Page 169 of Sun Warrior

“He was my father! Thaddeus killed him—not me!”

“We know that,” Claudia said.

“Hell, Nik, I was there. I saw everything that happened. I know you weren’t responsible, but many of the Warriors were there that night, too. They saw what I saw, and somehow they have completely rewritten an alternative past with Thaddeus’s words. If they catch you, they’ll kill you, Nik,” Wilkes repeated.

“No, not right away they won’t,” Claudia said. “They’ll catch you and hold you as bait for Mari.”

“Then they won’t catch me. Are you going to tell me where I can find the Mother Plants or not?”

Wilkes sighed. “Maeve and her women are tending them in the topmost branches of the old pine that holds the meditation platform. But,Nik, it’s also the temporary infirmary. There are sick people everywhere. It’s going to be almost impossible to get in there and get out without being seen.”

Nik narrowed his eyes, thinking. Then he sat up straighter and grinned at his friends. “Well, what if I’m seen, but not recognized?”

“What do you mean? Everyone knows who you are—and who Laru is,” Claudia said.

Nik nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. So, Laru needs to stay hidden, and I just need to blend in with everyone else.”

Davis clapped Nik on the back. “I get it! You’re going to pretend to be sick.”

“Very sick.” Nik pulled the hood of his travel cloak low over his face. He hunched his shoulders and bent as if his stomach were paining him. Then he coughed wrenchingly and wiped his mouth with a shaky hand.

“That’s good,” Claudia said. “But you’ll need to cover your arms and wrists so that no one can see you don’t have these sores.”

“Dirty yourself up, too. The Tribe stopped washing a couple of days ago,” Wilkes said.

“I’ll do one better,” Nik said. “I’ll dirty up and cover my arms, but I’ll also drag some brambles across my wrists and my face—anywhere that might be seen. I’ll make sure I look a mess.”

“No, Nik! You can’t do that. You’ll catch the blight,” Claudia said.

Nik smiled gently at her. “And if I do, our Moon Woman will simply heal me. Again.”

“If anyone stops you, hide your face and mutter that you just wanted to sit with the Mother Plants. That they comfort you,” Wilkes said. “I heard Maeve say that once.”

“Maybe I’ll get lucky and Maeve will be the only person I run into,” Nik said.

“No,” Wilkes said firmly. “You don’t want to be seen by her. She’s changed since she found out about Sol’s death.”

“Changed so much that she would cause harm to the son of the man she loved?” Davis asked.

Wilkes and Claudia exchanged a worried look before he nodded slowly. “I think you’re going to find that much of the Tribe is almost unrecognizable.”

“And I think you should not talk toanyone. Get in. Stay silent. Get out,” Davis said.

“I agree.” Nik studied Wilkes and came to a final decision. “I’m going to trust you, but if my trust is misplaced you’ll have to deal with Mari and Sora and O’Bryan and Antreas—”

“And Sheena and a whole bunch of Earth Walkers and me,” Davis added.

“You can trust me. I give you my word, but I understand that the only way for you to truly believe me is for me to show you,” Wilkes said.

“You’re right about that, but this is a start. Is anyone guarding the Channel and the boats moored there?”

Wilkes snorted in disgust. “No. Everyone is too sick. We can barely feed ourselves and keep shelter over our heads. Thank the Sun for the sow and her piglets that wandered into the Tribe several days ago. The rabbits are almost gone and—”

“Wait! Did you say ‘sow’?” Nik said.

“Yeah. It’s all we’ve had to eat since the sickness hit. Well, that and a few rabbits, but most of the rabbits have to be saved for the canines.”

“Did you see the sow?” Nik asked.