He clicked his fingers and tilted his flask, seeing it was empty. Salīa threw hers. After a long sip and click of the jaw, he said with his head hanging low, "I know you know who sent me that letter."
She said nothing. He chewed on his lip. After a long silence, he continued.
"After discovering the chocolate Raki sent, I asked him why…and we started talking more. Out of nowhere, he'd send letters advising me on things, even when I didn't ask.
Always drawing counsel from our father, mother, sister, and brothers, depending on what he thought I needed to know. And I listened."
He paused.
"The truth is, I was scared I couldn't protect you well without his guidance."
His face fell, squeezing coughs out of his chest. He waited. But she offered no solace.
"Your mood changed when you saw that letter. Is that when you knew what was wrong?"
"I had suspicions, but felt it was unavoidable to run into them. Raki said reinforcements would be here soon. That's why I sent Hawking out to let them know where to go. He warned me to stay genial with them if we crossed paths."
He took a while to continue.
"He suspected they were taking wersu, a mixture of poisons which some take to excite the body, with puffkyll, a hazy red drug, which renders them unpredictable.
Combined, it locks them into a preta state, so that they can use demonic powers, but they also risk becoming demonic vessels."
Salīa shook.
She had already sensed this, but hearing it made it undeniably true.
"We're lucky to have gotten away with only mild secondary smoke, but we should still be wary since we don't have earth fruit to drain it. He said the best we can do is drink water, eat fruits, and rest in hopes to flush it out."
"Lucky to have gotten away with only mild secondary smoke? Bazil, we're lucky to have gotten away at all!" Salīa snapped. "You could've told me before we went."
"Even if I did, you still would've wanted to go. Yes?"
It was true. Of course, she'd still want to know about the children.
"But still," he added. "It was my fault for not looking at the letter sooner."
"You only did it because you didn't want me to think you chose Raki over me."
He winced. She shook her head and said plainly, "I don't know why you think I'd ever want to keep you from your brother.
I've never expected or wanted that. You don't need to pretend you don't care about him because you think it'll make me feel good."
She lingered over her next words.
"Knowing you care about me too is what makes me feel good."
His eyes flickered up. She tossed his flask to him, nodding for him to drink more as he coughed.
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"So much," he said drowsily. "Horsemen dangerous. Piper stole them. Watch out for the destra. Lilitha loves you. Father worries about …I'll save you, Līa…none are worthy…she's mine, not yours, brother…it's monkeys, mama."
Bazil snored instantly.
"Wake up."
But he didn't.
She even pushed him, but still nothing. After about ten minutes of trying, she accepted that the smoke had its way with him, and he'd probably be asleep for a while.
She wrapped him in her coat, wondering just what he had been muttering about.
With twilight setting in, her head dragged deep into a muddy morass. She was a tangle of nerves, her head pricking up at the slightest breeze of wind or crunch of leaves.
As if sensing her unsettled state, Hawking swooped above, scouting through the skies.
She wasn't exhausted from the smoke, but still nauseous. And she felt an inescapable pull to open that book.
Before, it was just a rapping at her ribs, lightly gnawing. Yet now it clawed through and yanked at her heart to obey.
"Okay, I get it, Salazā. Lead the way."
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