Amary accompanied him during the short trudge from Hellebore’s tent to the center of the camp, where the matron was ladling out stew from her boiling pot. That night, members of the caravan were quieter than they usually were. Fii felt eyes on him as he walked.
The camp was set at the foot of a hill, in a small clearing surrounded by trees on one side and the road on the other. There was a rock pillar along the road, a marker that indicated that they were at the edges of the Bradbury territory. Per usual, the fire was lit in the center of the camp. The men and women of the troupe and the caravan sat on boulders or on the ground, or wherever they could make space between the scattered tents.
Angus was sitting alone, slumped against a tree. Fii found a spot beside Angus, and Amary came with him. Then Fii tried to apologize, but Angus made a face and turned his back against Fii.
“You ignored me first, bastard. Let me ignore you now. Let me. Please.” Angus said.
There was no bite in those words, and the humor was easy. Fii shrugged and sat down to eat, a quick grin spreading on his face as he glared intensely at his stew. Suddenly, he was ravenous. Good. He doesn’t blame me. The easy companionship of the crew reminded him of a home that he had left a year ago, and now missed dearly. If he could, he would love to preserve this easy relationship forever.
***
“Baneberries,” Hellebore said, inspecting the small white berry. “Sometimes called the doll’s eyes berries. A handful can kill a grown man. Two’ll be enough to kill a child.”
Jaden drew a sharp breath, and eyed Fii with suspicion. The amulet in his hands glowed eerily in the evening’s dark. The man stood at one side of the impromptu triangle. Hellebore was at its center. Harold had his arms around Amary at a second corner, and Fii rounded up the last.
The look on Harold’s face was grave concern and barely veiled anger, which served to line his wizened face even more harshly than usual.
Hellebore crushed the berries in her fingers. Her eyes passed between Fii and Amary. “How many did the two of you eat?”
Amary looked at Fii queasily. “None,” she said. “But Fii had a few.”
Silence hang over the group. The cool evening wind swept through the clearing, and Fii trembled with it.
“Foolish,” Harold snapped. “Did neither of you check with Jaden or I before touching those? Don’t touch what you don’t know while you’re on the road.”
Amary shrunk back, and her father grasped her tightly. Fii wanted to do the same, but there was nothing behind him other than bushes and rocks and the shadows cast by nearby trees. Instead, he shrunk down upon himself, staring at his shoes again. His lips tasted bitter, like gall.
He had chanced upon the berries after dinner, after Angus had stalked off alone. Don’t follow me, the other boy said, and Fii listened. Then Amary demanded her story. They found a quiet spot to sit, and there were berries beside them. He hadn’t thought much of it, and plucked a few to share with Amary. Then Jaden ran over with his glowing amulet and roaring voice, and slapped the berries from Fii’s hands.
Jaden looked at Fii suspiciously. “Or did you know what they were? Were you trying to poison her?”
The shock that sprung through his system was real, as was the injustice he felt at being accused thus. Fii stared straight at the other man, and kept his face artfully blank, because if he did not, he would rage. Jaden had always thought the worst of Fii, but Fii hadn’t realized just how lowly the other man had thought of him until this moment.
And yet, he had almost poisoned himself and Amary both. And yet, Jaden had carried him back to the camp earlier during the day, after he had collapsed beside the road after running off alone. Both thoughts made him feel guilty.
Jaden stared back, unrelentingly, as though challenging Fii to defend himself against the accusation. The man’s gaze was strong, and the amulet in his hand seemed to buzz with an unknown power.
“I did not,” Fii said, softly, but clearly. “I’m sorry. I should have known better.”
Hellebore glared at the two of them, and broke the tension. She tsked impatiently. “Blame him later. Apologize later. How many is a few?”
The sudden question brought Fii back. He had to think about it. “Two?” he guessed.
“Two,” she repeated, eyes on Fii. The weight of her stare made him step back, uncertainly.
At one side, Jaden snorted. Harold pulled Amary closer into his grasps, Amary stole peeks at Fii.
“What can we do?” Harold asked.
“Nothing,” Hellebore said. “Nothing here, because we have nothing. Pray to your gods. He’s sleeping in my tent tonight. Pray that he only had two. Then he might have a chance of waking up tomorrow. We’ll find somewhere to dump his body if he doesn’t.”
Amary flinched. Fii flinched with her. Harold pulled her away, and gave Fii a look of almost sympathy. Fii felt sick to the bottom of his stomach, and he wasn’t sure if it was for himself or for Amary. Two could kill a child, Hellebore had said. Fii flushed green.
“We’ll make sure everyone else knows not to touch it,” Harold said, nodding at Jaden.
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