Altine went off to prepare the warm water while Akeh took a canoe to the clinic for ice blocks.
When he arrived, he climbed out and walked inside, where he was met by Nurse Ifeoluwa.
"Hello," she greeted, a bit hesitantly.
Akeh nodded back, smiling politely.
"Good morning. Altine asked me to pick up some ice blocks. Do you have any here?"
Ifeoluwa looked at him carefully before answering,
"Yes, I have some."
Her voice seemed tight, like she was choosing her words slowly.
Akeh noticed her unusual tone and asked if she was feeling alright, but she didn't respond. Instead, she turned and walked into storage to fetch the ice blocks.
As he waited, Akeh glanced around the clinic. He thought back to something Adunni had mentioned. My mother was in this clinic. I didn't even know Altine had brought her here... she must have found it too difficult to keep caring for her in the chief's house.
Akeh wandered further, noticing an open door and, inside, his mother lying on a bed. He felt relieved and a bit surprised.
There she is, he thought. He stepped into the room but soon caught an unpleasant odor. He wrinkled his nose, wondering why the air smelled stale.
"Why does it smell like this?" he muttered.
"I hope they're taking good care of you."
He went over to open a window, letting fresh air flow through the room. Then he looked back at his mother, lying silent and still, her face calm but completely unresponsive.
Sighing, Akeh softly whispered,
"Hang in there. I'm doing all I can."
Even though she couldn't respond, saying it out loud gave him some comfort.
Then, he remembered Montes' lesson on soul reading and wondered if it might work on her. Placing his hand on hers, he tried to feel the energy that would signal a soul was present, like he'd felt before... but there was nothing. Altine was right, he thought, her soul is gone.
Akeh gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his heart heavy with sympathy and frustration.
Just then, Nurse Ifeoluwa returned, holding a small black bag filled with ice blocks.
"Here you go," she said, handing it to him.
Akeh took it with a quiet "Thank you," then, as he passed her, he added,
"Please…take good care of her. If anything happens, let me know."
With that, he left the clinic and returned to his room.
Inside, he stripped down to his boxers and sat on a small stool. Two barrels of water—one cold, one warm—were beside him, and a dim lantern lit the small room. He wondered about Altine's plan for this odd setup.
A moment later, she entered, wearing a light robe that was nearly see-through. She paused, eyeing him with a smile.
"You're really sitting here in just boxers? Aren't you embarrassed?"
Akeh shrugged.
"What's there to be embarrassed about?"
"Okay, so I guess embarrassment isn't what we're dealing with today," she teased.
Akeh raised an eyebrow, curious.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kneeling down behind him, Altine began explaining.
"Your soul taps into different feelings to make spiritual energy. Each feeling can be tied to a kind of temperature. Think about it—when it's cold and rainy, don't you feel tired and sleepy? And when it's warm, don't you feel more energized?"
She looked at his back, waiting for him to understand.
"Hmm," he nodded, thinking.
"So, you're trying to figure out which feeling is my strongest one?"
"Yes, if what you're... feeling when... you're with... me is lo..,"
Altine's words faded like whispers in the wind, leaving Akeh with nothing but silence.
Akeh's mind drifted back over his past... the struggles with his family, the isolation he felt from the other students.
He closed his eyes, shoulders tensing as he acknowledged his strongest feeling. Eyes hard and voice serious, he muttered,
"It's anger."
Altine was hoping for something else but nodded.
"O-okay, hold on to that feeling."
She stood, stretching over to scoop some water.
"Usually, anger would respond best to warm water. But instead…" she took some cold water from the barrel,
"…we'll balance that anger with cold."
Kneeling behind him, she began pouring cold water over his head and down his back.
"Hold onto that anger," she told him, pouring slowly, scoop by scoop.
Time passed, the room was silent except for the soft splash of water dripping from Akeh's body.
Then, suddenly, there was an explosion of spirit energy from Akeh that filled the room. Altine gasped, stunned by the sudden intense wave as it surrounded them.
The force was overwhelming even for a soul master like her, making her body feel heavy, her forehead dripping with sweat. She struggled to reach Akeh, trying to snap him out of it, but the energy was too strong.
Before she could get close, she was knocked out cold, collapsing against his back. The sheer force didn't just knock her unconscious... it sent a shockwave through Makoko, leaving half the settlement unconscious.
To be continued, somewhere else...