“It grows all throughout this valley, but beyond that I’m not sure. Aria is the expert. If you walk down by the stream on the opposite side of our camp, I believe she’s down there right now collecting some,” Jake said as he pointed in the general direction of the creek.
“Thanks,” Richard replied. “I’m going to see if I can find her,” he added as he headed towards the far side of the camp. When he passed the last residence, he located a narrow path that led down to a small stream shaded by mature fir trees. A few feet off the path, he noticed a young woman digging in the soft soil with her hands.
“Hi, are you Aria?” Richard asked in a low voice, so as to not startle her.
“Yes, the woman replied as she glanced over at him.
“I’m Richard… Jake sent me over so I could see what this miracle fern looks like.”
“Oh,” Aria replied, surprised to see an unfamiliar face. “We haven’t had any visitors in a long time.”
“That’s because nobody knows about the fern, and the mosquitoes forced us way up north all summer long,” Richard replied.
“That’s too bad, the fern grows all throughout the northwestern U.S., and it’s also found in Europe and parts of Asia.”
“Is that it?” Richard asked as Aria gently exposed the roots of a large emerald green fern with dark red stems.
“Yeah, see how the roots resemble a tarantula’s hairy legs, that’s a dead giveaway that you have found Dryopteri filix-mas,” Aria remarked. Then she gently broke off a small piece and handed it to Richard so he could see what it looked like close up. Richard carefully inspected the fern and shook his head in amazement.
“If I had only known what this fern could do, I could have saved countless lives with it,” he said with a look of sorrow and disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” Aria replied, feeling a bit awkward by his candor.
“I see you found Aria,” Jake remarked, as he walked down the path towards them.
“Yeah, she was just showing me the fern,” Richard replied.
“Well there’s plenty of it to go around,” Jake hinted.
“So you don’t mind if I take some for my clan?” Richard asked, not knowing if they would see much of the fern further to the south.
“You are more than welcome to take what you need, but I was thinking you and your clan might want to stay here and join with us. We have plenty of food and there is strength in numbers,” Jake suggested.
“That’s a very kind offer, but we are just passing through,” Richard replied.
“I’m not trying to pry into your business, but the further south you go the greater the chance of running into Augs. Why not stay here so we can pool our resources?” Jake offered. Richard hesitated for a moment as he considered the prudence of telling Jake the exact details of their mission.
“Well, I must confess, we are actually planning to go quite a bit further south and attack the larvae production facility in Great Falls,” Richard admitted.
“What! That’s a suicide mission,” Jake said while shaking his head at the sheer absurdity of such a plan.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I believe I can infiltrate the facility with a small team under the cover of darkness,” Richard replied.
“Damn, you’ve a got a set of stones on you, that’s for sure, but my gosh Richard, that area is going to be crawling with Augs,” Jake said with an air of disbelief.
“I am hopeful that the Augs aren’t expecting to see any humans that far south, so I believe we’ll have the element of surprise on our side,” Richard insisted.
“Even if you were lucky enough to get into that place, how would you find the parent worms or even know what to sabotage to stop larvae production?” Jake asked.
“I actually worked at Malmstrom before it became the Augs’ mecca. So I am fairly confident I can get past their defenses, and locate what needs to be destroyed,” Richard revealed.
“Oh, well that’s a whole different story,” Jake admitted. “Your odds of success just went from zero to maybe.”
“If I can reach the facility without being detected, the odds will be significantly higher,” Richard said in a confident tone.
“I might be able to lend you a couple of my guys. I know a few of them have expressed an interest in actively pursuing the Augs in the past. I never allowed it though, for fear of exposure and reprisal,” Jake admitted.
“I appreciate the offer, but considering the risks, I would prefer not to take any of your people from you,” Richard said in a reluctant tone.
“I understand what you’re saying, but when these guys hear about your plan, I won’t be able to stop them from volunteering,” Jake replied.
“I’m happy to have the help, as long as they fully understand the risks,” Richard emphasized.
“I’ll make sure they know how dangerous the mission is,” Jake remarked before heading back to the settlement.
“How many people are in your clan?” Aria asked.
“There are a dozen of us left,” Richard replied.
“Then help me pick a couple more of handfuls of the root, but only pick one or two from each plant so it doesn’t die,” Aria cautioned.
“Okay,” Richard replied as he walked over to a clump of ferns and started digging.
“What do we do next?” Richard asked after washing the dirt off his hands and the roots in the creek.
“We’ll take it back to the camp and then hammer it flat with a large round stone. Then we’ll need to dry it in the sun for a few hours. After that, we can grind it into a powder with the mortar and pestle,” Aria explained. Richard nodded and then followed her to the camp so he could watch her process the root.
“How much of the powder do you take, and how often?” Richard asked.
“A half teaspoon once a day has proven to prevent infection,” Aria replied.
“Do you eat the powder raw or with food?” Richard inquired.
“It has a bitter dirt-like taste, so I like to sprinkle it on my food with a few spices to hide the flavor. Some of the others just add it to their drinking water and gulp it down,” Aria replied while making a sour face.
“Spices… where did you get those?” Richard asked.
“The woods are full of them,” Aria remarked, seemingly amused by his lack of basic botany.
“Around here?” Richard said in disbelief.
“Yeah… back down by the creek there’s wild ginger, mint, and licorice. Out in the grassy areas there’s wild onion and sage. If you know what to look for, you can really spruce up a meal,” Aria replied.
“Oh man, I can’t tell you how badly I’ve craved some food with flavor,” Richard remarked while rubbing his stomach.
“Well, you’re in for a pleasant surprise when Jake makes his sage roasted duck with gooseberry sauce tonight,” Aria said with a smile.
“You’re kidding?” Richard scoffed.
“No, he wants to impress your clan, and from the sound of it, try and convince some of them to stay with us,” Aria revealed.
“That’s fine with me. I would actually prefer it if I didn’t have to take my clan any further south than necessary,” Richard replied.
“You’re leaving either way then?” Aria asked.
“Yep, I know it’s a long shot, but I have to try,” Richard replied.
“When are you planning to leave?” Aria asked.
“Tomorrow,” Richard replied.
“Well, good luck then,” Aria said, as she handed him a pouch full of fern powder.
“Thank you for your all of your help,” Richard replied with a smile. Aria smiled and then went to talk with Jake who was by the fire pit. Richard looked on as his clan and Jake’s were already sharing stories around the campfire. It made Richard realize just how quickly people with similar experiences could relate to one another and become friends.