The sun hung directly overhead, turning my skin pink.
I sat up, groggy but well-rested, to find Emily stirring something over the coals of our small fire. “What are you making?”
Emily smiled. “Marcellious showed me how to stuff the intestines with meat. It’s a delicacy his tribe used to prepare for him. It’s almost ready. Would you like to try it?”
Surprisingly, my stomach didn’t protest. “Sure.”
“Feeling any better? You slept for a long time,” Emily said.
“A little, yes. But I’m anxious to get moving. We can’t afford the luxury of waiting around for me to heal. I needto find that journal. Every day that passes means another day Roman could be dead or dying.” I tried to lurch to my feet but fell back on my rump.
“We’ll get started in the morning,” Emily said. Her lips pressed into a crisp line. “We’re drying all the meat for storage. We’ll secure it to the horses we’re not using. You’ll be grateful when we don’t have to go for days without food.”
“I’ll be thankful when Roman is freed, and we’ve found that blasted journal,” I said. “I’ll be thankful when I can keep something down.”
I knew I behaved like a brat, but I didn’t care. I had a mission, and I’d do it or die trying.
“Honey,” Emily said reprovingly, “all we’re asking is one day to rest and restore. Then, I promise, we’ll get moving again. This sleep you had has already improved your mood. You’re now merely cranky instead of miserable.”
She winked. “I think this is a good sign.”
She lifted a packet of blackened intestines stuffed with deer muscle using one of the utensils we’d found.
I looked at it, waiting for my stomach to protest, but it stayed calm.
Emily dropped the meat onto a tin plate and brought it to me. “Here. Try and get some of this down when it cools. Marcellious said the trick is to leave the undigested grasses in the guts before stuffing them. He said this is one of the most nourishing meals you can eat. It’s loaded with nutrients.”
I mused at Marcellious and Emily’s blooming friendship. Maybe that was what had improved his mood. Whatever it was, I didn’t care as long as it continued. Kinder Marcellious was far more pleasant to be around than Asshole Marcellious.
After a decent night’s sleep, we awoke at dawn, broke down our camp, and took off in the direction Marcellious had determined was the “right way.”
I continued to ride on his horse, holding onto his back. Although I’d rested well and kept the food down for once, I still felt weak.
“How long until we find the tribe?” I asked. “You made it sound like it was an easy task to find your fellow Native Americans.”
“Who said it was easy?” Marcellious said evenly. “I realize you’re doing poorly, but I am efficiently doing my job, looking for and following signs.”
“Then why haven’t we found them yet?” I said in a whining voice.
“Because they are moving swiftly, and we are moving slowly in an attempt to take care of you,” Marcellious replied.
We both fell silent.
Then, Marcellious said, “Emily was right.”
“About what?”
“She said you’re improving since you’ve begun to complain.” He snorted.
My cheeks heated to a fiery warmth. I didn’t mean to grumble and grouse, but I was tired of this endless journey. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s all right. We should find the tribe by nightfall,” he said, urging his horse to a trot.
“Really?” I released my grip on his shoulders and sat tall.
“Really. See?” He pointed to somewhere in the tall grassland.
“No, I don’t. What am I looking at?” I peered into the sea of golden grasses.
