Things moved fast after I made my suggestion. Too fast for me to my frustration. My body wasn’t nearly recovered enough to go sprinting off to the perimeter where Juniper was killing every fish who came too close. Time was of the essence given that fish could start streaming up the waterways at any moment and overwhelm whatever the whisper women were doing at the river mouth. Waiting for me to hobble way over just so I could do what another could do easier and faster wasn’t the smartest move.

  It grated on me not to take care of the task myself, but Ana and Ziek were more than capable of getting Juniper’s attention, explaining the plan, and getting the crystals fixed in place. Between Prevna and Ingrasia’s presence it was difficult to forget that I was supposed to be delegating and that leading a small team didn’t mean doing everything myself. The others had already proven themselves, I just had to rest and recover so I could do my part as well.

  I ended up on the bramble wall closest to where Juniper’s location had been reported.

  My legs had cramped near the wall, sore and weak and aching, but after the cramps passed I managed the final steps with Prevna’s help. We were a little awkward with each other since we had said our goodbyes and then she was still here, but I was…glad for it since the awkwardness meant we had more time together.

  If I slept I’d miss what time I had left with her. I’d miss what was likely going to be a quickly evolving situation with Juniper and any other changes that could happen. I’d just seen something of legend and survived another near death experience.

  Prevna and I had kissed.

  My mind wouldn’t stop thinking, reviewing, planning. We finally had something we could use to turn the tide of the horde and I wanted to be there to witness it. Even if I couldn’t see much of the fish from the wall since the perimeter was doing its job.

  Prevna pressed her thumb into the furrows between my eyebrows. “Is this like when you couldn’t sleep in the inner valleys? Or when you worked yourself to the bone in the Warming Winds’ home?”

  I frowned. “No.” Then I reconsidered, “Sort of. I don’t want to miss anything.”

  “What if I promise to tell you every little thing that happens?”

  “You have to go back to your training.”

  She shrugged. “I do. I will, but Ingrasia has suddenly found herself very busy and so is every other whisper women around here. Too busy to shuttle around around a seedling. A few hours won’t change much for me, but a few hours of rest could be critical for you.”

  She saw I was about to protest, so she added, “I’ll be sure to let you know the next time I might need to nap on your lap.”

  My gaze swept down to her lap. It wouldn’t be the first time I had rested my head there, but the opportunities had been few and far between and the situation felt different now. Idra and Ento might have been able to hang all over each other without a care in the world, but this was more intimate, vulnerable, than what I typically allowed, especially if I was going to sleep.

  Prevna waited. Let me make the decision without any added pressure. If I wanted I could go back to my bedroll and she would help support me there without complaint. Or I could lay my head on her lap here and ignore all the uncomfortable bumps on the bramble wall. Or I could combine the two ideas together and get the added privacy of the sleeping quarters’ walls. There was no true rest out here or in the command center under the whole tribe’s scrutiny.

  “You’ll tell me everything?”

  “Every last detail.”

  “And you’ll wake me up if I’m needed?”

  “Of course.”

  I drew in a deep breath, let it out. “Then let’s go back to my quarters. I’ll rest there.” Her face fell, so I lightly brushed my fingers across her knee. “Hopefully your offer will still be open.”

  Prevna grinned. “Tease.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that as my cheeks flushed, so I shoved myself to my feet and she was quick to support me, like she had always been by my side. Our return to my quarters was slow going but I didn’t push myself as hard as I had before. Stopping because a cramp took me down once was embarrassing enough.

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  My mind blanked again, just a little, at the sight of Prevna climbing onto my bedroll. I felt like a fool, but my thoughts were immediately cast back to the berry patch and wondering if her lips might taste different here.

  Prevna caught my look as she turned around and settled into a seated position. Her face flushed this time but she said in admonishing tone, “Sleep.”

  I held back a sigh and climbed onto the shelf holding my bedroll before laying down to rest. I went slow, giving her time to change her mind or adjust, but she stayed where she was. When my head rested on her lap she ran her fingers through my hair.

  She said, “I might not have the sleeping effects of the valley’s fog, but I think I’ll have you out just as fast.”

  “Prove it.”

  She kept playing with my hair and I closed my eyes. I was asleep only a couple minutes later.

  - -

  When I woke I drank another one of the healer’s concoctions though I was glad I could lift the cup to my lips without help or spilling the drink everywhere. I did cough up some water, but I could tell that some of the soreness had already faded—everything still hurt to move, but not quite as much as before. However, I did have a vague sense of deja vu as the current situation was similar to when I had first woken up after nearly drowning.

  Prevna kept her word and was still there when I opened my eyes. In fact, she had fallen asleep herself against the wall and I took the moment to appreciate seeing her relaxed. She could affect appearing calm and easygoing, but it was a rare moment when her guard was down completely.

  Despite her own nap, she was able to tell me all of what happened while I was asleep, and I learned that my nap hadn’t been so much as a nap as a full night’s rest. I had slept through the evening meal to the next morning. Prevna was pretty pleased with herself that I had slept so long, but I was frustrated I had wasted so much time and forced her to spend the night sitting upright since she apparently hadn’t wanted to risk waking me up.

  She stretched and said it wasn’t the first time she’d slept sitting before she moved into telling me what had happened. Ana and Ziek had carefully affixed two crystals of blood to the roof of the Water Frond Snake’s mouth so that Juniper could chomp on any fish that went for them. Every other spot had been too vulnerable to the horde. Now she was racing around the delta as the fish desperately threw themselves after her. Sometimes she would increase her size and reverse course, thinning the mob chasing after her while other times she’d use the Water Frond Snake’s abilities to shift the water around it to push fish out of the way and slip through gaps in their ranks with her smallest size. Tribe Master Toniva had been quick to send out what squads could be spared to set up along her predicted route and kill more fish as they passed.

  Not all the fish chased the crystals, however. While two crystals had a strong pull, they didn’t have the same draw as the handful of crystals that had been in the water, so when she pulled too far away and the fish weren’t able to keep up, they shifted back to either trying to assault Bramble Watch or the river mouth, so the protections at both locations couldn’t be relaxed and more fish were still pouring in, unable to resist the draw of the crystals.

  Things had improved, but they weren’t ideal, not yet. Either we’d have to send Juniper out into the ocean so the crystals would draw all the fish away from the delta, which would put her at considerable risk, even as the Water Frond Snake, or we’d have to somehow set up the remaining crystals along the shore so the fish would be drawn to them but wouldn’t continue further into the delta. That also increased the chances of one of them getting lucky though, so that we ended up with an abomination on our hands.

  There was another thing that had gone in our favor though. A bird screeched as Prevna and I stepped out of the sleeping quarters.

  People shouted as a large shape swept by and then back up into the sky. I grinned as I recognized Anore, the storm bird who had taken a liking to me.

  My first request of Ingrasia was to see if she could negotiate to bring at least some of the storm birds to the delta. While they were often only used for transport I thought that it might be helpful to use their natural inclination to hunt fish to thin some of the horde’s numbers.

  The trouble was that there wasn’t any good locations in the delta for them to nest as the trees weren’t big enough to support the birds weight, but there also wasn’t enough room for them to land between the trees. So they had found a spot to the north with enough open ground that the birds could nest and run to take off. From what Prevna told me only seven storm birds had come, including Anore, since most of the flock had to stay in reserve in case other whisper women needed them and because this idea hadn’t been fully tested. They were already proving valuable in harrying the fish in the wider channels and out in the open water. Anything that made things more difficult for the horde was a win.

  I was determined to get up in the air and see everything above, but first it was time for Prevna to actually leave. Ingrasia wasn’t able to keep putting off bringing her back to her mentors as putting it off any longer could lead to trouble between sects. I was alive and fine and Prevna knew it, so that would have to be enough for now.

  “That was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. Thank you,” I said.

  She smiled her knowing smile. “Glad I could be of service.” Prevna squeezed my hand. “Do what you need to, but be safe, okay? I’d rather not fish you out of the bottom of the river, but I will if I have to.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  She joined Ingrasia by the summoning branch, took my mentor’s hand, and after one last look back, stepped into the shadow. Here and gone again, just like that. But that was the way it had to be for now. She had her obligations and I had mine. Now it was time for me to get back to addressing mine. I had a river mouth to check, fish to kill or drive away, and, if I found Kaylan, a story to collect.