Chapter 66: The Numb-Root And Isabella’s Persistence!
The blue root in Neve’s hand was warm from being buried in the earth.
His medical memory had identified it immediately. Numb-Root. A pale-blue root found deep under the snow in these forests. When chewed into a paste and smeared onto a wound, its natural numbing properties freeze the cell doors shut. It prevented the poison from travelling anywhere. It stopped the batrachotoxin from reaching the heart.
It was the antidote to exactly what Isabella was carrying.
Neve had not known most of those words before the medical memory appeared in his head, but the system had given him understanding along with the knowledge. He understood what this root could do. He understood that it would save someone’s life if they were poisoned with what Isabella had.
But he was not going to be that person.
The one who brought the poison would be the one affected by it. He was going to make sure of that.
He slipped the blue root into his pocket and turned back to the fire.
The flames were rising now, consuming the trash they had gathered. The smell was not pleasant, but it was working. The trench they had dug with the snow walls was doing exactly what he had said it would do. The fire was hot, controlled, and effective.
The men started chanting Neve’s name over and over, praising how intelligent and smart he was. They were saying how well his idea had worked and how the village would be better because of his innovation.
Isabella and her trembling friends walked closer.
She started smiling and joined them in chanting. She clapped her hands loudly, drawing everyone’s attention even though Neve could hear the other beastmen gossiping behind her back, talking about how and why she was here after speaking so badly of him earlier.
Everyone could hear them.
Even Isabella could hear them.
She frowned slightly, trying to pretend she was not affected by what they were saying. She just kept smiling and walked closer to Neve. She took his hand.
"I’m sorry I spoke badly of you," she said. Her voice was apologetic, sincere-sounding, perfectly performed. "As a princess of this tribe, I shouldn’t have done that." She turned to the men. "Neve is indeed smart, and I can see that his idea worked perfectly. I shouldn’t have doubted him."
Ryker stepped between them immediately.
He created space. His body language said everything he was thinking. There was no way he was going to trust Isabella around Neve.
Ryker had grown up with Isabella. When both their parents were chiefs, they had done this winter merging thing together for years. He knew what Isabella could do when things did not go her way. He had seen her at her nastiest.
"Ryker," Isabella’s voice softened. She hid her hand behind her back. "Hi there."
"What are you up to this time?" Ryker asked flatly.
"Nothing, Ryker," she smiled.
Neve watched the interaction and wondered. Did Ryker sense the poison? Did he know what she was carrying?
"You’re always playing a dangerous game whenever things don’t go your way," Ryker said. His voice was cold in a way Neve had not heard before. "But don’t think I’ll stand here and let you hurt Neve."
Isabella stepped back.
The confident mask slipped for just a moment, and Neve saw the real frustration underneath.
She recovered quickly, though. She smiled and nodded, as if to accept defeat gracefully.
But Neve knew better.
Ryker turned to Neve, snapping him out of his observation. "Did she hurt you?"
"She just held my hand," Neve said. "How could she have done that?"
Ryker patted his head gently, and Neve’s eyes travelled to Isabella’s face. She was gritting her teeth so hard that Neve thought they might actually snap. The action was automatic, the result of rage she was having difficulty controlling.
Neve smiled.
He thought maybe she had given up. Maybe seeing Ryker protect him had convinced her to back off and try something else at a different time.
But girls like Isabella did not give up.
They simply changed tactics.
.
.
The trash burning continued for another hour.
The men worked to cover the pit with thick bamboo sticks arranged closely together. The next time they needed to burn something, they could simply dig down to these sticks and start a fire in the same spot. It was efficient. It was smart. It was exactly the kind of solution Neve would implement.
One by one, the men started leaving.
They headed back to their homes, talking about how they needed to rest well before the snow started falling again. Their voices faded into the trees as they disappeared slowly, as the forest went quiet.
Just Neve, Ryker, and Isabella remained.
Neve had been thinking about his mission. Ensure the Tribe’s Survival Through Winter. It meant he needed to spend time with them, in their spaces, to understand their lives better. It could also help in creating connections that went beyond the surface.
He looked at the departing men and made a decision.
"Can I visit your homes?" he asked them.
They all exchanged looks with each other before turning back to him.
"Yes, you can," one of them answered.
Just before Neve could take a step forward, Isabella spoke.
"Can I come with you?"
Ryker opened his mouth to object.
But Neve said yes before Ryker could fully commit to the refusal.
"You may come," Neve said.
He watched Ryker’s expression shift. Not anger exactly. More like concern mixed with a very specific kind of resignation. The look of someone who had just realised they could not control every situation, even when they wanted to.
"Fine," Ryker said. His tone suggested this was very much not fine. "But you stay where we can see you."
Isabella smiled sweetly as she had just been permitted to do exactly what she wanted.
"Of course," she said. "I will."
They started walking.
Neve led the way with Ryker beside him and Isabella following slightly behind. The forest path was packed with snow, but it was walkable. The village was visible through the trees in the distance, warm smoke rising from the fires in each cave entrance.
Neve thought about the blue root in his pocket and about Isabella’s hidden pouch with the poison.
He thought about the bonding mission he was on and how visiting the homes of the men he had just taught would help him understand them better and strengthen those bonds.
The blue root had been waiting under the snow for him to find it. The poison was being carried by someone whose motivations he understood completely.
The mission was progressing in ways he had not expected but seemed somehow inevitable.
He looked back once at Ryker. Ryker was watching Isabella while Isabella was watching Neve.
And Neve was walking toward whatever came next with the antidote in his pocket.