Botanicaust

large and made nice compresses. He wetted them and piled them into the lab coat sling before sloshing back to camp.
    Turning to Tula to apply new compresses, his heart leapt when he saw her eyes open. “ Tula! ” he cried, kneeling to see if her fever had broken.
    Her skin still burned. He raised a water bottle to her lips, but she barely managed one swallow before coughing wracked her and she again fell unconscious. Vivid memories of Josef ’ s sickness opened a hollowness inside Levi. He focused on changing her leaf compresses, but the cattail jelly didn ’ t seem to be helping. A fire was his next priority, or he ’ d be eating raw muskrat tonight.
    He donned his blanket around his waist and skinned the muskrat, staking the hide in the sun to dry. He didn ’ t know much about tanning, but the hide might come in handy later.
    Starting a fire with what looked like a miniature flame gun from the emergency kit, he spitted and roasted the tiny carcass. The scent of real meat, after so many days of the bland drink the Blattvolk gave him, was like manna. The meat would barely be a meal for one. Did Tula eat meat? She drank the Blattvolk drink with him. Maybe that was out of politeness. Plant people shouldn ’ t need to eat.
    But they also shouldn ’ t sunburn.
    He looked from the feast to the unconscious Tula. His stomach rumbled. If she was awake, he should share. With a sigh, he went to her side and urged her awake. “ Tula. ” He didn ’ t touch her. The oozing blisters looked painful. Instead, he stroked her hair, once silky between his fingers, now caked with sweat and grime.
    Her lids flickered open and his heart lifted. He hadn ’ t realized how alone he felt. Lifting her head again, he offered the water bottle. She looked past the bottle at her leaf-covered body and whimpered. Her hands fluttered like dying birds as she attempted to push the leaves away.
    “ What is it? ” Levi grabbed her wrists. “ Tula? ”
    “ Bad. ” She croaked, and her head fell back against the pillow robe.
    He looked at the wide, palmate leaves he ’ d dampened and placed on her body. Were these poisonous? He ’ d had no skin reaction picking them. But maybe her blisters weren ’ t a sunburn . He picked the leaves from her skin as quickly as he could. Had he made her sick this whole time?
    The thought worried him. He washed her oozing skin with clean water and debated putting the robe over her. The poultices kept the flies away as well as treated the blisters. Deciding to give the sores time to dry out, he left her uncovered and hoped the smoke from the tamarisk fire would be enough for the flies. As he turned the cooking muskrat over the flames, he couldn ’ t keep his eyes off her nakedness in spite of the blisters.

    Out of darkness, Tula became aware of shivers twitching up and down her body. Even though chemical euphoria coursed through her bloodstream, the effects weren ’ t enough to overpower the pain. Her head ached. Her bones shot fire out her fingers and toes. Breathing hurt, her throat and lungs dry and tight.
    The sound of splashing water nearby drew her starchy eyes open. Through the filmy haze over her corneas, she saw slatted light. Although it hurt to move, she twitched her head left to see a solid rock wall. Directly above, some sort of plant matter had been woven into a shelter. Thankfully it wasn ’ t touching her. On her abdomen, she ran weak fingers over blistered skin. The poisons running through her system could have killed her. They still could, if her organs were damaged from the sudden shock of so many alkaloids. How could he cover her in leaves like that? And how long had she been unconscious?
    Memories of her flight with Levi crept into her consciousness. The last thing she fully recollected was the duster on the horizon. She squinted at the leafy roof, yearning for a drop of water on her parched lips. Fortunately the Protectorate hadn ’ t found them, or they ’ d be in prison. Or worse.
    Splashing again drew her attention, and she forced her head the other way. Knee deep in water, Levi placed the cap on a dripping water bottle. He limped up the slope toward her, water sluicing from his muscular legs. The sunlight made the blond re-growth of hair glint like flecks of topaz against his tawny skin. Flashes of remembered sensation tickled the pit of her stomach. Had they? The taste of his skin, the broad expanse of his back under her fingertips, the powerful feel of him between her legs