The Deepcombers

Chapter Nine

The four fugitives made a fresh path toward the waterfall in the distance. Everyone could see their destination and no words were spoken as they jogged through the pampas. Jarl and Tharus ate handfuls of crab meat as they followed Lon. The exercise stretched their poorly conditioned leg muscles for the first time in weeks. 

The lionsfeigor had never been much of a talker, and Tharus was always deliberately brief because of his lisp. Clyde must have felt uncertain about these new additions. He looked back over his shoulder and watched meekly as they ate their only food supply.

Eventually the escapees found a dirt path through the dense grass that was probably made by wildebeests or something that traveled in a pack. Lon chose to follow this track and fifty paces later they arrived at a waterhole ringed with shade trees. The lad was pleasantly surprised. Here was a deep pond with a brisk stream on either side. He wanted to charge in and slake his thirst but instead he waved Tharus and Jarl ahead and motioned them to enter first. He knew they were both skilled hunters, one by sea and the other on land. Just as he reckoned, the reptilian had his eyes on the stream in search of fish while the big cat scanned the trees for sloth or any varmints that might run on approach.

Lon could see nothing in either zone, but he waited and watched his companions hunt. He noticed how the muddy soil around the drinking hole was covered in animal tracks, yet the place was deserted.

Tharus striped off his salt-soaked tunic and trousers and dove naked into the pool. His green body entered the stream quietly and without any splash. Both Jarl and Clyde drank deep before doing anything else. Jarl followed animal tracks while the clerk disappeared to relieve himself.

The once-distant waterfall was not so far away anymore and Lon could hear its faint roar.

Clyde returned and nodded toward leafy green bushes. "Look here gents. Sea cabbage," he unbuttoned pockets on his outfit and began harvesting the plant's rubbery leaves.

The bush looked terribly ordinary to Lon and he hadn't given it a second glance, but now he saw it had globular roots in the water.  That meant it could be a succulent.  Its green glabrous leaves fanned out in groups of five around a central stem and Lon had no doubt, plants with roots and leaves like that can store water during times of drought.

"Oh, I'm under Kluth's boot," Jarl cursed.  He watched the noble pick the newly sprouted leaves. "Fanflower," he snarled. "...peddles are edible, but I swore I'd never eat it again."

Lon filled in the blank, , "...after crossing Asgul?" He remembered the guard captain's sad tale that led to his capture by the Crols.

"Ya," Jarl studied the bush. "That's all the grows there."

Tharus surfaced in the center of the pond. "There are no fissh," he announced sadly.

All eyes turned back to Clyde. He offered some sea cabbage to Lon. "It's best when bright green," he said. "It's lovely when pickled in vinegar."

"Bah. It really never tastes any better," the lionfeigor said.

Lon tasted the plant. It was a mix between cucumber and rhubarb with a terrible aftertaste. "Ugghh... yuck!" The lad knelt and washed the sour flavour from his mouth. Jarl smiled. This was the youth he remembered.

"Masssra leaves?" Tharus asked hungrily as he swam closer to pick the bush's rubbery green leaves from the waterside. "Deliciousss. I didn't even sssee it here."

"Bah!" Jarl's ears twitched and he returned his eyes to the trees in search of anything else to eat.

"The leaves are nourishing..." Clyde said as he filled his pockets.