Chapter Nineteen:
Luke began collecting firewood the moment he found some, making sure to get kindling as well. The action of bending down to collect the pieces also allowed him to scan closer to the ground for the herbs he needed.
He held in one hand the guide Afkin had given them, using it to identify the plants that had been noted as medicinal. He needed two plants in particular: starfern and moonbloom, as the natives called them.
Starfern would disinfect and cleanse the wound, while moonbloom would act as a painkiller. None of the other herbs on the list had any qualities that would do Mara any good right now.
Luke had a pretty good collection of wood in his pack now, and he was making sure to select some larger pieces that would burn for longer. But he was also cold, though not quite as chilled since he was a little lower in altitude at the moment. But it was still cold out, and Luke pondered the fact that it felt like near-winter on the high slopes of Keostea's wilderness.
Luke's skin was frosty, a fact that was only enhanced by the warm blood beneath it. He did his best to ignore the discomfort, however, and focused instead on Mara. He also promised himself that no matter what else happened, if Mara pulled through this, Luke would tell her everything before they moved another step on this trek.
He loved that woman, and he wanted to be with her. But he didn't want any secrets in their relationship— something he knew Mara agreed with. He knew what it was like to be left in the dark by one that was supposed to love you unabashedly. Luke refused to do that to Mara.
Besides... Luke paused, his being warming at the memory. After their bonding moment while he was dangling over the cliff, Luke wanted Mara as a much more intimate part of his life. He could finally admit that, though the more timid, wounded part of him still held slight reservations, and he was still upset with himself for marrying so young...
Luke shook his head to clear it, uncomfortable with the confusing swirl of thoughts and emotions. He loved Mara... but the scars he bore...
Luke thinned his lips. If Mara can reveal all her scars, so too can I. It's time to let go, Luke... let go of the past like you let go of Mirat.
The thought of his kilit choked him momentarily. He did miss Mirat, and he hoped she was having a good life on Trichi. Despite that, Luke did wish he had her help, since with Mara in such dire condition, Mirat's speed would have been a welcome boon.
Luke sighed, pushing Mirat out of his mind. She was gone, and he wasn't getting her back. And in any case, he was happy for her.
Time to move on like Mirat did. Luke thought, refocusing.
Luke was also searching for water, and he was heading in the direction of the pool he'd shown Mara. But he was concerned about the amount of water he'd be able to carry back in his small flask.
Luke eyed the vegetation about him, eventually spotting a plant with broad, fleshy leaves that would retain water very well. Luke had an idea and he pulled out one of his arrows. He stepped up to a tree, praying this one had sap close to the surface, and began to dig at the wood of the trunk.
It took a few minutes, but eventually a thick, viscous sap oozed from the tree, and Luke paused in his work to pick a few of the large leaves. He used the sap to glue them together to form a makeshift bowl, knowing that without tar, sap was the next best thing. Luke carefully crafted the bowl to have as narrow an opening as he could create so the water would not easily be lost.
Once the bowl had been crafted, Luke carried it with him as it set enough for him to fill. He would do that last, so he didn't have to worry about the liquid until it was necessary for him to do so. Luke selected a few more promising pieces of firewood before he could fit nothing more inside his bag.
He breathed through the weight on his back, keeping his mind focused on Mara to give him endurance. He turned to move onward when his foot caught a stone hidden by thick moss. Luke fell to his knees, catching himself on his hands to stop from hitting his face on the ground. That was when he spotted a small fern-like plant. The spikes of leaves resembled a garland that had tiny green stars on it, and Luke recognized it as starfern.
Thanking the Force, Luke harvested the leaves of the plant, knowing from the guide which parts to take. He left the roots, knowing the plant would re-grow if he did so. Now he had to find moonbloom.
Luke knew that if it came down to it, the disinfectant was the more important of the two herbs. If he couldn't find moonbloom, he would do what he could to make Mara comfortable otherwise.
Luke was certain to place his find in his pack where it wouldn't fall out before he rose to continue his search. The action of placing the herbs between the wood pieces reminded him of how cold and stiff his fingers were becoming. Luke suspected he was going to have some frostbite by the time he returned to Mara.
Luke breathed out some stress and walked on. He placed his hands into his armpits to try using his body's heat to preserve his fingers for longer. Luke finally arrived at the pool, and he decided to collect his water supply.
He still hadn't located the moonbloom, but Luke knew he was pressing his luck in straying away from Mara for so long. The longer he was away, the higher the chances something would happen to her. He'd had little choice but to leave her unprotected. He had no idea what sort of wildlife inhabited the rocky landscape where the cave was. Luke was ready to return to her, save for his lack of water as of yet.
So Luke filled his flask and makeshift bowl, took a last look around and then admitted defeat. He would have to go without the painkiller.
Luke glanced down while he was securing his flask and spotted some rocks. He paused to peer closer at them. They had metallic qualities, and Luke was reminded of flint. After he was done with his flask, Luke picked up two of the stones, hitting them together to see if anything happened. To his delight, sparks indeed flew out from between the stones, and Luke cheered in his heart. He pocketed the stones, stood and began his long hike back to Mara.
To his dismay, it looked about ready to rain, and Luke knew that the rain would turn to snow higher up. Luke grimaced, withholding a tired groan. He was struggling more and more with the chill the closer he got to the cave, because the weather got worse the higher he went.
Halfway to the cave it indeed began to drizzle, and Luke prayed the firewood was protected enough in his pack. As he'd predicted, he encountered snow partway out of the forest until he was leaving footprints. He also saw that what rain had fallen had formed icicles now, and Luke could see his breath as he walked.
By the time he was back at the mouth of the cave he was shivering heavily, listening to his teeth clacking together at a rapid rate. Luke paused inside, breathing to allow himself a moment to relax.
He was sore and tired, but he pushed through that.
Luke drew close to Mara, placing his bowl of precious water nearby and depositing his heavy pack near the wall. Luke heaved a sigh as the weight left his back, and he stretched sore muscles.
Then he knelt beside Mara and checked on her. Her breathing was shallow, but consistent. Luke felt her forehead, grimacing at how much warmer it was to the touch now. Luke's heart clenched in fear, but he forced himself to remain calm. Panicking would not help Mara at all.
Luke left her side and began collecting stones about the cave with which to build a fire ring. His near-frozen body was making it a difficult job, and Luke dropped things frequently. One of those drops caught his fingers under the weight of the stone. Because of how cold he was, the pain was heightened and Luke hissed, shaking his hand as if that would help relieve the sting. Finally Luke pushed through it and finished his ring.
He put it together as close to Mara as was safe to do so, that way she'd have more warmth. Once that was set, Luke built his fire's base, and finally pulled out his flint. With measured movements— slowed by his too-cold frame— Luke struck the flint, and watched as the sparks jumped into his kindling. He bent close and gently blew on the embers that ignited, and smiled when the flames began.
"Thank the Force!" Luke said aloud, allowing himself a few moments to warm his hands by the welcome fire. It both hurt to feel the vast difference in temperature, and was a welcome relief from the numbing cold.
When he could move his fingers again, Luke turned to Mara. Carefully he removed her sleeve from her shoulder completely, pushing her garment down until the wound was completely visible to him. However, Luke made sure to preserve Mara's modesty as much as he could as he did so.
Luke felt the heat from his little fire warm his back, and was glad of the sensation. Luke turned and searched out two stones, one large and flat, the second smaller and more rounded. He found what he needed and then withdrew the starfern from his pack, also stacking the rest of his firewood neatly for future use.
Recalling the lessons he'd gotten from the Denei tribe's healer, Luke plucked the leaves from the ferns, making a collection in the center of his large rock until he had a decent pile. Then he began using his rounded stone to crush the leaves into tiny bits, and after a long while of working the greenery, they began to form a grainy substance.
Luke scooted over to retrieve his plant-based bowl and he used his cupped palm to ladle out a small amount of the liquid within. Luke worked the two ingredients until he had a nice, consistent paste.
Finally he had it ready. Next, Luke took the animal fur and again cleansed Mara's shoulder, trying to remove as much of the puss as possible. To his growing dismay he realized that as he removed some, more oozed out, and he didn't know what to do about that.
Luke did his best against the semi-liquid and then grabbed his paste. With tender care, Luke rubbed it into the injury, hoping his efforts would help. When he was done, Luke sat back. He coughed once and wiped his nose, which had begun to run a little. Luke knew it was merely a byproduct of his temperature exposure.
Luke eyed Mara, knew there was nothing more he could do for now, and covered her back over with the blanket, though he didn't refit her sleeve.
He sat with her for a long time, adding wood to the fire as needed, and checking her condition every now and again. By nightfall, he was finally warmed enough to be comfortable. His stomach told him that he was hungry, but Luke didn't feel like going outside again, especially since it was still snowing.
Luke was a little worried about how much was falling, as he and Mara were not equipped for such weather. But he couldn't help the weather, and in any case, all he wanted at the moment was her health to improve.
Luke felt exhaustion calling him to sleep. Hesitant, Luke eyed Mara. He'd just checked her injury, and he didn't know if it looked any better, so he'd added more paste. But it was still a waiting game, and Luke knew that if he was to continue to care for Mara, he needed to be rested.
And fed... his stomach reminded him. But Luke pushed past his hunger: he'd gone without before, and he'd be fine now.
With a heavy sigh, Luke settled onto the ground close to the flames, using his pack as a pillow, and falling asleep almost immediately.
00000
When Luke woke, he felt refreshed, and he stretched languidly before he recalled where he was and why. That brought his head up, and he spied Mara right where he'd left her. Luke also saw that the fire was nearly out, but that there were still enough embers to restart it with.
He did that first, knowing that their source of heat was critical with the conditions outside. Luke happened to glance at the mouth of the cave to what lay beyond, and grimaced. The storm had passed; but in its wake, it had left several inches of cold, powdery snow.
Luke sighed, not relishing the idea of walking through all that in his Game sandals.
Luke chose to save that concern for later, and he instead crawled over to Mara. Upon looking at her, Luke saw that she was covered from head to toe in perspiration. Luke lifted a brow, thinking that she couldn't be that hot under the coat, even with the fire.
Besides, the fire had been nearly out, so Mara shouldn't be sweating. That is, unless her fever had worsened.
Luke crawled close to her, noting the even paler hue to her flesh now. Luke's heart ached at the thought that she was worse off than when he had fallen asleep. He touched her forehead and sucked in a breath.
She was burning up! Luke almost cried out from how hot she was, and he leapt for the animal skin and water bowl. Dousing the fur in the cool water— and hoping this didn't send her into shock— Luke began to frantically dab Mara's forehead.
"Come on, Mara..." Luke murmured, willing her to get better, but knowing that wasn't enough. He worked the cool wet cloth for what felt like hours to him, but alas her condition didn't improve in the slightest.
Luke was beginning to fear the worst, and he did his best to hold back fearful tears. A few still leaked from his gaze, and he let them fall, even as he continued to dab her forehead.
"Please don't go away..." Luke murmured to Mara, his tears falling freely now as his fear continued to seep past his barriers. "I need you..."
Luke thought of the Force, and of how he had taken some healing lessons, but not many... yet. Luke touched Mara in the Force, and panicked at how fragile her spirit had become.
He knew the rules were to not use the Force to directly affect the outcome of the Games. Did that include saving Mara with the Force? Luke glared at nothing. He'd be damned if he let Mara die because of some event! He wasn't going to sacrifice the woman he loved for the pride of the people of Keostea!
Luke's head came up at that. The planet!
He saw a loophole and dove for it, delving deeply into the Force. He sought out the wildlife and the overall life-force around him, following their presences and seeking for the nexus of them all. It took several minutes, but at last he found the pattern, following it until he came to the center of Keostea.
It was a surprisingly luminous thing to behold, and had the circumstances been any different, Luke would have paused to ogle. But he had someone to save.
Please help me! He asked of the planet.
When nothing happened, Luke tried again... and again. Finally he broke the connection, wondering angrily why the planet had offered help only to refuse it when they needed it most.
Luke heard something at the mouth of the cave and he glanced towards it, thinking that an animal had finally stumbled into their midst. But no, instead of something furry and large, Luke instead saw a white, spindly creature that only came up to his hip. It was a thin thing, resembling a man made of ice, though the head was the front end of an arrow pointed downward.
Luke stared openly at it as it approached; noting that this thing gave off what looked like fog, which reminded Luke of dry ice.
The creature stopped before the fire could begin melting it, where it looked directly at Luke and gestured him closer.
He did so without hesitation, kneeling to be at eye-level with the small being.
"Are you a golem?" Luke asked.
"I am," it answered in a mellow, masculine voice.
"I thought you were all supposed to be rather large?" Luke couldn't help his morbid curiosity.
"We take the shape our Mother Keostea needs us to," was the reply. "What do you need of her?"
So the planet had heard him. I'm sorry, Luke whispered to the planet.
"Mara is near death," Luke's voice caught. "And I cannot heal her. Please, don't let her die. I beg you. She..." Luke closed his eyes. "She's everything to me. I love her! I need her... so much!"
The golem eyed Luke, then Mara, and then fell silent. Observing the being closely, Luke knew the golem was communicating with the planet. Finally the golem motioned to Luke. "Bring her."
Luke obeyed without question, picking Mara up to hold her close to him, and followed as the golem led Luke deeper into the cave. Luke realized at some point that they were going downhill. He was surprised when bioluminescent algae lit up as he and Mara passed.
After several minutes— in which Luke was feeling Mara burning him where their skin met— to his utter surprise, Luke found himself entering a tiny cave with an opening to the air high above. And in the center was a small patch of greenery that could grow because it got just enough sunlight.
The golem motioned to Luke. "Lay her here," he said, pointing to the grass.
Luke did so and moved back when he was asked to do so. He found himself holding his breath despite his wondering what it was the planet would do for Mara.
A strange rumbling sounded, and Luke frowned, feeling the ground vibrate a little. Then, to his utter astonishment, vines began to rise up from the ground all around Mara. Instantly they snaked over her body, covering her from head to toe to make her look like a green mummy. Luke's instinct was to fight off something that would potentially smother Mara, but he controlled his base self.
Luke watched as Mara was enveloped more and more until he could no longer see any part of her. The vines tightened until they had formed to make a complete cast of Mara. Then they settled, and all went silent. Luke waited, wondering what would occur next.
In the light from above, Luke was unable to see at first when the vines began to glow an odd greenish-blue. But when they got bright enough, Luke did indeed see it, and he gaped despite himself.
Finally he could contain his curiosity no longer, and he knelt beside the golem again. "What, exactly, is happening?"
"The planet is healing your companion," the golem said as if it were obvious.
Luke nodded. "Yes, but how?"
"Because the animal that hurt Mara and the infection that resulted are all part of Mother Keostea, she can absorb those things back into herself and replace Mara's sickness with her own health." The golem explained, with Luke staring in awe. "Everything causing Mara to be ill is part of Mother Keostea. She is thus able to help."
Luke had had no idea such a thing could happen, but he recalled Master Yoda saying more than once that the Force itself knew no limits. And since all things— including planets— were part of the Force, it could use all things to do its work.
"Thank you," Luke whispered, touched that the planet would go to such lengths for two simple Jedi.
Luke didn't know how long it took, but at long last the vines began to darken again. When they stopped glowing the greenery withered away to reveal Mara beneath. Luke hesitated to approach, looking to the golem.
It seemed amused, though it gestured Luke to go ahead. "It is safe to touch her now."
Luke nodded and walked to Mara, noticing immediately that her shoulder was healed. Luke touched it to be certain he wasn't seeing things, though he knew in his heart he wasn't. Mara's pallor was already returning to normal, and her fever was gone.
Tears leaked from Luke's eyes and he placed his fingertips to the ground, touching Keostea in the Force again. Thank you so much! I promise I will do what I can to help you.
Luke tenderly lifted Mara into his arms, kissing her head lovingly. The golem led him back to the cave, and Luke hesitated when he saw the snow outside. But he decided that the planet had done enough for him and Mara, so he didn't complain about the snow.
But to his further surprise, the golem looked to him. "Mother Keostea will provide assistance for you both to get clear of the mountains when you are ready. You know how to contact her."
Luke thanked the golem again as the being left the cave, and then watched the creature disappear from sight.
Then he looked to Mara in his arms, touching her spirit in the Force and feeling how it was far stronger than before. When Luke laid Mara back on her pallet, he pulled back to cover her up. That was when he saw something on her shoulder that hadn't been there previously.
Luke bent closer and saw a tiny leaf design, and Luke tilted his head curiously, touching it. To his surprise, it didn't feel like it was there, but to him it resembled a tattoo. Luke realized it was a mark from Keostea, and knew that Mara had a connection to the planet now.
Smiling softly, and with a grateful heart, Luke covered Mara and sat with her, thanking the Force that Mara was alive and well now.