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Rowan stirred in his sleep. Lauren set her plate aside and rose to check on him. The food was good; simple, but filling. There was meat, and it was well-seasoned. Root vegetables, mostly onions, had been cooked with a glaze of wild berries, sprinkled with coarse salt. It impressed her that Sasquatch had such skills. She hadn’t expected any of it. Her favorite was a type of bread, made from what looked to be wild grains. It was hearty and good.
She caught his hand as he rolled his head to the side, wincing. “Rowan, it’s okay. We’re safe,” she said. She pressed her hand to his cheek. A dopy grin spread over his face. “You won’t believe where we are.”
Rowan’s eyes opened. He looked around, but she could tell he wasn’t focusing clearly. “Where?” He swallowed hard. She suspected his head hurt as much as hers had.
“Tsul’Kalu brought us to his home. This the most amazing cavern ... it’s warm and dry and they have fire. You should taste the food. They cook! And they make blankets from animal skins. Look at the ceiling, Rowan. I think those are diamonds.” She could hear the amazement in her own voice. “Tsul’Kalu told me the most unbelievable things. That thing we found in Peru? His people know it. It’s the child of an ancient god.” She spoke quickly, telling him everything. His vision seemed to clear, and he focused on her. “Tsul’Kalu was born in the time of ancient gods. Do you realize what this means?”
Rowan nodded, blinking. “It means that dude with the crazy hair is right? The ancient astronaut theories ... are true?”
Lauren’s grin spread from ear to ear, as her hands covered her mouth. “I can’t believe it either. On top of that, the Bigfoot lived in the time of the Aztec empire.”
“Are you sure you didn’t get hit in the head, Lauren?” Rowan groaned, trying to sit up.
“No, no. Lie down. You’ll hurt yourself even more.” She put a gentle hand on his arm.
“Is that water?” he pointed to the turtle-shell cup beside him. Lauren had seen the white she-beast hold it to his lips earlier. “I’m thirsty.”
Lauren picked up the cup and sniffed it. It smelled floral and calming. “De-le-ga-li-s? Willow bark. I think. It’s tea.” Willow bark had been known to humans for centuries. It was the basis for modern-day aspirin. The salicylic acid in the bark was a pain killer and fever reducer. She sniffed again, detecting something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on ... sassafras maybe? Licorice fern, more likely. Sassafras wasn’t native in the Pacific Northwest. “Here, let me help you.” She lifted Rowan’s head holding the cup for him. He drank greedily. He winced as he lay back down, gritting his teeth. “Are you okay?” he asked. He made to reach for her face. He winced as he tried to lift his arm. She leaned in to make it easier. His hand barely grazed her cheek before it fell to the bedding.
“Yes,” she said. “Just a few bruises. They’ll heal.”
He held her eyes for a long moment. She watched as his lids grew heavy again. She wondered if the medicinal tea had anything to do with the stupor that came over him as he drifted back into a healing sleep.
She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, with no response. She sat back on her heels and surrendered. Nothing left to do but watch and wait. Her own body ached, but it wasn’t bad. Still, she curled up beside Rowan and pulled the furs up over them and gave in to the need for rest.