(223) Red Feather – 14

Dain shook his head swiftly, “My recipe is just perfect.  It’s entirely possible that you’re just asking the wrong questions.”

“Maybe the lad ate too much of it and it worked against itself.  He did have four helpings you know.  Even Beleg can only stomach two plates of Gnore’s slop, no matter how many of those wonderful pipe herbs Dain puts in.”

“Oy!” another bearded guy shouted, likely the cook named Gnore.

“Ortho,” Dain sighed, “you aren’t smoking my reagents again, are you?”  He immediately patted the bulges tied to his waist and muttered some expletives to himself.  “Hells… I did think my pouch bags were a little light lately.  You owe me for everything you burned up and inhaled you filthy cave rat.”

“Can we back up for a minute?” Kre interrupted, swaying a bit in his seat.  “What’s this about herbs?”

“Good heavens,” Kersath murmured, a bit more loudly than his words should have warranted, “I simply cannot believe how terrible we are at this.”  He placed his face in his hands rubbed at his temples. 

Kre looked down at his nearly empty plate and put his hands to his lips.  “Did you… did you guys put something in the food?”

“Just in yours lad,” Ortho grinned.  “Don’t worry though, it’s all-natural stuff.  Blue river moss, cave mushrooms and the like.  Only slightly hallucinogenic in the right form,” he added with a wink.

“Did you say…” Kre replied weakly as he put his other hand to his stomach, “… mushrooms?”

The next few seconds were traumatic for all involved and resulted in the movement of their already established camp to the other side of the clearing.  Ras and Dain had the primary job of helping Kre clean himself off while most of the others moved the horses and gear.  Only Kersath didn’t seem to have a role in the affair and instead spent the majority of his time laughing hysterically while rolling around on the ground.

“Mushrooms,” he laughed.  “What kind of person is allergic to mushrooms?”  He gestured around to his companions and laughed even more, “Worst.  Interrogators.  Ever.”

Dain used a couple of other herbs brewed in a tea, after Gnore got the new fire going.  These did a lot to ease Kre’s unsettled stomach and Talimar brought over another loaf of bread to give Kre something substantial to fill his belly with. 

“We’re terribly sorry,” Ras offered by way of apology.  “We weren’t all on board with this, but it was majority vote that we should check your backstory.”

Beleg plopped down on the other side of Kre, “You have to admit that you’re a strange one.  And that’s something when it’s coming from the lot of us.”

Kre soaked the heel of the bread in his tea and placed it in his mouth to suck on while he considered their words.  He still felt queasy, and he was pretty certain that he would have to empty his stomach again before too much longer, but for now the tea was helping.

“I’ll be honest,” Kre began softly, “you lot haven’t been the craziest companions I’ve had so far on this trip of mine. Not by far.”

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