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I shook my head, unsure how to answer either question. Instead, I kept moving with him.
“Which way should we go? What should I be looking for?”
I swallowed thickly and forced myself to focus.
“Uh…” I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
A loud, menacing howl erupted nearby, and Zen jumped forward protectively, forcing my eyes back open. He flashed the beam around the tree line, looking for signs of life.
“What was that?”
“A coyote or wolf,” he answered tersely. “Nothing we can’t handle. Why are you so jumpy?”
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, struggling to find my breath.
“Come on, Miri. Where is this plant? I don’t want to kill anything unnecessarily. We’re in their home right now. If we get attacked, it’s because we’re in their territory. Let’s just find this thing and get moving.”
“Even if I find the plant, it’s going to take some time to figure out the potion,” I muttered, more to myself.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to discourage this,” he snapped.
“I’m not,” I said quickly. My mind raced, and I raised a finger. “That way. Toward water. It grows near water.”
“Good,” Zen sighed. “Less chance of dealing with irate animals near the water.”
Again, we started along, no pathway in sight, until the babble of a brook met our ears and a horrific squawk shrieked from overhead.
The light beam shot upward, and cold, amber eyes peered down at us from the protection of a leafy tree.
“Mirielle…”
“We’re close,” I promised him, urging him along.
“And once we get this plant, are you sure you’ll know what to do with it?”
I inhaled. “No.”
He stopped in his tracks and scowled at me.
“I could lie to you, Zen, but I really don’t know if anything I can do will work. I can only try.”
Grunting, he trudged onward, and then, abruptly, my feet were wet.
“Dammit,” he cursed, his own shoes soaked in unison.
“Give me the flashlight,” I urged him, reaching for it. Reluctantly, he handed it over, and together, we scoured the area, looking for the washi plant.
Something slithered past my feet, and I yelped as Zen caught me. “It’s just a water snake. Relax.”
But I couldn’t relax. My nerves were growing rawer by the second, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were running out of time. With more urgency, I flipped the flashlight through the reeds, willing myself to remember where I’d seen the plant.
“Are you sure it’s here, Mirielle?” he asked tersely. “Or is this a wild goose chase?”
Miserably, I turned full circle, more growls and moans echoing through the night as tears of frustration welled in my eyes.
“Mirielle!”
But I couldn’t answer him.
