occasionally make a remark at how different things had become since she had last roamed these lands.  She told them stories about how beautiful the jungle had been before the fungi and mushrooms had taken over.  She told them that the whole reason that Cain and she had decided to settle in Charne was that, besides the fact that the people had been some of the nicest and most welcoming people that they had met, the surrounding jungle grew so thick and fast that the people would not take notice of the extra growth nor would it inhibit them much more than it already did naturally. 

            Soon night fell on the jungle and Jonah insisted on pushing on till they reached the building that Alissa and he had camped in when making their way to Charne, so they pushed on at the slow pace they had been moving at.  The group reached the building as the moons rose to the peak of their travels across the night sky.  Moving quickly, they got inside, blocking the doors with the cycles and making their camp inside the front room.  Once Jonah had a cheery fire roaring, and a meal prepared for the group, they ate then turned in for the night.  They had given Sephira a spare bedroll that they had in case something had happened to the one that they had been using.  Soon the group was fast asleep as the night wore on, eventually turning into morning.

            As the day broke, the group packed everything up and began making their way toward Ib once more.  Upon walking outside of the building that morning Jonah and Alissa were surprised to see the difference in the jungle from the first time they had come through.  The slimes and fungi had seemingly vanished for the most part and healthy plant life had sprung up all around, replacing the sickly-looking plants.  The jungle was now awash with color from various plants and flowers.  Alissa giggled with glee at the sight and Jonah marveled at the sight not knowing what to say.  After a moment the group finally started to move on, once again at the slower pace that they had been moving at the day before.

            On the second night that they had to make camp in the jungle, Jonah and Alissa were awakened once again by the same growling sounds that had awoken them during their first night’s stay in the crumbled building. 

            Grabbing her revolver, Alissa made her way outside the tent as Jonah followed, his rifle in hand.  Scanning the thick foliage around the camp she spotted a large pair of eyes watching the camp from the opposite side of the fire.  Cautiously the creature stepped out into the firelight.  It resembled some of the cats that Alissa had seen in New Cardeth only this one was much larger.  It looked to be a grayish green in the firelight and instead of its hide being covered in fur it appeared to be knobby and covered with mushrooms all over its body. 

            “Poor thing.”  Sephira's voice said coming from behind the pair, startling them.

            The creature gave a roar in response and Alissa raised her gun, prepared to shoot.  Sephira quickly got in her way, telling her not to shoot.  Alissa lowered her gun as Sephira calmly approached the beast with a hand extended.  As she neared it, the beast stretched out its neck and sniffed her hand.  A deep throaty growl emitted from it that resembled the purr of the smaller cats that Alissa had seen.  The creature moved forward, placing its head underneath Sephira's hand and Sephira, knowing what it wanted, began to pet it. 

            As she petted the beast, she gently removed the mushrooms from its hide, taking care not to hurt it.  It took her some time but eventually she had its body free of mushrooms and it licked her free hand softly with its rough tongue.  As she sat there petting it after having removed the mushrooms, she closed her eyes as if concentrating.  The stone in her stomach began to glow softly and the glow extended up her arm.  The glow washed over the creature gently and Alissa could see some of the knobs in its hide slowly start to recede, though not vanish altogether.  Within minutes the beast collapsed as if exhausted and fell asleep beside the fire.  Sephira smiled and walked back into the tent, leaving Jonah and Alissa standing outside, staring at the creature.

            Finally deciding it was not a threat anymore; the couple went back into the tent only to find Sephira sound asleep as if nothing had happened.  Shrugging, Jonah climbed into his and Alissa's bedroll, falling asleep quickly. 

            Alissa on the other hand stayed up for a little while longer sitting up against where one of the cycles was bracing the tent.  Placing a hand to her stomach she wondered about the child that was growing in there.  She was conflicted about continuing past Ib if there was nothing wrong with the child from her short time in death's grasp.  She had prayed repeatedly with all her heart that the baby was alright after that trauma and she knew she would be placing both herself and her unborn child at risk by continuing on their quest.  If she stayed in Ib, she was guaranteed to receive the best care possible for her and her child leading up to and after the birth, if for no other reason than Doctor Sliss would want to examine and study the phenomenon of human gestation and birth.  But on the other hand, if, once they got to the tree, it required all three of them to revive the tree and she wasn’t there, then not only was she letting Jonah and Sephira down, she was letting the whole world down. 

            If she continued on the quest, she would be putting herself and her child at risk whenever she did anything dangerous and, even though she knew she couldn't be very far along, one month at best, it was still going to take three months to reach Westerfield and then there was no telling how long it would take to make it to the tree from there.  A million what if scenarios ran through her head as she thought about the prospect of traveling on the quest while pregnant and the risks involved.  How would she handle giving birth on the road?  What would she do if she did give birth while out in the middle of nowhere, how could she take care of the baby, especially if they did get into a physical conflict?  For that matter, she was not showing right now because it was too early in the pregnancy for her to show, but once she was seven months along, the child in her womb would make several tasks that were her responsibility extremely difficult to do.  These were but a few of the myriad of the thoughts that had been racing through her head since Jonah had informed her about the child in her belly.  Despite the millions of thoughts tumbling through her mind she eventually fell into a deep dreamless sleep. 

            The next morning, Alissa woke up to the smell of breakfast being prepared.  She got up and saw that the large cat-like creature was still in the camp only it was sitting up and looking alertly at the food that Jonah was preparing, licking its chops.  Sephira was sitting beside it gently stroking it as light flowed from her hand to its flesh that was no longer covered in as many knobs and knots.  In fact, Alissa could see patches of black fur that had sprouted up seemingly overnight all over the beast's body. 

            Alissa walked out of the tent and joined her husband on the far side of the fire from Sephira and the beast.  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek while he cooked and sat down to wait for breakfast to finish cooking.  After the food had been prepared, and everyone had eaten, the leftovers were fed to the large cat that was looking healthier and healthier by the minute.  While the big cat was busy chomping down on the leftovers, the group broke the camp down and prepared for another day of travel.

            As they left the campsite the large cat disappeared back into the jungle and they started making their way once again at a snail's pace toward Ib.  They traveled onward; the new growth slowing them down even more than it had the day before.  Because of the slow pace they decided to forgo lunch so that they could cover the most ground possible.  Several times the group had to stop altogether and get off the cycles to walk them because they could no longer ride, even at the slow pace that they had been for fear of being unseated by low lying branches that did not give as easily as the vines and other weaker plants.  They finally stopped for the night on the third day when they reached the edge of the jungle, where it met the wastelands.

            Alissa and Jonah set up the fence because of how close they were to the wastelands, showing Sephira how to set it up so that she could help the next time they used it.  Then Jonah started a fire and prepared their meal for the night while the two women set up the tent quickly.  Jonah and Alissa knew that on the next day they would be able to open the cycles to full speed, tearing across the wastes and that they would be in Ib within a couple of days.  They spent the night trying to prepare Sephira so that she would not be shocked by the appearance of the Ibians as well as explaining their speech patterns to her.  They also reminded her that these were the descendants of the people who had originally killed her by doing those unspeakable atrocities against her and her body.  Sephira nodded, absorbing it all as the two of them spoke to her and when they mentioned the crimes committed against her and the citizens of Charne, she smiled sadly.

            “Those people are now long dead,” she said sadly.  “Any grievance I had against those people died with the ones that did that to me.  I bear their children no ill will, it would not be right or fair of me.”

            Soon they settled down for the night and fell asleep.  The next day they once again broke down the camp and headed east, toward the sunrise,  where Ib awaited them.