Chapter Sixteen:“You awake?” His words came to her in the dark room. She knew it was Soupbone’s voice, if not entirely sure where she was.
Through the fog of sleep, she answered, “Yes, I think so.” The words slurred from the wad of dried birch bark crammed in her cheek.
The night had passed uneventfully. The drug helped her sleep through the pain but left her mouth and throat dry like the desert outside. Standing on weak legs, she spit the remnants of the herbs into the smoldering fire. A clear head would be needed for today. It would surely be trying no matter the outcome.
Soupbone waited outside when she opened the door. He looked comfortable sitting cross-legged on the stone floor. The average stupid grin greeted her.
There were times the man seemed lucid, capable of deep and meanin
