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CHAPTER FIVE
Hoshi stirred and smiled. Malcolm was humming again; for once she was happy to hear it. Grateful he hadn't turned on the light, she buried her face further into the pillow, dozing until she heard him call her.
"Hoshi." She sighed sleepily. "Hoshi. Hey, darlin', ya better get up."
Her eyes shot open and the warm fog of sleep gave way to a terrible sensation of dread and anxiety. Trip sat across the fire from her, calling her. Behind him, light spilled in from the open doorway. She sat up. Outside, one of the villagers was singing quietly.
"Good mornin'. Sorry to wake ya, but I didn't want ta leave without tellin' ya. I'm gonna head back to the temple again, see what I can figure out. You wanna come or stay here?"
She shook her head, trying not to cry. "I promised Mila I would help her do the wash. These people have been so kind—I feel like I should do something to repay them."
Trip nodded in agreement. "Not a bad idea—if I don't get anywhere, I'll come back this afternoon and see if I can do anythin' too." He paused, looking at her with concern. "Don't spend all day worryin' Hoshi." He turned and left her to dress and find Mila.
Hours later, Hoshi lay stretched out on a large, warm rock on a river's edge. She had spent the morning washing clothes and blankets with the other women. It was warm in the sun, and she wore her uniform peeled down to the waist, exposing her undershirt. Her shoes rested beside her. She thought about Malcolm and her family—the people who would be worrying about her. She thought of how much she missed them. And she wondered if she was going to get home again.
Hearing shrieks, Hoshi sat up and looked around, shading her eyes with her hand. A group of the children were just upriver, shouting frantically. Some of the older ones had waded into the water as far as they could go without being caught in the current. Following their gaze, Hoshi spotted a small head bobbing up and down in the water. She gasped when she realized it was a child.
The head was moving fast, almost level with her now, and without thinking she leaped to her feet and dove off the rock into the cool water. She was a strong swimmer, but she still wasn't prepared for the force of the current that hit her as she struggled to the surface. Glancing around, she saw the child rush past her and she struck out. The swiftly moving current carried her to the child, a little girl, and she encircled her arm around the girl, slamming them together.
The sobbing girl wrapped her body around Hoshi like a boa constrictor. Hoshi struggled to loosen her so that she could breathe, shouting, "Let go, I've got you!" in the girl's native tongue. Meanwhile they were moving fast, and heading for the center of the wide river.
The river was spotted with enormous rocks, and Hoshi aimed for one of the largest, hoping to grab hold. They banged forcefully into the rock, Hoshi taking most of the impact with her own body. She cried out in pain, but managed to hold on. A few encouraging words had the girl scrambling up the side. Hoshi pushed from underneath; she almost shouted with relief when the girl found solid purchase.
Her own grip on the smooth rock was precarious. Once the girl was settled, she tried to climb up after her. A sharp, overwhelming pain in her side made her gasp and fall back. The little girl snatched at her hands, trying desperately to pull Hoshi up with her. The girl's eyes widened and she yelled, "Watch out!"
As soon as the words left her, a huge force slammed into Hoshi, prying her off the rock. She tried to catch hold of the large branch that had hit her, but she was moving slowly and it slipped from her fingers. She fought against the water, going under several times. The pain in her side made much movement impossible. She slipped under again, lungs burning. Her mind screamed.
Everything around her slowed. She opened her eyes and saw debris rushing past her. Her body felt weightless. She knew she was drowning but for a brief second she felt ok about it. She closed her eyes.
***
Cold. Her next coherent thought was just that one word. Cold. She was shaking so hard that she was sure she could hear her brain rattling in her head. She cracked her eyes, squinting against the light around her. Her body hurt.
"Mal…" She tried to speak but her throat wouldn't allow the words past, only little croaking sounds. She felt warm hands against her cheek and looked up into Katheba's face.
"Hoshi," Katheba said softly, although it sounded unbearably loud in Hoshi's head. "You must drink this." A ladle of something warm and salty was held to her lips. Hoshi drank hungrily, welcoming the warmth, until her stomach revolted. She turned her head away.
"Hoshi, please. Ya gotta finish it," Trip's pleading voice came from her right and she looked at him. His eyes were red-rimmed and his hair stood on end. "Please darlin'."
Katheba pressed the ladle to her again. Reluctantly, Hoshi drank. But her stomach was not so agreeable.
Seconds after she finished the concoction, it all came rushing back up. She rolled over, too weak to sit up, and vomited into a bowl that helpful hands placed in front of her face. Trip's hands. He smoothed her hair back and held it out of the way. When it was over, he helped her to lie back down. Her head spinning, she looked back into his frantic eyes briefly. Then she allowed the exhaustion to close off her mind again.
****
A long time later, she opened her eyes again, seeing the carved ceiling above her. She felt as though she'd been lying still so long that she was part of the bed under her. Her body felt leaden, but she was hot, very hot, so she managed to fold the layers of covers off of her upper body.
"It lives," said a rough voice. She turned to see Trip still sitting on her right. His eyes looked raw and deep-set, but he was smiling.
"Wha…" she croaked. Her voice was still clogged, it seemed, but Trip interpreted her meaning. While he answered, he helped her to sit up and piled blankets behind her to prop her up.
"What happened? Katheba says you swallowed some kinda nasty bug when you took in all of that water. Ya've been sick as hell. Scared the shit outta me." At her questioning look, he continued, "Tinor dove in and saved you, thank god." He blinked, glancing down. "I'm sorry, Hoshi. I didn't get there 'til they were pullin' you out."
"Haw laang?" She grimaced at the way her own voice scraped painfully at her throat. He poured a glass of water and held it to her lips. She sipped at it gingerly.
"Two weeks. You've been sick almost two weeks. Katheba took care of you."
"No, friend, we took care of her." Katheba bustled inside carrying a steaming bowl. "You're companion has worked tirelessly to save you. He would not accept your death; indeed, he snatched you back from it. You were dead when Tiron took you from the river, but Trip gave you his own breath." She beamed at them. "You chose your companion well."
She handed Trip the bowl. "Please be certain that she eats this, Trip. Hoshi, when you are well, Rissi's family would like to visit with you, to offer their gratitude. Thanks be to Keyia for bringing you both to us." She stepped back outside.
Trip scooted closer, and started spooning the soup into her mouth. She was a little embarrassed, but the warm liquid was blissful on her throat, so she allowed him to continue.
After a moment, Trip spoke again. "I have ta tell you somethin'." Suddenly he would not meet her eye and the smile was gone. "I've been back to that temple everyday since you got sick…I hated to leave you but I kept thinkin' if I could get ya back to Phlox, everythin' would be ok."
"Hoshi, I can't get us back. I've tried everything I can think of. The only way we're gettin' out of here is if the others come for us." She tried to smile encouragingly, in spite of the tears in her eyes. He offered another spoonful, which she took.
"I even studied the carvings in the temple. And the thing is—remember that landscape scene that the guide showed us, the one that'd been carved eons ago? Well, I took a good look at it. It's a picture of the way things look here, of the current landscape. All of this time we've been thinkin' we're lost, in the wrong place. Now I think we're in exactly the right place. They don't have to figure out where to look for us…they have to figure out when."
Hoshi started, spilling soup down the front of her undershirt. Glancing down she realized the T-shirt was the only thing she had on besides a bandage binding her ribs. Her cheeks burned, while her mind tried to process what Trip said. There was something more to this, she knew, something beyond time travel. But she was too tired to work at it now. Too tired to feel as upset as she should at his news.
He put the soup down and she took his hand. His eyes were swimming, exhaustion and worry finally taking their toll. Hoshi reached out and pulled him into her arms. They sat wrapped together, rocking slightly. "'Ank yoo," she whispered. Trip didn't answer, just heaved a ragged sigh and hugged her tighter, careful to avoid her damaged ribs.
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