"What did you just feed her?" a furious voice demanded, startling Lara.
The jug slipped from her hands, and water spilled on the floor.
An old man with a head full of wild white hair stepped forward, his face twisted with fury. Deep furrows etched his skin, and his sharp eyes burned with indignation.
Lina bowed her head respectfully, her voice calm and asured. "Healer U-Mao, this is the soldier who saved Abel and his brothers. He ntioned having so knowledge of dicine and gave Sister Delia fever-reducing dicine."
Lara narrowed her eyes, studying the so-called "healer." She had imagined soone wise and noble, a venerable physician full of quiet authority. Instead, the man before her looked like a caricature of a quack—haughty and grumpy.
The old man’s gaze settled on her with open disdain, his lips curling. "How could soone so young know dicine? How do you even know what he gave your sister wasn’t poison?" His words dripped with accusation.
Lara’s patience thinned. Her voice turned cold, cutting through his indignation like a blade. "Old man, instead of wasting ti accusing , why don’t you see Darius’ injuries? He’s in the next room." She pursed her lips, suppressing the urge to punch and kick him. She let the insult slide for the sake of Lina and the siblings.
At that mont, a plump woman with white hair peeked through the doorway. Her voice was sharp but casual, like she’d wandered into a kitchen argunt.
"Husband, there’s a dead tiger in the backyard. Aren’t tiger bones good for redies? Go check on the boy first, and then we can claim the tiger as paynt. They already owe us so much."
Healer U-Mao shot one last glare at Lara before turning on his heel and shuffling out of the room, muttering under his breath.
"I’m so sorry about that," Lina said with a sheepish smile, wringing her hands. "Healer U-Mao is... eccentric. Please don’t take it personally."
Lara humd noncommittally, her attention shifting to the two girls lying on the bed. Their faces were pale and drawn, not from illness but from the unmistakable hollowness of hunger.
"Can you stay here for a while? I’ll check the fish and cook sothing for lunch." Lina turned slightly to her before heading out.
She leaned closer to the girl near the edge and gently shook her shoulder. The child’s eyelids fluttered open, and for a brief mont, her face lit up. "Father? You... you’re back?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and trembling.
The girl rubbed her eyes, blinking repeatedly. When she looked at Lara again, the light in her eyes dimd, and her expression fell. "I’m sorry, Sir. I thought you were my father."
Lara pulled a warm, boiled egg from her bag, peeling it swiftly. She handed it to the girl with a faint smile. "Here, eat this. You must be hungry. I’ll fetch so water for you."
The girl took the egg with trembling hands, clutching it as though it were a treasure. Lara glanced down at the fallen water jug, its clay surface miraculously intact on the dirt floor. She picked it up and headed to the kitchen.
In the small, dim space, Lina was gutting fish with swift, practiced movents. A toddler sat nearby on the floor, unusually quiet and well-behaved.
"These boys must’ve been lucky today," Lina murmured, smiling faintly as she worked. "They caught plenty of fish, wild chickens, even so hares. We’ll have enough to eat for the next few days."
"Excuse , Lina," Lara said, stepping closer. "The little girl woke up. I gave her a boiled egg, but I need to get her so water."
Lina turned around and took the water jug from her. She used a dipper to scoop water from the jar nestled on top of the bamboo counter, the banggera.
Lina turned, her hands slick with fish scales, and took the jug from Lara. She filled it deftly with a dipper from the bamboo water jar. "Here you go. Thank you for helping."
Lara hesitated as she looked at Lina’s hands and the water jug. She took a mont to take the jug and a clay mug before heading back to the room. She handed the mug to the girl, who drank eagerly.
"What’s your na?" Lara asked softly.
"Eva, Sir," the girl replied after finishing her water.
Lara’s lips curved into a gentle smile. "You must be the fifth child after Darius?"
Eva nodded, her cheeks tinged pink with shyness.
"Can you wake your sister, I also have an egg for her. I bet she is as hungry as you."
Eva obediently turned to the girl beside her and shook her gently. When that didn’t work, she resorted to tickling her feet.
The other girl jerked awake, rubbing her eyes groggily. "Eva, you’re so an! I was trying to sleep. At least when I’m asleep, I don’t feel hungry."
Lara chuckled softly and held out the peeled egg. "Here, eat this. It’ll help."
The girl did not hesitate. She placed the entire egg into her mouth. With cheek puffing at both sides, she chewed greedily.
"Flora! Eat slowly, or you’ll choke!" Eva scolded.
As if on cue, Flora began coughing violently, her face flushing red. Lara handed her the mug of water, which she gulped down greedily.
"You need to slow down," Lara said gently, shaking her head. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out two small pieces of Longan. "Here, it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing."
The girls accepted the fruit with bright, grateful smiles.
"Did our father send you to give us food?" Flora asked with a hopeful voice. "Why hasn’t he co back yet?"
Lara hesitated, her chest tightening. Where was their father? "Your father sent because he couldn’t co ho right now. But he’ll return once the war is over," she said, weaving a comforting lie for the child’s sake.
"How old are you, Flora?" Lara tried to change the topic.
"I’m six," the girl replied, her tiny voice tinged with pride. "And my sister is eight."
Before Lara could respond, a weak but clear voice cut through the room.
"Who are you? And why are you here?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)