The General's Daughter

Chapter 13

In the morning, neither Reed nor I wanted to choke down any more of my attempts at cooking, and so we began our journey on empty stomachs. Reed assured me that we would find berries or some other fruit soon enough. However, not having anything to carry liquid in, and having no way of being sure of exactly how soon we would come across fresh water again, Reed advised me to drink as much as I could before we left the little stream outside of the cabin.

Even though I'd done as he said, I was parched within a few hours of walking. The forest offered constant shade, but it was still unbearably hot and humid.

We were sitting on a log for a few moments, taking a break when I spied small dark berries on the bush up ahead.

They wouldn't be as refreshing as a drink of water, but I was still starving, and the liquid would help. I glanced at Reed to see if he noticed, but he hadn't. He was staring through the trees, probably plotting our path for the next few hours. Gratified that I'd apparently found food first, I went to the small bush and crouched down to gather a handful of berries.

I was about to pop one in my mouth before offering some to Reed, but before I could pick one out, Reed slapped the bunch from my hand.

"Hey!" I complained, glaring up at him. Was he so petty as to be upset that I managed to do something on my own for a change?

He was a good deal taller than me anyway, but hunched down as I was, he absolutely towered over me. I straightened up to appear like less of a child, and continued to frown at him.

"What was that for?"

He only shook his head as he stood with his arms crossed, and I realized that he wasn't angry. Irritated and exasperated, yes, but not mad. It was a look I could easily imagine Papa wearing if I'd done something stupid.

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "What did I do wrong?"

He pointed an accusing finger at the berries, now strewn on the ground. "A handful of those will kill you in about five minutes," he said.

My eyes went wide and my mouth fell open in shock.

"Unless you'd like to abandon the idea of getting home alive, check with me before you eat anything from now on."

Too embarrassed to express the gratitude I felt at him saving me from my own stupidity, I bit my lip and nodded.

"We'll find something edible soon enough," he said. "Let's keep moving."

He started walking and I followed in silence after glaring at the stupid berries one more time.

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By the time we stopped again, it was close to noon. The sun was almost directly overhead when Reed led me to the edge of the forest. Even before we came to the thinning trees, I could see several buildings of the larger village we were approaching.

Reed motioned for me to follow him to a large collection of bushes and we sat on the rough ground while he peered at the people milling around.

"What are we doing?" I said in a low voice, not wanting to attract the attention of the two men who were passing by.

He ignored me.

"Reed?" I tried again in another minute.

"Shhh!" he said before ignoring me again.

It was frustrating, but at least we were finally resting. My shoes had not been made to walk long distances and my feet were throbbing.

I tried to find out what was going on a few more times, but Reed would either ignore me or shush me, so I gave up, figuring he must have some plan in mind.