19 Chapter 19. A Sudden Fever

It would be another rough morning for Yuliah. Sometime during the night the medicinal drink Ryas forced her to consume, served its purpose. Although it didn't taste great, it could mask her pain and held back the fever, but by morning the effects were gone.

Surrounded by a light mist Yuliah could not tell if the sky were clear and daylight out. It felt not too long ago she had just closed her eyes to lay down, but when a dull ache had woken her up, and her face began to contract and throb hurting to the touch. Yuliah got scared. "Ryas," she shook his shoulder. He had slept too soundly she could tell from how relaxed his body felt next to hers.

"Hmmm?" He answered with his eyes still closed.

"I'm cold and my head it hurts more than it did before."

He sat up and brought his face closer to hers. Holding the sides of Yuliah's head, he turned it from side to side examining her face.

Seeing his usual patronizing stare change to that of shock, "What's wrong?"

Ryas didn't answer her but stood up and walked over to where he tied his horse.

Her head became a beating drum as she tried to go after him but stumbled. By the time she reached him, he had a book pulled out. He skimmed through the pages, and then stopped.

"What are you reading?" She tilted her head to see, but hit with a lightheadedness Yuliah grabbed hold of his shirt and only caught a glimpse. Blood Binding? What does that mean? She stretched her neck out and tried to take another look.

Ryas quickly closed the book and tucked it back into his pack. "You wouldn't be able to understand. Man can not read these words," he placed both hands onto her shoulder and backed her away.

That was odd because she read the title. Didn't it say Blood.... Never mind Yuliah figured, she didn't have the energy to be pushier with him right now.

"Here sit down," Ryas then picked her up into his arms.

Her surroundings began to spin causing Yuliah to rest her head onto Ryas' chest. His body seemed always to give off heat that she found comforting as well as being this close to him. Ryas carried her again for the second time, but she didn't want to be a burden to him anymore, "Its fine I can walk," she insisted.

"No, you can't," he continued to carry her back over to the bedroll and placed her down. "I'm going to give you more of that drink from before. It should help now."

His body language was strange this time around. When Ryas walked back over to his pack, he'd peer over his shoulder, back at Yuliah now and then, as though to make sure Yuliah did not try to walk over towards him again. "How's the sky looking?" Ryas called over to her.

Ryas never asked her anything so trivial before, but she lifted her head, to look at the sky. It became a spinning white and blue causing her to look down closing her eyes. "The fogs were lifting, and I saw a little blue."

"That's good because we need to find fresh water," he walked back over to her and handed Yuliah a cup full of the medicinal drink.

She took a sniff and made a face.

"Drink it," he started to pour it into her mouth. Thick, bitter, and grainy that was what she tasted as it poured into her throat. She half gagged and choked trying to swallow it down. Its taste was that of liquid ash mixed with a mint flavor and a slight hint of iron. She gagged again as the liquid dripped out down her chin and sides of her mouth. "What is this stuff?" Yuliah coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smearing the dark liquid across her cheek into a streak. She had forgotten about her face, and her touch sent throbbing pains down her neck as she flinched.

He gave her a disgusted look, "It's a medicine from the Ethereal Forest, that will help you heal. How do you feel?"

She saw the way he looked at her, as though she was some ugly thing, "I'm fine but am I that unsightly to you?"

"I wouldn't say unsightly. Just shocking. It would be best if you washed up. I see you're festering in stink and that's going to cause more of an infection."

"Infection?" Yuliah's voice was frantic. She heard stories of people dying from infected wounds out in the wild. If they didn't die, the scars left grotesque marks. She clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

"Yes, your face it's infected. The fever will hit soon, so we need to clean you up," as Ryas rolled up the bed and tied it to the horse. "Come on let's go while you can still move. We need to find water fast," Ryas climbed onto the horse and reached for Yuliah's hand. Wrapped around his hand seeped with a slight red he had a fresh bandage. "What happened to your hand?" Yuliah questioned.

"Nothing. I cut myself by mistake," Ryas said pulling Yuliah up into the front of the saddle. She found it strange that he'd accidentally cut himself for a Man who acted so sure of himself but decided not to press her suspicions further.

Sitting in her usual spot, they traveled in silence again. The only change was that she slouched back onto Ryas using his body to keep herself warm. Cold jittery chills began to hit her body in waves. Each time it prompted her body to involuntary shiver as she slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

It was midday already when Yuliah regained a little consciousness " The sun hot on her face.

Ryas broke the silence between them as he always did. "There should be water up ahead soon."

"Ummm.." Yuliah could only manage to say her mind foggy and exhausted still.

After what felt like several hours while she slipped in and out of consciousness they finally came upon a fresh spring, hidden by large trees and shrubs. Overhead sat a sizeable jagged rock that connected to the side of a stone cliff. From this rock, a curtain of fresh water poured down into the spring. The water pooled up in the spring, sat crystal clear and a few shades lighter than his eyes.

By this time the fever had already taken Yuliah. She had them before, but this one felt completely different. Her body convulsed and jerked slightly. Ryas stopped the horse and got off while Yuliah slouched over unable to hold herself up. He reached up and pulled her down, cradling her like a babe.

"What's left of your wedding dress it's not much." His eyes surveyed her body causing her to bring her hands up covering her chest.

Her teeth were chattering now, and she barely had any energy left to speak, but stubbornly Yuliah pushed him away so she could stand on her own feet. Before both her feet could firmly touch the ground she found herself falling as Ryas caught her within his grip.

"I'm going to have to remove your dress and carry you into the spring. You can't even stand at this point."

Yuliah groggily lifted her head, "No. You can't."

Untying the sash that held her torn and ragged wedding dress together, "I have to. Now is not the time to be modest." Ryas drop the sash onto the ground, and the entire front of her dress comes undone. He pulls it off her body, tossing the torn and ragged garment aside. With the dress gone her silk undergarments and ivory skin lay bare to him. Between the convulsions, Yuliah could hardly keep conscious, but she managed to lift her right hand into a fist to try to fight Ryas, hitting him on his chest, "Noooo."

Taking hold of her hand, "There's no other way," he proceeds to remove her top undergarment releasing her soft ample breasts from their hold. He pulls at the last piece, the bottom sliding it down her thick thighs and slender calves exposing the dark hair shielding her womanhood. Yuliah's body now laid naked and burning hot vulnerably in his embrace. Again she tried to fight him but only manages to say, "Stop....," before her eyes closed and body went limp.