The Hollow Root - Chapter 49

Fasaani and Amy looked at Kavin in the car. His chest slowly rising and lowering in a gentle rhythm. Amy had a fleeting thought enter her mind about how peaceful he seemed and how relieving it was to feel things returning to something that felt more normal. Fasaani pulled Kavin to the edge of the seat gripping under his armpits and shouted “Amy grab his feet once I get him out of here. You’d think he lost some weight with all this running around, but I think he gets heavier every time.”

“Sure. We’re just setting him by the fire right?” Amy said mentally calculating the distance of the trip.

“Yeah, we get him there... I’ll grind up the ingredients and we apply it to the wound... then... uh... well then we sit around until he wakes up I guess. Do we have cards?” Fasaani said, strained by Kavin’s weight as she pulled him out of the car and the two of them started trudging back towards their camp.

“You know in all the rush I think I left the cards behind.” Amy said.

“Amy, you are starting to get good at joking. Careful.” Fasaani said, forcing a wink she would later realize Amy couldn’t actually see.

They pulled Kavin’s body slowly to the camp. His head bounced occasionally, reaching near consciousness before falling back to sleep. As they approached the small fire they laid him down as gently as possible.

Fasaani looked at his body. The life mostly drained from it. She fought off the intrusive thoughts of how easy it would be to finish him off or to pose him comically for their own amusement. Amy had sat down off to the side slightly. She was curled around her knees and looking out into the trees. The moon caught her and caused her hair to shimmer slightly in the light. Fasaani took in a breath and pushed away the thoughts of remorse for her actions. It wasn’t the time. There would never be a time, she thought. Time to work. She turned to the fire and found a medium sized sturdy piece of bark on the ground. Gently she cleaned the surface of debris and decided it would be perfect. Next she grabbed a twig with a broad base, this would work as a bit of a mortar and pestle. Now she needed a flat surfaced rock to warm the ingredients on. She wandered the edge of the camp for a couple of minutes before finding one that seemed good enough and placing it at the edge of the fire. Then she tore the yarrow and buckthorn and set them in a small pile to warm up. Amy was still sitting and looking out into the trees. Fasaani wondered what she was thinking about.

“Amy... AMY... Hey.” Fasaani shouted, only changing to a low soothing tone when Amy turned towards her.

“Do you need something?” Amy said.

“No... do you? You’re just staring.” Fasaani said trying her best to sound gentle.

“Sorry, I just... I just don’t know what to do, and that’s weird for me.” Amy said coldly.

“Well, you’re in luck Amy. I need someone to grind these ingredients on the rock while they cook. AND YOU, my dear dear friend... you have great forearms. SOME would say that you are perfect for the job.” Fasaani said holding the twig towards her like an offering.

“Ha... thanks. I’ll get on it.” Amy said with a genuine smile as a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

Amy got up and walked over to take the twig and began mashing the yarrow and buckthorn. Fasaani stood behind watching like a chef at some restaurant. She felt the bubbling feeling of remorse swell in her throat. She hated frightening or hurting Amy... Kavin less so but the feeling was still there. It’s not the time, she thought. “Amy, use a smoother motion, I don’t want them too grainy, gotta make it gentle for poor Kavin’s soft skin.” Fasaani said, hoping humor would choke back the guilt.

“What? Show me.” Amy said holding the twig towards Fasaani.

“What is this, Ghost? No, it’s not that hard, figure it out.” Fasaani said with a smirk.

“Come on, you were always the alchemist. I know you just did this so I’d get out of my head but I honestly don’t know what you mean. So show me.” Amy said.

“Fine.” Fasaani knelt down and grabbed Amy’s hands and pushed them into the leaves with a slow rotation. As the twig hit the end of the rock she pulled back to re-stack the pile. “It’s in the rhythm, let the leaves tell you what they need. Just relax into the motion. You’re doing this for an outcome, the key to a potion is realizing you’re a part of the magic.” Fasaani said, feeling pleased with her own line.

“I’m not getting it. Let me step back and take a look.” Amy released the twig and stood back watching Fasaani fall into the rhythm of her movement.

It wasn’t long before Fasaani scraped the salve into the bark she had collected and dipped her finger in to inspect her creation. She took a small lick and sniff then with a smile she said “It’s done! This is good... wait... Amy did you just get me to do this for you?” Fasaani said, shooting a daggered look at Amy before a reluctant smile crept across her face.

“Hey, you do potions, I do manipulation... I mean executive leadership.” Amy said smirking.

“Damnit Amy. That said I am better at this than you... so probably better for Kavin’s sake. Let’s get this on his wound.” Fasaani said moving towards the unconscious Kavin.

Amy lifted his shirt up and helped take off the makeshift bandage that was now soaked in dark brown blood. The wound was red and swollen. Fasaani worked quickly applying the freshly made salve over the top until it was coated.

“Amy grab some moss please, we need to pack it again. How is your shirt doing?” Fasaani said inspecting the area.

“My shirt?” Amy said.

“Yeah we used mine last time, now it is soaked in Kavin. So we need something to tie around him. Yours looks clean enough? Have some spare length?” Fasaani said applying the remaining salve on the area surrounding the wound.

“Oh... why don’t we just use his. I like this shirt.” Amy said holding her shirt out and looking at it.

“You’re right. I mean really he caused this whole scenario... so really he stabbed himself.” Fasaani said while ripping the bottom of Kavin’s shirt.

“Yeah, when you put it that way Fasaani... he also punched me in the face.” Amy said with a laugh.

“God that makes me feel better knowing Kavin did all that. Maybe we just leave him here and go Thelma and Louise. You are such a Louise.” Fasaani said, beginning to wrap the wound and motioning that she needed the moss now.

Amy grabbed a clump of moss and handed it to Fasaani. “I think I am the Thelma and you are the Louise. I mean Louise shoots the guy.”

“Fuck you! We agreed Kavin stabbed himself.” Fasaani shouted with a laugh.

“I mean fuck both of them, they die at the end. Do better ladies.” Amy said.

“Amy... did you say fuck? Do you say fuck now? Shit you are the Thelma.” Fasaani said laughing. “Also I don’t know, they could make the jump.”

“Of course I say fuck. I just don’t choose to say it after every word Faz. Some of us believe in decorum.” Amy said straightening her posture to look more refined.

Fasaani laughed loudly and threw a clump of mud at her gently. As the mud splattered on Amy’s leg she looked down and began laughing. The laugh was guttural and a response that grabbed her so strongly that she sat on the ground as every muscle convulsed with a release of emotion in the form of laughter. Tears flew from her eyes and she sat laughing and soon it hit Fasaani like an infectious disease. The two rolled on the ground for what felt like ages as their stomachs grew sore from the laughing.

“The fuck are you two doing?” came a gentle strained whisper cutting through the laughter.

“Fuck, he made it.” Fasaani said through her attempts at stifling laughter.

“Kavin, we were just discussing your hairline and it put us in stitches.” Amy said also trying to force her laughter to stop.

“Amy you are so bad at jokes. My hair is great.” Kavin pushed himself up with a large groan. “Faz... I need to tell you something. It’s serious.” Kavin’s tone shifted and sounded dire.

“Really? Can it wait, I’m having fun and well you sound like you will ruin it.” Fasaani said.

“Come on just a minute. I need you to hear this.” Kavin said straining to speak.

Fasaani’s face fell serious and she walked over towards him and kneeled down. “What is it?” she said.

“We’re... we’re even.” Kavin said.

“What? Even?” Fasaani said confused.

“The whole skin thing. You can’t hold that over me anymore after this shit.” Kavin said with a smirk.

“No deal Kav... you stretched it out when you wore it.” Fasaani said giving him a playful slap on the cheek.

“Fuck that Faz. I took precautions to not kill you. I even made a non-painful balm for you while I went around causing havoc in your skin. There were painful options I could have taken. Besides you were blissfully unaware for the whole thing. If anything you owe me now.” Kavin said, his strained whisper filled with sarcasm.

“I was not unconscious. I was aware and paralyzed, that is different. Also Amy and I spoke about it and since you started this... you really stabbed yourself.” Fasaani said.

“Sorry Kav... we did already make a decision here. You stabbed yourself. You may actually owe Fasaani now.” Amy said sarcastically.

“Oh great you two are getting along again. The ride home will be awful. Faz, mind giving me a stab again so I can sleep through it?” Kavin said struggling to hold back laughter due to the stinging wound in his side.

“Kav, I’m glad you’re back.” Fasaani said.

“Me too.” Kavin said before laying back. “I think I need to sleep though, this banter took it out of me.”

“You never were a match for wits.” Amy said.

“Amy is joking again, I can’t get used to that. Isn’t there some mud for you to be a stick in?” Kavin said while closing his eyes.

Amy gently and playfully punched Kavin’s shoulder. Amy and Fasaani sat down next to Kavin and laid back staring up at the stars. The fire warm at their feet. As they laid there their breaths began to slowly align. In, then out, then in again as they drifted off slowly to sleep.