Kali

The mine owner had been hilariously livid at the state in which they left Silver Night Mine, hollering at their backs as they rode away. Eudora had instructed them to ignore him, and Magali announced her agreement as she was still working on her conspiracy theories about evil troll-whisperers targeting them.

Kali already thought of herself as someone who was easily pleased, but that day she really was simply happy to be alive. And as long as she still was alive, she was rather uninterested in untangling a plot to make her otherwise. It had become incredibly boring as Magali found more and more oddities to add to her list of ‘evidence’. Included in her speech were the fact that they had explored so many different areas of the mine and yet had not found a single piece of mining equipment with which to help them dig their steps. She also went on a tirade regarding why the mine owner had been hanging around the entrance to Celandine’s forest instead of his home in town.

Luckily, Kali had the handy talent of selective hearing. She blocked out the drone from her ears and focused her eyes on Blaire, who rode a few metres ahead of her. Wide hips rocked as she rode, her grip lax on the reins. Kali wanted to pull up beside her, to natter and chatter and to have her attention. But Eudora was riding at her side already, occasionally exchanging small, weary smiles.

They rode hard, their horses stretching their legs for the first time in a week. A diet of grass and wild flowers had not weakened them, it seemed. They followed the main road for most of the day’s remaining light until Matilde signalled for them to turn into the undergrowth. She had spotted a small clearing. The sound of trickling water reached them faintly from the gap in the woodland that decorated the sides of the road. It did not slip past Kali that Eudora’s girls all looked to her for confirmation before following Matilde between the trees.

Once they were far enough buried amongst the soggy trees that they would not be spotted from the road, they dismounted in a rounded grove. At the far end, a stream, with water so clear it was refreshing simply to look upon it, curled its way around a scattering of grey boulders and away into the forest.

Tickling the edges of the open space were tiny white flowers hanging onto the end of long thin stems; the buds waiting to bloom were heart-shaped and a slightly lighter shade of green than the rest of the plant. Dotted along the soft mud that lined the brook were less pristine specimens, pink flowers with floppy petals that almost appeared dishevelled. Kali did not recognise either species.

The horses were stripped of their equipment and packs and let free to investigate the area. The women dumped their belongings atop the driest patch of ground they could find and took deep, cleansing breaths of the chilly air. There was a moisture that hung about the land after the torrential rainfall. It lingered in the atmosphere and heightened their sense of smell.

Most of them had cut and torn up fingers and nails from scrabbling up the final stretch of wall when everything began to collapse. All of them had blisters from digging. They washed their hands slowly and carefully in the nearby stream. Despite their gentlest efforts, there was still the occasional wince.

“Those flowers are similar to the ones in Celandine, except they grow upwards instead of across the floor,” Lowri announced blandly. “What are they?” The aftershock of her near-death experience had drained a solid chunk of her inquisitiveness and excitement, but at least she had still found the energy to ask a question. The kid would be okay as long as she was still throwing out her queries.

Magali shook the frigid water from her hands before answering. “That is shepherd’s purse, far more useful.”

“Useful?”

Blaire explained, “Supposedly it can stop internal bleeding if you eat it and the leaves can repel insects when freshly picked.”

“It is also rather poisonous if you eat too much, though,” Eudora advised softly.

“What about those pink ones? What are they called?”

Again, Magali answered. “Those are ragged robin.”

“Do they have any special uses?”

“Not that I know of.”

A snort slipped from Kali’s nose. “There is something Magali does not know?” she asked with a grin.

With a dull look, Magali said, “If I know of none then there probably are none.”

Kali scoffed at her conceited words.

Once they were clean, at least to the elbows, the women divided to arrange a camp. Eudora had advised a couple of night’s rest and every member of their group was too fatigued to argue. Dani did what Dani did best: building a fire and boiling water and preparing for whatever they managed to scrounge together for their dinner. Lowri followed the stream and discovered it led into a sizeable lake. Kali handed the youngling Selenia and instructed her to stab at shadows until she caught them enough fish to fill their bellies for the night. She had been half-joking, but the girl bounded away, suddenly filled with vitality again. Eudora watched her go with the eyes of a concerned mother who wishes desperately to follow her child everywhere they go. Kali turned away to focus on her own tent; she had confidence that Lowri would not hurt herself with the spear… at least not fatally. Anyway, she would be far more upset if the child dropped her precious Selenia into the current and couldn’t retrieve it. That may prove fatal for the girl.

Matilde sought her out after the other tents had been erected and the remaining women had busied themselves foraging, fishing, or caring for their own steeds. “Come. I would have some time in private with you,” she said quietly.

“No, thank you,” Kali responded instantly. She was not entirely sure why she said it. Usually, she would have thrown herself at Matilde, desperate for her touch and the eye-rolling orgasms that came with it. Suddenly, though, she could not find any arousal inside of her slim frame for this woman.

“What?” Matilde blurted.

“I do not feel like it.”

“You do not feel like having sex?”

A pause lingered in the air with the remains of the rain. Finally, Kali said, “No.”

“Are you unwell?”

She did not feel ill, but she certainly wasn’t herself. Matilde did not care for her ramblings though, so there was no point in attempting to explain.

“I am fine.”

“Are you playing a trick?” asked Matilde with brows disappearing into her dirty blonde hair. “Is this intended to be humorous?”

“I am serious. I am not in the mood.”

Matilde laughed without humour. “You are always in the mood for sex.”

With a look that could cut glass, or so her father had once told her, Kali grunted out, “Well, not today.”

“Fine,” Matilde huffed. She strode away with stiff shoulders and a sour expression.