To her surprise, she slept. When she woke, it was evening, and not only were Darius and Seqiro back, they were gone again. They had consulted with Colene’s parents, and decided to head off for Texas early, so as to be in no rush on Saturday. “But I wanted to see them!” Colene protested, bemused.
“It is too close to the wedding,” her mother cautioned her. “It is bad luck for the groom to see the bride right before the ceremony.”
You let her push you around, Colene thought to groom and horse.
She made sense, Darius returned. The distance is about fifty of your local miles, and we would like to rest before the occasion, so we started out early. Seqiro will wait about halfway there, because that is about the limit of his range in this Mode, and we need to remain in touch with Nona and Burgess. He should be able to reach both parties, from the center.
“But my folks don’t know anything about Seqiro and Burgess,” Colene muttered subvocally. “I mean, that Seqiro is a special horse.”
When we explained it, we made sense, he replied, with a corollary thought indicating how the horse had touched the woman’s mind just enough. Seqiro was proving to be extremely useful in this respect. You and your parents will rendezvous with us tomorrow morning, and I will then join you for the remainder of the journey.
It did indeed make sense. “Okay, manface, horsetail,” she said. “But don’t do it again.” Then she remembered another thing. “But your suit! Nona needs to make—”
She has done so. I have it with me in a bag. Also food for us both. If we need anything else, we shall obtain it on the way. We work well together.
“Hey, don’t get too friendly, and cut me out,” she said.
Never that, girlface, Seqiro’s thought came.
Colene checked on Nona and Burgess. They were doing well enough, considering. They had tried all the remaining bottles except the three Colene had set aside, with no sufficient effect. But Burgess seemed slightly improved. Perhaps the Earth air was slowly restoring him. Nona was having no trouble, as she was able to use her magic to provide anything she desired. They would be all right for the night, and for the following day, until the hive could get back together and ponder die next step.
EARLY in the morning Colene heard a motor. She looked out the window and recognized Amos Forell’s car, She hurried out in her nightie to intercept him, forgetting that Seqiro was not close by to make things seem reasonable. Fortunately it was an unusually warm morning, for an Oklahoma winter.
He eyed her, smiling. “What mischief are you up to now, Colene?”
“I’m getting married.”
“That’s the outfit for it?”
“My mother made me a fancy wedding dress. I’ll squirm into it when the time comes. Why are you here?”
“Your horse says that none of the pills worked. I have another idea.” He showed a larger bottle. “It occurred to me that something ancient might be the key. This is dolomite.”
“You mean now dolor comes in a bottle?”
“Calcium-magnesium carbonate. Don’t you remember your science? We need both calcium and magnesium for our bones and teeth, so it stands to reason that Burgess could have some use for some of this too. It seems worth a try.”
Colene warred with herself. She did want to try the dolomite, in the hope that it would cure Burgess. But she was afraid that there could be a bad reaction, and if that happened, she would need to be there to help tide the floater through the crisis. It would be safer to wait until she returned, late tomorrow.
Then her suicidal aspect took control. It was a gamble, but a good one. “Let’s try it!”
They entered the tent. Nona, still asleep, was startled awake, her limbs flashing. Embarrassed, she quickly clothed herself in illusion.
“As if I didn’t see enough of that in class,” Amos muttered with mock annoyance. “I must say, though, it’s impressive, considering that you obviously weren’t using illusion while sleeping.”
Nona looked blankly at him. Colene, realizing that Seqiro was not on the job, translated. Then Nona smiled.
The dolomite was already in powder form. They put a little bit out, and Burgess sucked it in.
Almost immediately he perked up. This was it! What he needed was here!
“It is?” Colene asked, thrilled. “Well, have some more!” She poured out another spoonful.
“Caution,” Amos said. “It is better to give it the time test, before taking too much.”
But Burgess had already sucked up the spoonful. “Well, we’ll stop there, for now,” Colene said. “No more, for another hour or two, if you’re okay. But it sure does look promising.” She turned to Amos. “I have to go get married. You can stay here with Nona if you want to. But I warn you, she’ll hit you with a fireball if you get fresh.”
“I would have the devil of a time explaining that to my wife. I will leave you to it. But I will check again later in the day, to see how Burgess is. It is a phenomenal pleasure to associate with such a creature, and I would like to see him in healthy action.”
“I think you will,” Colene said as they left the tent. Then: “Damn! I forgot to do it in the tent.”
“Forgot what?”
“This.” She pulled him down toward her and kissed him. “It would have been better if nobody saw.”
He shook his head, bemused. “Colene, I think you had better get married quickly.”
“Yeah. That was my last maidenly kiss. I didn’t want to waste it.”
Amos returned to his car, and Colene to the house. Her parents were stirring, but she was able to make it back to her room before they realized she had been out.
They had breakfast, and packed the wedding gown. Her mother fixed Colene’s hair, complete with tiara, then put a plastic bonnet over it, so that it would keep until the wedding. Her father went out to start the car. Colene went back to check on Nona and Burgess one last time.
As she went, she became aware of something wrong. “Oh!” Nona cried in her language. She sounded desperate.
Colene almost dived into the tent. Burgess was having a reaction, a worse one than before. Air was blasting down, causing him to float erratically. The substance he needed seemed to be in the dolomite powder, but there was poison too. Now he was in trouble, having taken too much of the stuff.
“I can’t hold him!” Nona cried. She was sprawled across the floater, trying to keep him down. “I’m afraid he’ll hurt himself!”
Colene plumped down beside Burgess, grabbing on to his contact points. “Hey, easy, easy, fellah,” she said, exerting her mind to calm him. “Try to get the bad stuff out! You can do it.”
“You’re helping,” Nona said. “Oh, I’m so glad. I tried, but I don’t have the rapport you do.”
Colene knew it was true. She had the best rapport, and she could help Burgess when others could not. Now she was aware of the agony within him, and knew that this would be no five-minute problem. He was in deep trouble, and it would take hours to tide him through—if it could be done at all. She had made a bad mistake, giving him the extra spoonful of dolomite.
“You must go,” Nona said. “I think it will be all right, now.”
“No it won’t,” Colene said. “I can feel his pain, deep down. I’m damping it some now, but if I let go, it will rise up to overwhelm him. I can’t leave him.”
“But you have to get married! Everything is ready.”
Colene wrestled with horrible alternatives. She came to a decision. “I can’t let Burgess die, when I’m the one who OD’d him. I’ve got to see him through. You’ll have to go instead, Nona.”