By the time they reached wherever they had been heading, her head had begun to ache and she was in a sour mood, her high gone and left with the lingering effects of the toxin.
When she was set down, she watched the two vampires setting up a basic camp. She didn't think her legs would support her yet, so she sat still and watched them grumpily.
"Feeling any better?" Jaia asked an hour or so later when a fire had been started and a small tent erected. They had scouted the area and deemed it safe for them to stay and there was even a stream nearby for bathing.
She had just decided that she was going to crawl to the stream when Jaia approached.
"Better after I've bad a bath," she said and he tilted his head then smiled.
Holding her arms out to him, he helped her to her feet and she was relieved that they at least held her up, but when she tried to walk, they gave out and Jaia caught her before she hit the ground.
Clutching him tightly, she grumbled in his ear and he laughed, scooping her legs out from under her and heading for the stream.
Without preamble, he had her stripped and in the water where she moaned softly at the coolness on her skin. With his back to her, he waited as she used a handful of sand to scrub her skin clean, water plants to wash her hair and the cold seemed to stimulate her legs somewhat.
"We have to get back to Kai," she said, watching the little fish swimming around but never getting close to her.
"Yeah, I know," he sounded tired and she watched him for a few moments.
"What's wrong?" she asked, looking down at the fish once more.
"I'm not sure. Everything about this feels wrong. Why would Alaric have people looking for us?" Turning, he began to pace and she watched him.
"I don't know, maybe Winter is holding him responsible?" That answer didn't seem to fit but what else was there?
"Maybe, but that seems convenient doesn't it?" he asked, turning to look at her.
She frowned, running her fingers over the surface of the water and watching the ripples.
"Maybe it's an excuse to get you or Versalis back?" she asked
"I'm not important enough, but Versalis maybe," she met his eyes and frowned in thought.
"Maybe it's all for show, an attempt to make it look like he is trying to find us, and their finding us was pure chance. I didn't think that area would even be populated."
"The entire world is owned Etani, there is no free land left," Jaia said and she squinted at him.
"That's not true..." she said, not entirely sure.
He gave her a slight smile and jerked his head back towards the camp.
Pushing herself up slowly, she extended her hands to him and she managed the three paces to the edge of the stream and stepped out. Her grip tightened on him as she did so, almost falling on top of him.
"What was in that dart?" he asked.
"A neurotoxin of some sort, but I can't figure out what one or what it was mixed with," she was frustrated by that, wanting to know badly.
With his hands on her waist, he picked her up and set her back down by her clothes and she dressed under his watchful eye in case she toppled over.
"We need to discuss getting back to Kai, regardless of the lords trying to find us or not," she said and he nodded.
Sweeping her into his arms, he carried her back to camp and the waiting Versalis.
Sitting down around the fire, she stretched out her legs and worked on getting her toes to work on command, but they were being stubborn.
"We have to get to Kai," she said as she watched, clenching her toes and then releasing them again and moved up to get ankles.
"They will be prepared for us. It could be a trap," Versalis said slowly and she nodded, her ankles rotating and her eyes sliding her attention up to her calves to get them to clench and release a few times.
***
"Yes, but he will be running out of blood and I can't let him go without," Kai was not part of the deal she had with Jaia, but she still cared for him and was not about to let him starve.
Looking up at Jaia, she found him watching her with an intent she didn't understand.
"What?" she asked defensively
"They are going to be waiting for you. They know you can pass through," his voice was tight and she gave a slight shrug.
"Would you rather we did nothing and Kai suffer?" she asked, knowing full well that he would prefer his brother to be with them but they had to leave someone behind to keep Alaric happy.
"No, but what if you are captured?" he asked, his hands in tight fists on his thighs.
"Nothing is going to happen to me Jaia. I will go in and ensure he is taken care of or bring him back with us," her voice sounded confident but she didn't feel it.
"And what of Epharis?" Versalis said and she glanced to him, wondering whose side he was on just then.
"What about him?" she asked, her eyes returning to her legs as she moved up to her thighs. It seemed her legs were mostly back into working order.
"Are you going to fight him if he tries to stop you?"
"I was banished to Winter, what he wants is irrelevant at the moment. My main concern is not being dragged back to Winter."
"And Drizdan?" Versalis said firmly.
Her muscles tensed and she refused to look up, her mind going to her husband and his expectations of her. She was struggling to keep up her conviction as it was, they weren't helping.
Shaking her head, she pushed herself to her feet.
"Etani, I'm sorry," Versalis said, but she had already turned and started off into the growing darkness.
She knew he intended nothing by it, but she didn't want to have to think of the drow who owned her life in Winter. She wanted to be alone, or with Epharis, but after what he had done in the Basement, she wasn't quite as sure of him either.
They left her alone as she pulled herself up as high as she could into a large tree, leaning her back against the trunk and watching the sky darken.
They didn't seem to understand the depth of her emotional and mental scarring, and she wasn't about to tell them about it.
If it came to it, she would return to Ayathian on her own to get to Kai. She didn't need their help nor their approval to do what she needed to do.
They remained as they were for several hours, simply waiting for someone to do or say something when finally Jaia decided he had, put up with enough and he approached the tree.
Starting up, he was below her in only a minute. Swinging himself up, he plopped down on the branch facing her, his eyes narrowed and hands resting on the branch between his legs, leaning forward to get into her personal space.
"We are going to get this plan in order before we try and take on the castle," he said, his bare feet swinging in the air.
"And how long is that going to take Jaia? You have to have realised that I can just leave you two here."
He nodded once, lips pursed.
"Yes, I thought of that already. But if you had intended to do that, you already would have left and been back by now. You're worried but you won't admit it. You know perfectly well that it is going to be a huge risk. You are fully aware that you are important to Alaric for some reason and you know he wants to get his hands on you."
She frowned slightly as she watched him, trying to figure him out.
"This is Kai we are talking about. He's worth the risk Jaia."
Leaning back, he moved his hands to behind him and rested back against them.